Old Hamlet Building:

[Bruce Brown]

This is an old, old Hamlet Trivia question. I doubt there are any Hamlet residents still alive who can remember it in their lifetimes. Years before the Hamlet Passenger Station was moved to it's new location, there was a cafe that stood just to the south side of the depot. What was the name of this cafe? But the real tough question is , what was on the lot prior to this cafe being built? It was a favorite gathering place for many of the town's founding fathers and stood on the exact location of the old cafe. This old building's name was worded in three different names. A hint: HHS. And no, it wasn't Hamlet High School.

[bankhead]

was it the purity cafe?

[Bruce Brown]

You're right on the Purity Cafe but what stood there before the Purity was built.

[lynnsteen]

Did it have anything to do with E. A. Lackey?
________________
Lynn Steen
HHS Class of '60

[Bruce Brown]

Did it have anything to do with E. A. Lackey?
________________
Lynn Steen
HHS Class of '60

Lynn, I don't think this building had anything to do with E.A. Lackey. This establishment was one of the first to be built in Hamlet, and like I said, I doubt there's anyone still alive who was around when it was built. I don't know who the owner was but it's posssible that his name is included in the answer.

[Bruce Brown]

Another hint. It was a well known watering hole, and if you guess what the two "H" letters stand for, then you're sure to be able to guess what the "S" stands for. I'm pretty sure that a picture, by Frank Marchant, has been posted on this site before, along with the name.

[Malcolm McLellan]

In 1905 the Happy Houligan Resturant (saloon) was at
that location. Although I am probabily the oldest member of
this site, I was not a customer of Happy's.

[t12]

I concur

[Jody Meacham]

I think Malcolm's right. At one time -- documented by photos, not my memory -- there was a string of bars down the main line south from the station to serve railroad passengers as well as local clientele. A lot of people used to change trains in Hamlet. Lackey operated a distillery. In the course of moving the station and digging its new foundation I believe there was lots of debris from those bars including liquor bottles that was dug up.

[Bruce Brown]

Correct. "HAPPY HOOLIGAN'S SALOON." I didn't know this but was at the library last week and was browsing thru the old newspaper archives on microfilm and there was a front page write up on it with a picture of the Purity Cafe. (Jan. - May, 1967).

And congratulations Malcolm on having the fortitude to just say no. And thanks Jody for the info on the string of bars in that location.

[bankhead]

what was the guys name that operated the purity?

[David]

HAPPY HOOLIGAN'S SALOON

[Bruce Brown]

I don't know what the guy's real name was but I remember that he was elderly and was called "Louie The Greek." He had a room across the street at the old Terminal Hotel. I ate there many times and he probably sold more cigarettes than anyone in NC. All the passenger train crews would bail off and come out with big bags and arms full of cigarette cartons to take back to NY and points north.

[jamesharoldsmith]

I think it was Louie the Greek who would sell beer after 11:45pm at the Purity. He would bag it for you on the sly and give it to you when you were ready to leave. This was in the early 60s and if memory serves me correctly, he must have been in his 70s.

Thanks for posting Bruce.


Jim Smith
HHS Class of '59

[Malcolm McLellan]

Louie The Greek's name was Louis G. Alexakos.
When he died he was living in the little house between
the Post Office and Dr. Cloniger's office on Main Street.

[freddie hassler]

Jim, I remember back in the 60's when the Hub closed for the night everyone would go to the Puirty Cafe

[freddie hassler]

I remember, that a man had died in that little house, and they didn't find him for days after his death, but never knew his name

[freddie hassler]

"Louie the Greek" also lived in The Terminal Hotel Rm4 as told to me by Donnie Covington,he also told me the name of the man who died in that little house, but can't I recall his name, CRS hit me again

[gravyk]

I was looking for old pictures of the Purity Café and came across this site. Louis G. Alexakos was my grandfather. He was such a great granddad. As a child, he would save me all his silver dollars collected from the register and when we visited and it was time to leave he would give me a paper bag to fill with candy/lifesavers from the restaurant display. If anyone knows where else to find more pictures of the Purity Café, etc., I would appreciate the heads up. It was fun to read the posts about my granddaddy Lou.

[Wayne Fuller]

The man that Freddie is referring to that died in the little house beside the Post Office first name was Tony (?),
can't remember his last name but seems like it might have been a Italian or something like that.

[Malcolm McLellan]

Louis George Alexakos, Sr. (1909-1994) residence at
time of his death was 113 East Main St. (little white house)
phone 582-4591. He had lived in a room at the Terminal Hotel
for 31 years until it was destroyed by fire April 9, 1993.