The couple has chosen their services wisely, too. Laura
said she wanted to make the store a sort of one-stop shop
where you could get prepared food, dry goods, beverages
and standard daily need items like band-aids. Laura says
their biggest seller is their hot dogs, drawing people from
the surrounding area just by word of mouth. But, they also
added in postal services, lottery tickets, an ATM machine,
souvenirs, designated voting place, fishing and hunting licenses, a drive-thru window and their specialty, bait and
tackle.
T
erry is a fisherman from way back. He thought the
location right on the banks of the Duck River could offer
some green space, solitude and basic amenities for people
who just wanted a safe local fishing place.
T
he Rock Creek “park” may be small but it has everything you need to enjoy lazy summer days with your kids
or just to sit and read a book while you listen to the soothing sound of rushing water.
T
he couple hoped to acquire another piece of property directly behind their store and attached to their creek
front land but weren’t able to do so, but they are told the
new owner plans to clear the property and make it accessible to the public, too.
“ We had to do a lot of clearing work, but it was worth it,”
said Terry, who placed a barbecue pit and picnic table in
the park setting.
T
o use the park, you just check in at the store. It’s always best to call ahead, said Terry, because they do limit
the number of people using the park at any given time to
make sure it’s an enjoyable experience.
“
You’re not going to catch any award-winning size fish
here,” said Terry, “and most people choose to catch and release, but I’ve seen some good sized fish come out of this
portion of Duck River.
“
We’ve had people baptized down there,” said Laura.
“And churches sometimes book the park for the whole
day to have functions and do baptisms. Some groups even
camp overnight.”
T
here is another historic element to the Rock Creek
Store location. Sitting just behind the store, give or take
a few feet, is the remnant of Regen’s Mill, which was originally built by James L. Ewing and referred to as Ewing’s
Mill in the early 1800s. In fact, the place was referred to as
Ewing’s Mill.
Around 1844, Jessee Stegall bought the mill and rebuilt
the dam and mill. A store was opened and the community became known as Stegall’s Mill. In 1968, the name was
changed to Verona. These days, most people refer to the
mill remnants as the mill at Verona. Only cement reinforcements, which were added in later years, can be seen
on the banks of Rock Creek now.
T
he community of Verona has a lot of rich history, said
Terry and Laura, and they learn more and more as time
goes by from their neighbors who have great stories to tell
about the development of the little village. Besides being
the homeplace of Buford Ellington, the community was a
hub of commerce at one time.
“
We just love it here,” said Laura. “We felt welcome
from the day we arrived and that just makes us want to
work harder.”
15
16
Isn’t she lovely?