From early in the 20th century, RILEY'S LIVERY was located in the middle of the village on the site of Speed Baranco's building next to Regions Bank today. University Realty along with Sewanee Arts and Tabitha's Beauty Salon and apartments upstairs are now housed within this complex.
But the first structure in this lot was Jim Thomas's small blacksmith shop, seen on the 1893 Sanborn map with his house a little downhill from it. The stable and livery shop had been added by the 1907 Sanborn map, run by Joe Riley, and a partner named Collins who was no longer involved by the 1923 lease. And that lease is with L.R. (Lewis) Riley in place of Joseph. Joe had hauled loads for the people on the mountain, and Mary Hamilton recalled he "transported bodies to the cemetery for burial. Lewis Riley was the undertaker." But the business was still labeled "Joe Riley Garage and Stable" in 1930.
Men indicated in photo, left to right
Charles Reed, Charley Johnson, George Sutherland, Jim Thomas, Sam Reynolds, Ernest Terrill, Henry Yates, J D Prince, Wade Roddy, Cotton Terrill, Redus Myers, Jim Yokley, Louis (Lewis?) Riley, Simon Morgan, Howard Reynolds, J.D. Terrill (Peck)
The transition to automobiles was apparently complete by the 1946 Cheston map that labeled the structure a service station. It had a series of men who operated the gas station, under different gasoline companies. J.B. and H.L. Noblitt leased the space in 1938 and again in 1953-84; Martin and Pat Shetters ran a Phillips 66 station in the early 1970s; Albert (Ab) Green followed them, and one resident recalls Ab called himself "Dr of Motors" and wore a stethoscope. Otto Bailey acquired the lease in 1984 and the station was called Otto Platz. The Hickersons had the lease for almost 10 years before Mark Lovett held it briefly in 1993, and then Speed Baranco acquired the building. It is Baranco who, using adaptive rehabilitation, converted the structure to its present-day appearance.
Patricia Makris, quoting Mary Hamilton, The Other Side of Sewanee, p. 39.
Photo courtesy of Ina May Myers estate along with description of men in photo