The latest Sebastian Sands, a quarterly newsletter distributed by the Sebastian Area Historical Society, has an excellent write-up by Ann Gearhart and Dot Judah about Main Street during the 1950s.
The information about Main Street caught our interest since we appreciate the history of Sebastian.
In 1957, when looking east on Main Street from the railroad crossing, there used to be Ponders Drug Store and City Hall in the vicinity of where the Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce is today.
What we know today as the intersection of U.S. Highway 1 and Main Street, on the south side, used to be the Post Office, Vickers Hardware, Ponders Drugstore, and a Grocery Store.
Gearhart and Judah pointed out that the postmaster used to live above the Post Office. The grocery store had a nickname called “The Oh Shoot Store,” which has a simple explanation.
“The postmaster, Mr. Long, lived above the Post Office. Mr. Rogers ran the grocery store and nicknamed it ‘The Oh Shoot Store.’ The reason was, people would come in the store and say ‘Oh shoot, I forgot to buy this when I went shopping in Vero or Melbourne,’ which at the time had larger grocery stores,” Gearhart and Judah wrote.
Sebastian Daily will begin adding a weekly column about the city’s history and interviews with native residents for our newscasts. We will have more information soon.
Sebastian Area Historical Society
The Sebastian Area Historical Society is a great place to learn about Sebastian’s past. If you have a passion for history, you can join them as a volunteer as museum docents and event representatives.
For more information, contact Kathy at 772-581-1380 or email SAHSI@att.net.