The remains of the Epsie Store, longtime landmark on Hwy 212 west of Broadus, went up in flames last week. Even in the middle of the blaze, the chimney still worked as designed, as evidenced by the smoke issuing forth from the top of the chimney. (Photo courtesy Gene Gatlin)
The Epsie Store is pictured above, sometime after the original post office burned in 1940. Note the old timey gas pump. (Photo from Echoing Footsteps)
Drivers on Highway 212 were treated to an impromptu warming fire last Wednesday shortly after 5 PM, as the historic Epsie Store burned to the ground.
Following investigation by Broadus Volunteer Fire Chief Raymond Ragsdale and Sheriff Thumper Drane, the fire's cause was undetermined but likely human caused. The dilapidated structure was fully consumed in the blaze, while some grass around the building also burned, rather actively for January. "The grass burned like it was summertime. Anyone thinking of burning their dump should wait until there's snow on the ground or some sort of moisture," Ragsdale said.
The Epsie Store building sits on Mader's property, and has a long history of tragic incidents in what was once a store and post office.
In May of 1940, then postmaster Frank Peterson was found one night dying of gunshot wounds in front of the building, while the nearby post office was on fire. According to the Epsie Post Office History in Echoing Footsteps, Peterson said that he heard a noise at his window, and when he raised up in bed someone shot him. Peterson was unable to talk when Sheriff Claude Anderson arrived, and he died shortly therafter. A coroner's jury came to the conclusion that Johnson himself had set the fire and shot himself. An excerpt from Echoing Footsteps, published in 1967, noted that some locals considered the incident to be a murder, and not a suicide as found by the coroner's jury.
In 1954, Percy and Gladys Marston operated the post office and store, which now featured a gas pump and groceries. Two fellows held up the couple at gunpoint, tieing and gagging the the Marstons, and leaving with the post office money, blank money orders, around one hundred dolloars in store money, and a large supply of cigarettes. The hooligans were eventually apprehended and found guilty of the robbery.
Epsie began as a post office in 1916, serving up to 70 patrons at one time. A list of names was submitted by locals for the post office, with the government choosing Epsie, named for Mrs. Epsie McAllister Johson, a local ranch wife. Postal service was discontinued in 1975.
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