Tuesday, June 20, 2006

passing time

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A young man passes time at the first Berry-Lincoln store. Abraham Lincoln bought half interest into the business from Rowan Herndon in 1832, with nothing more than a promissory note. The small log store was a central meeting place where stories were swapped and politics and weather discussed.

The tradition of the general store continued well into the 20th century. Somewhere along the way a pot bellied stove was added. I can remember well the assorted merchandise in my great-uncles general store that stood along Baggett Branch Creek in Shiloh, Tennessee.

4 comments:

Suzanne said...

Nothing for sale in this store - it's just a reconstruction in what's known around here as a "living history" village. People dress in period costume and the log cabins and other buildings are furnished in original and reproduction furniture. Living history farms and villages are a popular way to keep history alive.

Thanks for visiting us from France today!!!

srp said...

Bible Grove had a general store on one of its four courners. The little town has grown a bit. My cousin is the volunteer fire department chief and he said that when they finally got 911 capabilities, the town council decided to name all the streets. Apparently Rural Route addresses had sufficed all these years. So they named them Biblical names. Neil says he can't pronounce half of them.

The little church where my uncle's 50th wedding anniversary party was held was at the corner of Apostle Drive and Ararat Street. I wonder what street the general store is on now.

Suzanne said...

Bible Grove sounds like a perfectly lovely place - and how perfect to name the streets after names in the Bible. The Farmers Wife might just have to take a field trip to Bible Grove one of these days!

Leslie said...

I love the lighting in this photo, and the soft romantic feel to it. The hat on the railing is a nice shot, too. You could be a photojournalist, you know.