Most people who lived in Montevallo in the mid-20th century remember the handsome retail building next to the bank as Klotzman’s store. But plenty of documentation indicates that this was the home of C.L. Meroney & Co., a classic dry-goods business, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They sold just about anything their customers could possibly need. Clothing, groceries, confections, toys, shoes, farm implements–Meroney’s was a one-stop shopping experience, 100 years before anyone ever thought about something like Wal-Mart.
The Meroney family was among the earliest settlers of Montevallo, having arrived some time before 1820, and as C.L. Meroney grew and thrived in his home town, he became one of the area’s most prominent businessmen. In addition to his bustling mercantile business, he was president of Merchants & Planters Bank and served one term as mayor from 1909 - 1910.
C.L. Meroney’s daughter, Eloise Meroney, taught in the English department at Alabama College for many years and also wrote a valuable history of the town of Montevallo that remains a dependable source for local historians. The Meroney family home on Middle Street, just across from the west gate leading into the University of Montevallo is now owned by the University and houses several financial offices for the school.
Thank you to Clay Nordan, Vice-President of the Montevallo Historical Society, for contributing this information!
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