Montgomery and Railroad Streets were Kite’s commercial center. The town was named for Shaderick Kight, who donated the land on which the it was built. He requested the easier spelling of Kite to make mail delivery and processing easier. Sadly, this once-thriving community is essentially in ruins.

Grady Riner writes that this building was Blocker’s Store.

The building featured above bears the name John M. Johnson on its threshold. The building just to its left bears the JMJ threshold as seen below. Both are likely beyond repair.

Regarding the two story building, Hatcher’s General Store, Melanie (no last name given) writes: My grandfather Folcher Hatcher was a mail carrier in Kite for many many years. The picture posted is where he lived. The housing was upstairs and the general store which my grandmother, Mattie Hatcher operated was downstairs. I am told this is now an antique store. My mother was named after her mother and father. her name was Mattie Folcher Hatcher.

This is was the old Claxton or Colson grocery store on Railroad Street. If you look at the extreme right you can see a pile of bricks where the old drug store wall collapsed a couple years ago.