For more than three decades, Charlie Nickell and his family owned and operated the Big T Family Restaurant featuring Tastee-Freez, a Laurel landmark from 1974 to 2007. Over the years, Charlie carefully preserved thousands of photographs, memorabilia, and other artifacts documenting not only the restaurant's history but also the people and traditions that made it a community gathering place.

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This expanding collection includes images and ephemera from the Big T, Laurel's vibrant softball leagues of the 1980s—whose teams were sponsored by many of the city's best-known businesses—and photographs and videos of Charlie's band, The Whitewalls, which performed throughout Laurel and the surrounding region from 1987 to 1995. During those years, the band's members included Charlie Nickell, Mark Weaver, Chip Lucas, Rick Norris, Bill Mott, Jack McGee, Lee Becker, Vince Vigliotti, Albie Stepowany, Bruce Krohmer, and Mike Mock.

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Also featured are a series of framed photo collages documenting the Big T's popular classic car shows held between 1990 and 2006. These collages originally hung on the restaurant's walls, where they celebrated the events and the community that gathered around them.

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Charlie continues to preserve Laurel's musical history through his active YouTube channel, which features an extensive archive of Whitewalls performances from Laurel and beyond. Visit and subscribe at https://www.youtube.com/@ECNProduction.

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The story of Charlie Nickell, the Big T, and this remarkable archive was featured on the cover of the Fall 2025 issue of Voices of Laurel.