The building in the center of this picture is Verda Mae's cafe. Waverly has shrunk so much since 1960, when I moved away, that I think the only place where a civilian can get a beer is at Verda Mae's. Presumably the VFW and the American Legion are still active in this regard :).

This building used to house Romang's TV and Appliances. Before that, Romang had a deli and soda fountain in there. I recall somewhere in the late 50s, when the NBC station in Springfield was broadcasting in color for one or two hours per week on Saturday nights, I first saw the NBC peacock in color in the front window of Romang's store.

The building to the right of center used to house one of two local restaurants; don't remember the name, but it wasn't Smitty's, which was further south. The chief feature of this restaurant was its pie case, always stuffed with the very best apple and cherry pie, and the Green River dispenser on the counter.

The building to the right of that used to be the home of the Waverly Journal. They had a hot-type Linotype machine then. Now, the paper still publishes, but out of a different building about two blocks south, and of course, hot-type is a thing of the past.

I can tell you that the catfish, homemade cole slaw, and a Bud at Verda Mae's still make for a great Friday lunch.