Pecan Log Rolls and Hotel Rooms
What Do You Think You're Looking At? #61
Today’s we’re in Middletown, Virginia, south of Winchester. Unfortunately, today’s building isn’t visible on Google Street View, nor has anyone uploaded any photos of it on Flickr. It’s over an hour away from me, so we’re relying on screenshots of Google photos this time.
Here it is: an Econo Lodge off I-81, totally unremarkable, you’d think. I would have thought so, most likely, but this one is a tip from a reader, and it’s great.
The lobby structure is interesting, isn’t it? A little bit of a Pizza Hut look. Definitely not a standard lobby for an Econo Lodge. If you’re wondering whether it has a false ceiling inside, here’s a view from inside:
Look at that warm wooden cathedral ceiling. What could this have been back in the day? For those of you who have any inkling, this might help. Historic Aerials from 1984:
No hotel, blue roof. You’re looking at one of these:
Stuckey’s was a Georgia-based store/restaurant/gas station/rest stop sort of place, famous for its pecan log rolls and other pecan confections. It still is, actually, but with a very interesting rise-and-fall story in between. Here’s Wikipedia’s summary of it:
In 1960, W. S. Stuckey attempted to create a hotel chain called Stuckey’s Carriage Inn, but opened only four locations. In 1964, Stuckey’s merged with Pet, Inc., maker of Pet Milk.
The company at its peak had over 350 locations, which dwindled to fewer than 75 after a decline in the late 1970s under ownership by Pet and increased use of the interstate highway system. It was repurchased by former Congressman W. S. Stuckey Jr., in 1985. Stuckey’s candy plant was sold to Nashville-based Standard Candy Co. As of May 2015, Stuckey’s has over 115 franchise stores in 17 states. In November 2019, Stephanie Stuckey, grand-daughter of the chain’s founders, was named CEO. In February 2021, Stuckey’s acquired a pecan processing plant and two related businesses allowing Stuckey’s to make their own flagship products again.
Full circle. I don’t think this is the only company to have an arc like this, either.
This current motel lobby is one of the original Stuckey’s buildings, before the company was sold. I believe some of these are still, or are once again, Stuckey’s locations, but there are quite a few empty or repurposed ones out there given how many closed during the company’s slump. I don’t know when this one closed, but the motel was not built until the late 1990s or early 2000s. Whoever decided to turn the old building into the lobby, and preserve the signature cathedral ceiling, deserves a medal.
Interestingly, if you look up the property record for the motel—91 Reliance Rd, Middletown, VA—you get some mixed information. It identifies the building as three stories tall—correct—but also the year built as 1966! That’s the year built for the Stuckey’s, not for the motel.
It’s interesting how records have trouble with this sort of thing. The heavily remodeled Pizza Hut I featured earlier this year, for example, is identified in the official records as having been built in the year it was remodeled, with its actual build date lost to history. Another structure I featured—a county fire station, a very official building!—has a placeholder year built of 1900 in the record, even though the build year is known to be 1943. It’s an imposing thought that even the property records aren’t always the final story.
Anyway, leave a comment if you can tell me more about Stuckey’s, or if you have any other similar stories!
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Great story!