| Summary: | This image is a photograph used in the book Auburn, a Pictorial History of the Loveliest Village by Mickey Logue and Jack Simms, 3rd edition, 2013, depicting the history of the city and the University. From page 64-65: Toomer's Corner (at right of large tree) has long been a center of Auburn life. ... This photograph was taken about the turn of the century after the "safety bicycle" with same-sized wheels was invented in 1885 (see a bicycle near the drugstore) and before a water tank was erected a little northeast of the drugstore in 1908. Coca Cola and Sloan's Liniment signs are on the store. ... In 1896, the store's namesake, Sheldon L. "Shel" Toomer, became part owner of his stepfather B. D. Lazarus's drugstore, paying Lazarus with money borrowed from John Reese, a black man who hauled trunks for students. Their store was on the same side of the street but north of what became Toomer's Corner. In 1900, Toomer and Lazarus moved their business to the now-famous site. A few years later Toomer bought Lazarus' share of the business, then bought the building from John M. Thomas, and became a leader in business and political circles. ... In the 1890s, open wells on Main Street welcomed thirsty horses and mules pulling buggies and wagons. Uneven boardwalks linked the stores. ... Early on, the council prohibited driving buggies and wagons on the sidewalks and made it illegal to leave horses and mules unhitched. Photo source: Auburn University Archives.
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