MADISON – As the annual Madison Street Festival approaches and Main Street Madison looks to expand businesses in historic downtown Madison, it feels timely to look back on businesses of days past that occupied downtown Madison.
Previous articles have touched on very early businessowners in Madison, such as J.J. Akers, Thomas J. Clay, George W. Martin, and others. This article will highlight later, but still historic, Madison businessowners.
Barbara Ann Hughes was born a fourth-generation resident of Madison in 1923 to farmer and cousin to Doc Hughes of Hughes Hardware Gordon Hughes and his wife Mattye Bell Hughes. Barbara married Donald Spencer, a native of Huntsville, in 1941. The Spencers were married for 67 years, and in that time, were very involved in Madison…