A family serving your auction needs since 1939
Paul L. King, Sr., a successful sawmill owner, indirectly started an auction legacy. In the late 1930s, he joined Homer Wesson and Dewey Mitchell in running the livestock auction for the American Legion in Florence. After his passing in 1950, his oldest son P.L., only 18 at the time, took his place in running the auction. P.L. left to enlist in the Army but returned to the livestock auctions in his late 20s.
P.L. would continue to run the sale barn in Florence as King Livestock Auction until the early 1970s. He then left to run the American Legion Florence Trading Post, which is where Tennessee Valley Livestock auctions are held today.
Eventually, P.L. would leave the trading post to manage his own cattle operation in Saint Joseph, Tennessee. When his younger brother Henry established the real estate and auction company, P.L. joined him as a partner.
In the early 1970s, Henry L. King left his banking career and formally established King Realty and Auction Company, Inc. Over the years, he brokered many land sales including Regency Square (Florence) Mall and Blackberry Trail Golf Course. He served as President of King Realty and Auction Company, Inc. until his passing in 2014.
Left to Right: H.M. Bobo, Marvin Whisenant, Bill Hallmark, Reuben Wylie, P.L. King, Jr.
Danny Griffin sitting at the table and Henry L. King standing on stage
Today, King Realty and Auction Company, Inc. remains family owned and operated in Florence, Alabama.