People in downtown Clayton Monday morning reported hearing a loud noise thinking it may have been a wreck or a tornado had struck. They soon discovered that a building on Eufaula Avenue that has been in deteriorating condition for many years finally collapsed during a heavy rain storm. The roof of the historic building had been falling in for years and with nothing to secure the frames, the top facade fell into the streets. Bricks and the steel frame on top of the front of the building fell into the street causing traffic to be detoured until the debris could be pushed to the sidewalk. The building was the A.B. Robertson Ford dealership in the early 1920s. Robertson’s assembled and sold Fords which were shipped by rail to Clayton. It was later Ray Warr’s Hardware and T.J. Adams Hardware. Other businesses were located in the building in later years to include a Western Auto Store operated by Marcus Williams before it was purchased by Arthur Rumph where he operated a variety store before vacating it.
Photo by Laney Gulledge
People in downtown Clayton Monday morning reported hearing a loud noise thinking it may have been a wreck or a tornado had struck. They soon…
