By Emily Mosier
Troy University’s Dothan campus recently unveiled a historical marker commemorating the city’s century-long relationship to boiled peanuts. However, the story behind receiving the marker is not salty – it’s sweet.
Three friends worked together to apply to the William G. Pomeroy Foundation’s Hungry for History Marker Program, providing documents that prove the importance of boiled peanuts to Dothan’s culture and history. Those friends were Troy history professor, and director of the Wiregrass Archives, Martin Olliff, local historian Dale Cox and his wife, Troy enrollment coordinator Rachel Cox.
For Rachel, seeing the boiled peanut historical marker unveiled was a full circle moment.
“Boiled peanuts were a wonderful thing in my family,” Rachel said. “I have fond memories of growing, digging, and planting peanuts.”
Rachel’s family has been rooted in peanuts ever since her mother, who moved to the south from New York, accidentally found herself at a stranger’s family reunion. Instead of being turned away, Rachel’s mother was invited in and offered boiled peanuts. Later, Rachel’s uncle would come to own a peanut mill and her whole family farmed the salty staple.
“They gave her her first boiled peanut experience,” Rachel said. “Peanuts are just something we're famous for that other people don't have, and the things that are important have to be immortalized in stone or metal or something that can’t easily go away.”
The Pomeroy Foundation provides grants to commemorate food dishes that meet the following requirements: it is a prepared, ready-to-eat dish that has existed prior to 1970, has at least two ingredients, is identified with a specific locality, is still available today, and has historical significance to the community.
Located by Adams Hall, the marker reads, “Boiled Peanuts. As early as 1907, salted green peanuts boiled in brine were sold during the summer months throughout Dothan, AL.”
According to Olliff, the oldest surviving copy of The Dothan Eaglenewspaper, from 1907, contains an ad for Lee’s Lunchroom, which served boiled peanuts. Olliff said the marker will benefit the Dothan community by conserving an important piece of Dothan’s heritage.
“Dothan calls itself many things, well, here's one more thing that Dothan can lay a claim to fame on,” Olliff said. “Dothan is the center of boiled peanut production and consumption, at least in this area, in this state, possibly in the entire world."
Watch the Boiled Peanut historical marker unveiling on YouTube at Two Egg TV. Video is courtesy of Dale and Rachael Cox.
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