How Shelby’s Early Business District Was Arranged

Mamie Jones wrote that early Shelby businesses were commonly housed in mixed-use buildings, with stores on the ground floor and rooms above. The upstairs rooms were frequently used for law offices, meeting rooms, or lodgings.

She noted that early Shelby commerce was tightly clustered around the Court Square, rather than spread out across town, making the Square the center of legal, commercial, and social activity.

Source: Mamie Jones.