1900's General Store Frozen in Time After Closing in 1970 and still has Inventory
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 เม.ย. 2022
- 1900's General Store Frozen in Time After Closing in 1970 and still has Inventory
Old country stores have always been one of my favorite stories to document. I started the Appalachian Homes, People and Places on Facebook in 2014, to have a place to post photographs that I have taken over the past years. I had noticed the Ellison's store on old Hwy 63 in the Wells Springs area of Campbell County. My entire life while traveling down that old country road, but it wasn't until 2014 that I posted the first picture of it. In March of 2021, the store caught my attention again, but somehow this time I was going to find out it's story and not just drive on by. The store sits on the corner of Hwy 63 and Academy Road. The historic Speedwell Academy sits directly behind the Ellison's store. I have went on several different tours of the Speedwell Academy over the past 20 years when they would open it to the public. I also always noticed the house that sits to the left of the store because it had the same bright white limestone hand cut rock foundation of the building. Another thing that I noticed the fence wall in front of the house and the store look the same but are a darker type of limestone than the foundation.
I stopped to take pictures across the street of the old Smith Service Station, when a guy on his side by side pulled up beside me to see what I was doing. Come to find out, he owns the property on the left side of Academy Road where the house sits and it was his grandpa's store. Daryl was his name, but he admitted he knew little about the stores history since he was only 5 years old when his grandfather passed away. Daryl told me that his brother Tommy owned the property on the other side of the road where the store still sits. He told me that his cousin Pam was the historian of the family and knew more about the store than anyone else living now. It just so happens that I knew his cousin Pam and contacted her on Facebook to see if she would give me more information about the store. I decided to go ahead and contact Tommy on Facebook through his wife. I was able to arrange a time with Tommy to go visit the store and make the video that I have filmed. I felt like a kid at Disney World when I walked through the doors of this store that had been closed over 50 years!
As with most buildings that have set for 50 years this one has had burglars ransack it and a tornado hit it a few years ago. Most all items of value have disappeared over the years but there were still many fascinating items to explore. One of the items that still stands out to me in my mind was the box of TUMS that you can get 3 rolls of for thirty-three cents. The rocking chair that I.T. Ellison died in still sits next to the old coal stove. I was so fascinated that the store had never been updated and still had all the wood counters and shelving. The store had never been modernized with newer metal type shelving. On the left side of the store sits a store counter about 30 feet long and on the right side of the store sits a counter about 40 feet long. So many things to look at, including an old vintage radio that caught my attention. I could imagine they used this radio for music and news as they sat by the coal stove. On the right side of the store we found clothing and shoes still in their boxes, frozen in time for over 50 years. Tommy showed me a roll of wrapping paper with the company's logo printed on it. One of the things it says is, "Trade at Home." Apparently, Ellison had issues with people buying from mail-order catalogs, because his tagline says, "Where You Get What You Want WHEN You Want It and Where You SEE What You Buy BEFORE You Buy It." A hundred years ago, small businesses seemed to have the same issue with mail-order catalogs as they do today with the internet. Ellison's Trade-at-Home campaign is what we now call "SHOP LOCAL". One of the things that I wanted to know most was when did this store first open, but for those answers and more, I would have to wait for my visit with Pam. It was a great treat for me to meet Tommy and his family and to document his grandpa's store.
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I respect these people for preserving their heritage. Now it's time to restore it to it's former glory. Thank you.
Oh my gosh please preserve this place and make it into a museum! It’s amazing! ❤
It was so nice to see what was in that old store. The history of the community lies in there. It definitely needs preserved since it's irreplaceable. Thanks to the gentleman for allowing people to see all that history. It's a shame someone would break in and damage things that are priceless.
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@@theappalachianchannel I'm actually watching one now. Ralph Robertson and you are visiting Scott. I'm up here in Indiana but just love that part of the country. Thank you so much for putting these on here it's as if I'm watching family.
@@theappalachianchannel I really enjoyed this video. Thank You!
We definitely need to start saving these historical gems
@@theappalachianchannel I'm in N.C. About 40 miles south of the capital "Raleigh"
At 6:45 you see an upside-down wooden crate with the name "J.K. Robinson" and "Winchester, VA" on it -- I'm a history nerd so I had to look it up. Robinson was an infantryman and veteran of WW2, and graduate of Virginia Tech (back then, it was known as Virginia Polytechnical Institute -- it was an agriculture school). Later, he opened up an orchard and started a fruit-packing business in Winchester, his hometown. He also had several other real estate and business ventures in the area, but Robinson would then enter politics. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1965 until 1971, as well as a member of the Virginia Senate from 1971 until 1985, when he retired from politics due to poor health. He continued to work in his fruit growing/packing business until his death in 1990 from pancreatic cancer, at the age of 73.
THANK YOU Tommy for letting us have a look at this museum from 1970!
Thanks for the info. I seen the box you were referring to and wondered about it as well.
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Yes, those are apple crates
i was wondering about that one too! whenever i'd go visit my grandma and grandpa who lived in west virginia, we'd always have a girls' day out with me, my mom, my aunt, and my grandma and we'd drive to winchester and go to the mall and stuff. i've got a lot of fond memories in winchester.
Lol I did the same a few years back I found a old train station in va and it had a bunch of Apple create in there with all kinds of names on them most of them came from linden va
Loved þhis store I'm 82 years old sure brings back memories I was a junior in high school in 1958 seems like yesterday
I am glad you found my Channel here on TH-cam. THANKS you so much for watching my videos and then making a comment. Comments help the video get recommended by TH-cam to other watchers and helps the channel grow. John Ward
That store is a piece of history you can't duplicate. Wonderful!
That’s a lot of history. They don’t make things like that anymore. Thanks for sharing. Thank you to Tommy for allowing the look into the past. Blessings to you all.
Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching
Please preserve it, it’s where times stood still x love it, watching from Bolton UK
This is great! There used to be a general store like this near where my grandma lived. Mama said it used to be a post office too. I remember in the 1960s, you could get a soda-orange soda in glass bottles were my favorite-and stand around outside drinking it. I have a photo of mama’s sisters wrestling around outside of it, laughing, trying to get a drink from the old water pump. That would have been around the 1940’s. This is like a time machine right here. Thanks for the great video! WAY better than Disney World!
So many memories and stories there in that old store. If walls could talk!!!
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@@theappalachianchannel I live in Texas now since 1967 but born and raised in Mississippi.
This was so awesome! I'm sure there is so much more, but I agree they need to make a museum.
Thanks for watching!
In order to make something a museum it takes a lot of money a lot of time and they have to stay in certain parameters of building and they would probably also need to make it a historical building which would also limit the owners to what they can and can't do with not only the property but the building so that's why people don't do that. You can't just make something a museum I mean that's going to be hundreds of thousands of dollars and take a lot of time and as a historical building owner myself an Old log cabin here 15 minutes north of the city of Pittsburgh on the old harmony Short line that was built in 1818 this cabin has seen everything from murders to bed and breakfasts even right next to the Washington trail and commodore Perry highway there is a lot of history in this town and it ain't cheap.
I have always loved the old country stores and one room school houses. I work at a country store that use to be a gas station. I love my customers and our funny converstions so I can just imagine the laughter over the years in that old store. If only it could talk...Please talk him into restoring it. That store has a story to tell
Wow what a gem, even though it is in a bad shape it is still a gem.... All of the old stuff that is still in there I would salvage... Thanks for taking us along to explore this piece of history..
Thank you for showing your dads store.
I hope you can restore it and save all that you can.
Let’s not forget our past.
Thank you so much for watch my videos and making a comment, I love to hear what people have to say. What state do you watch my videos from? John
Makes me wonder why he let it get broke into and destroyed.
They won’t restore it they never took care of it to begin with!!
WOW! I would be in there for days! Reading the books and papers and everything.
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I’d be a kid in a candy store in there. Dang !!! Nice one!
Thanks for watching
All those shelves, I’d start putting stuff on them so you can walk..& the bottles can be valuable. Amazing visit, thanks!
Thanks Tommy for allowing us a peek inside of your families general store.
I use to collect all the old drink bottles. And take them back for the deposits. Fast way to make money when you were a kid.
May God bless everyone!
That is So Cool! Reminds me of my childhood in the 60s -70s. We had a store down the road from our farm like that.
Thank you to the owners for sharing the history of your family 🙂
Thank you Tommy, you should open it back up. Beautiful place
Thanks Tommy! i was born in April. 1958.. what a Great place! Love that History!
Thank you thank you thank you what a treasure from the past
Glad you enjoyed it
Love to see cleaned and restored
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Please, please, if you haven't already toured the C.B Caudill store in Blackey KY, please think a out doing so. That is also a store that needs to be a museum. My fiancés Uncle owned the store but I don't think he was the original owner. His daughter Gaynell ran it after he retired. I would live to walk through that store, a place my fiance grew up having run of the store as a small child when they visited family back home. He told me stories about how the coal movers from Carbon Glow would line the front porch, their clothes and faces blackened from the coal dust after work, waiting for a ride home.
My family was from Hazard, Leatherwood, and that general area, I just love Appalachia, it just tugs at my heart so much when I visit, like it's home.
Loved the video of this store, these little stores were the backbone of the communities along with the various churches and schools.
Its nice to see you contact the owner instead of others who just go in to others property with out permission and claim abandoned, all property is owned by some one, awesome video and respectful
WOW did you went back in time thank you for showing our past time // you have a gold store again WOW
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After spending a good amount of time working on a few WV coal mines i fell in love with the whole region. I used to install xray sorting lines to sort the type and quality for specific coal markets. Some of the best people I’ve ever met in my life and I’ve been to over 20 countries.I’m so happy I found your channel, it makes me want to move to Appalachia before I’m too old so i have more time to enjoy the peace, quiet and amazing people.
I am glad you found my Channel here on TH-cam. THANKS you so much for watching my videos and then making a comment. Comments help the video get recommended by TH-cam to other watchers and helps the channel grow. John Ward
I love a old Mom and Pop country store.
WOW brought back memories of my grandpa's old store.
I remember going to his store as a boy & all the older men sitting around the old stove.
I have the old copper spit tumb that use to sit beside the stove.
Hopefully they can clean out what good before it falls in on itself ! Great video !
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Many Thanks Ya'll From The Sunny Maritimes In Canada ATB T God Bless
Thank you for the comment and watching our videos here on TH-cam. I also have a Facebook page Called Appalachian Homes People and Places where I post my videos.
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Thank you for a wonderful video. I loved it, great to see a flash from the past. Thank you again, and God Bless
I agree I they can make that something special 👍✌️
Thanks for watching
Amazing! Thanks so much for posting. I love your enthusiasm, i feel the same way😍
Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching
What a pleasure to watch. Thank you for allowing me to join you guys. This is exciting. I appreciate this upload
I just found ur channel and my husband and I love the this old stuff. We would love to see places like this I went to Loretta Lynn's old home and the general store there was so amazing.
this was so cool to see..... that must of been such cool place in its day..... thank you tommy of letting us see this...
Tommy Sir Thank you for sharing your Granddaddys General store with us. My Parents, my Husband and myself would be in Heaven. We loved digging and looking through Old things. I wished the 3 of them were still here I would be showing them the video. As of last night I became a widow. 45 years together went by to fast. Thanks again.
Tommy thank you for letting us see your pa paw and memaws store
17:36--Box with hearts. I had that same one and kept lace trim in it for years!
Thank you so much for watching my videos and making a comment, I love to hear what people have to say. What state do you watch my videos from? John
My grandparents had a country store in Hoosierville Indiana. This brought back a lot of memories
Thanks for the comment I always love to hear what people have to say about the videos that I make..
That Robinson apple crate brings back memories. They were everywhere when I was growing up in the Winchester area.
Thanks for the comment
That place needs restored! Cleaned up and make it a general store replica.
Thanks for watching
I discovered places like this when I visited my Grandmother in far north California. I was 12. Grandma lived in a large converted barn - turned into a general store with a loft where I slept with my grandmother. ... and she fed the loggers every morning, and at lunch time. There were 1800's houses on a dirt road and an old schoolhouse . I peeked in the windows of the houses that were still in fair condition, and the school house still had the old desks and blackboards. I wanted to go inside and look, but the houses were locked.
good Memories: Do you have a picture of it?
This was fun to watch!
Mr Tommy thank you for allowing the men to look at some of the vintage items in your family’s General Store. I found the very interesting. Take care, and a Happy 2023 !
Thank you Tommy!!! Such great memories I am sure
Thanks for watching!
It really cool to see old buildings like that i like the lanterns
I just love stuff from the way back when past cause usually you don't get to see what it was supposed to be like back then and actually touch the past, that's absolutely so amazing and very intriguing to me 1958 of December that's amazing!! Incredible!!! The old posters of the old color!!!! Those old old TV's that's an amazing tire this stuff should be put in a museum for people whos never seen stuff like that from those days?? I'm just in amazing awww!!! What a treat!!? 1945- 1955 old check books pop bottles frosty I thought I saw something leather patten shoes IT Ellison poster how cool!!? Thank you good sir that was amazing absolutely amazing I'll never forget what I got see in your store bless you takecare!!🍁🇨🇦🍁✝️🛐🙏😇❤️🌹🕊️
That's so awesome I would love to help clean up that place
Thanks for watching
@@theappalachianchannel thank you I'd love to visit these special places
It's my dream to find and be allowed to enter and explore such a place! What fun!
Thank you for the comment! I appreciate the support for the channel. Have you visited my Facebook page?
I'd like to see that store renovated and the inventory cleaned and restocked. People would stop in often to check out a little history museum setup.
Brings back the memories of the old neighborhood grocery stores. I live in a small town and we had the old grocery stores scattered around and back when one could get penny candy out of the big glass jar and mom would give me a quarter to get a loaf of bread.
Thank you Tommy
Thanks for watching
Very nice great to see! Always fun to watch!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you Mr Tommy for allowing us in your store, brings back lots of memories seeing things from when I was a teenager, great video and I love this channel❤️
Glad you enjoyed it..Help me grow "The Appalachian Channel" by hitting the subscriber button and many thanks for making a comment.... what state do you watch my videos from friend? John
So cool 👍
Thanks for watching
Really cool to see this but kinda sad too..something about these old places and the near forgotten lives always gets to me.. my wife would love that vintage fabric to make cloths with, she designed using all vintage fabric and tries to reach back to some of the classic styles of that older time period.
Wow l would love to go and see this old store and look at all the items, articles, artifacts and history still left inside. I love just looking through old stuff and old buildings. It would be great to see this old store preserved with all its history and items saved and made a museum. I would save everything and leave it as much as possible just like it is. Thanks for sharing.
Love watching.live the old merchandise and old signs and the store.It could be a museum.tyou all.
Thank you so much for watching my videos and making a comment, I love to hear what people have to say. What state do you watch my videos from? John
Great video, like stepping back in time. Big Thanks to Tommy and his Family for allowing the tour of Store.
Thanks, John and Tommy! What a great treat to see that store and some of the wares.
Remind me of all the stores around where I live, that is long gone and forgotten now
This looks like a general store my dad used to take me to when I was a kid in Cameron Texas.
Such a neat piece of history. I hope they save it. Thanks for the great video.
Glad you enjoyed it
My grandparents owned an old hardware store when I was a kid. This is definitely some cool stuff here!
Thanks for watching
Thank you Tommy! That place and all the stuff is really cool to see, preserved.
Yes Thank you Tommy for allowing us to explore your grandfather's store!!
Very cool-I have a mountain dew bottle with "Zeke" on it like you showed.
Thank you Terry
Tommy thanks
Thank you so much for watching my videos and making a comment, I love to hear what people have to say. What state do you watch my videos from? John
Thanks for the awesome tour 😀
I am glad you found my Channel here on TH-cam. THANKS you so much for watching my videos and then making a comment. Comments help the video get recommended by TH-cam to other watchers and helps the channel grow. John Ward
Pop Kola had been in Tennessee a long time... from at least 1915 when they were the sponsors of a local Nashville baseball team. Back then it was know Chero-Cola. In 1919 they partnered with a company from Columbus, Georgia and continued the as Chero-Cola Bottling Company, still locally owned, albeit not without the scandal of raising the price of the bottled drink by one cent in 1920. In 1924 they changed their name to Nu-Grape Bottling Company, a familiar name to those who follow vintage advertising. In 1933 they finally changed their name to Hub City Bottling company. They produced eight flavors including Pop-Kola & Grapette, with ingredients from Chattanooga, Camden, Arkansas, Memphis, and Chicago.
I always thought Chero cola became Royal Crown Cola. Learn something new every day.
Buddy I love your channel thank you for all your work and explorations!!
this channel is just absolute gold.some of this stuff will never be seen again. just getting trampled on like it is plain ole garbage. people just dont know how valuable a time capsule like this is.
Thank you so much for your kind comment and thanks for watching
I hate that when you said that someone broke in and ransacked the store. It's a beautiful place though. Thank you for sharing and thank him for letting you share the store with us!
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Great video. I'm old enough to remember the old general stores and the people who owned them and worked in them. Simpler times.
Thanks for the memories, what a great old time capsule.
You’re welcome, my pleasure
Tommy,, thank you for the tour! Cool Stuff!
My pleasure thanks for watching
It should be restored and put back the stuff in it. My grandparents had a store like this in the 60s and 70s in Cecil, Alabama.
Thank you for showing your family’s store.
WOW 😮😳 that was amazing. Thanks John for everything you do
Beautiful ❤️
Thank you! 😊
Thanks for the tour Tommy , very cool!!
Mr. Tommy, thanks so much for sharing your store with us on this video. I read years ago of an old store in North Carolina that the proprietor was still running it until he closed it one night, went home and passed away that night. Everything in that store was just as he had left it.
Looks more like storage than stuff for sale. It was nice to see the store. I like the fixtures a lot.
Thank you so much for watching my videos and making a comment, I love to hear what people have to say. What state do you watch my videos from? John
This is so Awesome ! Oh my goodness ! Thanks for sharing
Thank you sir for the tour of this historic store may the memories never die please do more of these ...
Tommy your a wonderful man
Thank you so much for watching my videos and making a comment, I love to hear what people have to say. What state do you watch my videos from? John
You should get a group of people to go organize that store!
Thanks for the comment
I agree! Got to preserve our past and virtues for our little kids before they are all turned into robots.
Wow what memories that brings back.We had a store in leon wv.We went out in 1966 when I was 12yrs old I'm now 68.the building is still standing and would love to go back in it .Haven't been in it scince 1966 .thanks for showing this. I Remember so much and the salt fish in the salt brine barrels.thanks
Now that's cool seeing all those shoes and clothes still essentially new. Would love to see that store restored and opened as a museum. Great video!
Thanks for watching
This is awesome I would love to look in there thank you so much for sharing
Tommy is a good fella for letting us see into his family past.
Thank you Sir
You’re welcome
Thanks for sharing....this was a great video....!
I live on the farm that’s been in my family since 1876 in Southeastern Kentucky. My family also ran the mercantile store and the Gausdale Post office until they closed our post office in 1987. It went from my Great Great Grandparents to my Grandmother. The store was always original also. My brother took the old pot bellied stove out and has it set up in a room he fixed up. I love all the old things.
Thanks for watching
Thanks for sharing guys!
Old 63 next to Norris lake, lived there in the 90,s,cool video
It's amazing, so fortunate to get a glimpse into this beautiful time capsule.
LOVE THIS VIDEO. JUST A BLAST FROM THE PAST. THANK YOU