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Throwback Thursday: C.A. Hedges Lil’ Shop by the Railroad
By: Eric D. Tudor
Today we’re spotlighting a long-forgotten little store in Downtown Lebanon and the remarkable woman behind it. The shop may be gone, but the legacy of its owner lives on in the pages of both local and national history.
C.A. Hedges Grocery once stood in what is now just a back alley that provides access to Noble Hudson. It was nestled along the railroad tracks, tucked behind what is now Ozark Auto Sales. Small in size, the store was owned and operated by Mrs. Hedges, a twice-widowed woman, and her son, Charles Hedges.
Mrs. Hedges first married Jacob Greeson, with whom she had two children – Billy and Jackie, who died in infancy – as well as a daughter, Sarah (Stroup). Jacob Greeson served as a Union soldier during the Civil War and was killed in action. Years later, she remarried Francis M. Hedges in Indianapolis, Indiana, but he passed away in 1881.
Proving herself to be a savvy businesswoman, Mrs. Hedges and her son opened their store directly across from Laclede Roller Mills, which was known for milling feed. Their location was no accident. She strategically catered to the wives of local farmers who came into town. While the men took care of their business at the mill, the women would walk across the street to a fully stocked grocery store that met their needs.
More than just a shopkeeper, Mrs. Hedges was a well-known figure in the community. She combined sharp business sense with warmth, wisdom, and a wealth of personal history. Few in Lebanon could claim, as she could, to have once worked alongside a young Abraham Lincoln.
Mrs. Hedges loved to share stories from her early life before the Civil War. One of her favorite memories was participating in a parade with ox-pulled wagons filled with children – and President Lincoln himself. In another, she recalled Lincoln marching with a maul and wedge as a symbol of his campaign motto, “The Rail Splitter.”
Mrs. Hedges passed away on January 7, 1928. Though born in North Carolina, she spent many of her years in Indianapolis before settling in Lebanon in her later life. She brought with her a strong sense of community, a mind for business, and stories from a life that spanned generations and touched history.
