Serving Barnwell County and it's neighbors since 1852
Mrs. Laddice Stevenson of Allendale is 101 years old. She was honored at a birthday reception on Sunday, Dec. 18. Holding a photo taken at age 19, Mrs. Stevenson operated Granny's Kitchen on Hwy. 301 for 30 years with her husband, Baynard.
Before the competition of Interstate 95, Highway 301 was the only route to Florida. The premier restaurant, with the best fried chicken on 301, was in Allendale and Laddice Stevenson was the Grande Dame of that establishment, Granny’s Kitchen.
Celebrating her 101st birthday, at the home of her granddaughter, Lynn Wolf, in Appleton (Allendale County) on Dec. 18, 2022, Miss Laddice entertained the throngs of guests gathered, to celebrate her birthday and listen to her stories – which were enchanting in history and family remembrances.
“There was this rich woman who used to stop at the restaurant coming from ‘up North’ to Florida and back. She had a big Cadillac with a chauffeur. I thought she probably didn’t have many people say nice things to her, so when she came by, I would always say something nice. One time on her way to Florida I said, ‘Well, you have a nice trip to Florida. She said, ‘Rich people travel, only the poor go on trips!” Miss Laddice learn it was useless to be nice to people from “up north”.
Mrs. Stevenson was an Allendale celebrity. Local radio station WDOG would call each day and the Grande Dame would tell the vast listening audience what they could expect for lunch at Granny’s Kitchen.
Drop dead gorgeous as a young girl of 19 and still retaining her good looks, Stevenson was a student at Columbia Bible College and working at Good’s Five & Dime on the corner of Gervais and Assembly in Columbia.
“That’s where I met my husband, Baynard. He said they named a song after me, ‘I Found a Million Dollar Baby, at The Five and Ten Cent Store.’
Baynard, 23, was struck down with passion for the beautiful girl. “At the time I was dating a boy going to college, but started dating Baynard. I could not turn around and he’d be there. He was hard to resist.”
Baynard’s attentions worked and on March 24, 1940, they were married. “It was Easter Sunday; the earliest Easter has ever come.” An omen as the marriage lasted 56 years.
In 1966, the couple bought a lot and built the restaurant.
“I did everything, cooked, cleaned, mopped, took money, and paid the bills. We employed 10 waitresses. Over the years the prices for lunch increased from ninety-five cents to $5.56,” said Stevenson.
The trade coming for areas on the other side of the Mason Dixon Line might mean offering a menu catering to those states. Regardless, even if a customer was from New York City, lunch at Granny’s Kitchen was southern, deep fat fried, vegetables cooked in streak o’ lean, and banana pudding.
Dressed in a sequined, red pants suit with mock white turtleneck, the woman who ran a successful business for 30 years, was still the Grande Dame. Seated in the center with two chairs on either side, Miss Laddice held court. Greeting her admirers who came to honor and wish this Allendale personality another 101 years.
At 101, there wasn’t a soul that didn’t wish they could be as healthy, sharp, and good looking as Laddice Stevenson – at any age.
