Anybody remember the old country stores. Here's the one my grandpa and grandma Hisel built and ran from 1937 until the mid seventies.
The store was in the middle and they lived in the two side rooms until my mom was about eight then they built a house across the road and down about a hundred feet. The store, house, smokehouse and a five bent tobacco barn were all built with a handsaw because there was no electric at the time. Grandma also ran the post office. No mail boxes everybody walked to the store every day or two to get the mail or send a letter. The store sold groceries, overalls. under clothes, shelled corn, salt blocks, mineral blocks, and coal oil, and later gas pumps, pretty much anything you needed to get by. Grandpa farmed and grandma ran the store I also remember most people carried a bill till tobacco sold at the end of the year and then paid it off. Most of the people in these pictures never had a license or owned a car.
My great uncle Elwood sitting on the liers bench.
A rainy day usually got everybody gathered up to talk crops or politics and sometimes the way things used to be.
This was grandma at the post office.
Right by the smoke house under this blackgum tree the government put a fire fighters bench that had bush axes canteens, shin guards and hard hats and a man from the forest service came through and checked and inventoried it twice a year. the old log smoke house in the background is where the meat was cured.
No telling how many of these places used to be that served many communities but sadly are pretty much gone now. Back in the mid 80's I got a old cross cut saw out of a barn on dads farm but the handles were gone and when I showed it to grandpa he said to wait a minute he went up to the store and came back with a brand new never sold set of cross cut saw handles from the old store.
That looks a lot like Battletown General Store. It's built almost identical, from the doors and windows,
to the full front porch, and the post office built on the right side like a lean-to.
Even on a slope with the hills and trees all around.
We had stores in every township at 10 to 15 miles between them,railway used to run through them,they were built with stock
yards for loading sheep and cattle,how times have changed,loved your photos of your familys store really nice.
Thanks everyone for the kind comments. I have great memories of the store and people growing up. Heard a lot of stories of by gone days I will always remember. I still have the flag that flew over the post office and remember helping grandma raise and lower it.
A lot of memories in those photos.
A link to the Onga onga general store & tearooms in Central Hawke's Bay, opened in 1899.
It still does a good trade in the quiet little village. They have a museum and the jail is still standing. http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/hawkes-bay-places/7/6
Ditto every above comment !! There was several around here as well, one particular I remember had a small black bear in a cage in front about 12 miles out of town. I remember cramped in the front of the '54 Ford 'Blue Goose' pickup with Dad and 4 brothers and sisters craning my neck to get a glimpse on the way to our uncle's house. It's still standing and is about 7 miles from where I live. Gordon, thats an awesome story, I really liked the pictures....you get a gold star today !!!
Gordon,thanks for the walk down memory lane, in honey grove, tx my dad worked for a man that owned a gas station , I remember when we were young that dad took us there to see the old glass-gravity feed gas pumps and they were still being used at the time- circa 1954.
smitty in arizona
Gordon,thanks for the walk down memory lane, in honey grove, tx my dad worked for a man that owned a gas station , I remember when we were young that dad took us there to see the old glass-gravity feed gas pumps and they were still being used at the time- circa 1954.
smitty in arizona
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed the post. I gota lot of memories at that store. What I'd give to go back one more time and hear some of the stories being told and go over to the cooler and get what still has to be the coldest and best 6oz Coke and drink it. Been a long time since I had one that would just burn the back of your throat.
Gordon, I haven't been to the forum in a while, but I remember the old coke machines that the glass bottles were immersed in cold water, the necks of the bottles resting on a bar that allowed them to slide toward the vending end of the machine, and "boy" were they ever cold? They were a nickel a piece as I recall! I haven't seen one of those types of vending machines in many a day. Memories are great, aren't they? I enjoy your posts!
smitty
Gordon,
Those are great shots of the store. As most commented it sure brings back some memories. Our country store was in Beaver Center Pa. The Grange hall was above it. The Grange tureen dinners were just wonderful.
I cant remember buying much except candy bars and pop from the cold water bath as described.
I remember racing ponies down to the store with my cousins. Someone got ran over during one of the events, nothing serious.
Also stopping for a cold drink with the Case VAC or one of the Allis Chalmers and a big load of hay as we hauled hay to my grandfathers farm. The Case never had any working brakes so you got real good at down shifting to get stopped at the store. Man that ice cold orange pop and Coke tasted good after being in the mow for several loads.
Regards,
Chris
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-Tom:hi:
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