Clinton’s Storied Stable
Captain William Lewis
Lot 15, as it was labeled on the City plats in 1829, was occupied by a livery stable built by William Lewis, a member of the Mississippi College Rifles, a Confederate college militia. This militia later became Company E of the 18th Mississippi Regiment. In the course of the Civil War, Lewis would be promoted to Captain, and after surviving many encounters with Union troops, come home to Clinton, settle down, and marry Caroline Thomas Criddle. Captain Lewis was one of 8 Mississippi College Rifles survivors. He returned to Clinton, lived in Tanglewood house, and died at the age of 87. He’s buried at Clinton Cemetery.
The Livery Stable
The Livery Stable served as a popular place among men for talk of news, politics, horses and trade. Captain Lewis, wanting to reside in the hub of town, moved the house that sits next door from the outskirts of town on Norrell Road using oxen and carts.
In 1921, The Livery Stable was sold to Ed and Fred Ratliff who set up a buggy and bicycle shop and began selling fuel for automobiles. In 1925, the Ratliff brothers met Charles Lindbergh after he landed his plane, a Curtiss JN-4 called “Jenny,” in a field south of town and walked to the shop for fuel.
Clinton Hardware
In the 1930’s the building housed Neely’s Hardware later bought by Dave Callahan Sr. in 1944. The hardware store was passed down to Callahan’s son, Dave Jr. who ran the family business until the mid 1970’s. Jr. also served as chief of the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department and when a fire arose in town the phone would ring right here in the old hardware store.
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