History of Apple Valley
Written by Justin D. Lamb
Left: Oral Wallace playing the fiddle at Apple Valley.
Right: The Apple Valley store in the 1940s.
(Courtesy of Keith Holt)
Apple Valley museum operated by the Wallace’s grandson, Keith Holt.
(Courtesy of Keith Holt)
Sitting in the community of Sharpe right on the county line is Apple Valley Toyland and Museum. The unique roadside attraction opened in 2004 by Keith Holt who wanted to honor the history of his family’s land and to create a distinctive tourist destination.
The history of Apple Valley dates back to 1928 when Holt’s grandparents, Oral and Myrtle Wallace, built a two room house where they served chicken dinners for those traveling along the then dirt road of Highway 68. The Wallace’s owned an apple orchard and began selling apple cider at their produce stand called the “Shady Nook.”
By 1931 Highway 68 was paved and Oral Wallace built additional rooms onto his house in order to rent rooms to travelers. With the lumber left over from the house addition, a small 14×14 country store was built and named Apple Valley. One folk lore story states that the infamous outlaw couple Bonnie and Clyde stayed at Apple Valley in the early 1930s, but there is no hard evidence to back up this claim.
To entertain his guests, Oral Wallace would often play the fiddle. A barber chair was added to Apple Valley where Oral would cut hair. An auto camp where travelers would pitch their own tents was available on site as well as a small zoo. It was also claimed that Oral Wallace operated a hidden underground still in a nearby barn. On March 24, 1939, Gulf gas was added to the station.
The Apple Valley store shut down in February 1964 following the passing of Oral Wallace. His widow Myrtle Wallace continued to sell produce from the stand until 1988. The store was dormant until 2004 when Keith Holt turned it into a museum to honor his late grandparents.