Pleasant Valley Church pictures and the Roden Store

Submitted by Juli Risener Morgan

This photo is of  Julie's great-grandparents, Frank and Molly Self Roden in front of Roden's Store, which stood near the Pleasant Valley community for years.  Julie writes:  "I'm not sure when the photo was taken, but look at those tin soda signs:  Pepsi for 5 cents!  Frank and Molly bought the store in the late 1940s and it was run at various times by them, their son-in-law and daughter, Rube and Ethel Roden Estes, and their son and daughter-in-law, William and Hallie Pugh Roden.  I remember buying soda and candy bars there as late as the 1970s.  It was later changed into a residence for my great-uncle William Roden, and after his death, used for various purposes.  The building was torn down about 1999 or 2000."

The photo was taken at either a picnic or a "dinner on the grounds."  If it was taken at church it would have been the Pleasant Valley Church of Christ since all of the people pictured attended church there.  On the front row sitting down, L-R:  Rosa Lyles, Mrs. Hatcher, Molly Self Roden, Lula Hood Risener.  2nd row standing, L-R:  Billy Huff, Thelma Flynt holding Janie Flynt, Arvella Ellis holding Max Ellis, Mae Landrum, Ethel Roden Estes, Halla Bee Landrum, Estelle Roden.  Back row L-R:  Mrs. Rowlett, Mattie Crossfield.

This photo was taken at the Pleasant Valley Church of Christ near Nimmons in the summer of 1940.  We haven't been able to identify any of the people in the photo.  Maybe visitors to the site might recognize some of them.