The next time you travel through Nashville, TN., take a side trip north on Dickerson Pike through Goodlettsville. If you look to your left, you might just catch a glimpse of the Armistead Old Country Store, sitting in the same location off the Old Springfield Highway that it has inhabited since the early part of the 20th century. This little building, now owned by music promoter and Tennessee Mafia Jug Band member, Lester Armistead, has more stories to tell than most people the same age. Where else can you find a former general store that was the scene of a grizzly axe murder, has been a stop on the road to some of Hollywood and history's most notorious names, and has heard more than its share of incredible bluegrass picking over the years? Only in this rundown mercantile store, I imagine.

The 1,000 square foot country store located on Lester's property has been there for more than 120 years. In its early days, a toll house sat next door for travelers to pay the toll on the Springfield Highway, the main road in the area at the time. Infamous characters such as Al Capone were known to travel through en-route to Florida. The store was run by 62-year-old Orville C. Willis, a quiet country gentleman who lived inconspicuously in the rear of the store after separating from his wife. He was a resident of this part of north Nashville for more than 25 years. The store served as the main supplier of goods to the rural dwellers and was a meeting place every Saturday afternoon for locals to catch up on neighborly happenings. All of that changed December 11, 1934 when a macabre discovery was made just outside the back door of the store. Mr. Willis, the proprietor since nineteen hundred and a trusting gentleman, was unprepared for the dark fate that awaited him that evening.

Willis's body was found by a neighbor about ten feet outside the back door shortly after 6:00 a.m. the following morning. The apparent murder weapon, a blood stained double edged axe, was lying not far away. He was killed with an axe from one of the store displays and legend has it that his murder was over a moonshine deal gone badly. Based on the trail of blood, it appeared the struggle initially took place in the front of the store, traveled through the back living quarters and out the back door where his body was found that morning. Disorder in the merchandise displays, many of which were spattered in blood, indicated a fierce struggle had taken place. Police believed that Willis's tendency to hide large sums of money in secret hiding places throughout the store probably became a motive for the attack. A full set of bloodstained impressions of a man's right-hand fingers was noted on the back door, most likely made when the killer pulled his victim out into the yard.

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