The Athens General Store

The Athens General Store. . Located at the northwest corner of Thome and Spring streets, the store was one of six general stores operating in Athens prior to the Civil War. It was an ideal commercial site because of its location in the Spring Street business area on the Thome Street corner that led to the ferry landing and business district on the Des Moines River water front., The location was first titled by Isaac Gray in 1852. Subsequent owners of the property included David Bedell, D.M. Scott, Paul Thome, James Ryan, John Stafford, H.C. Thompson, J. Townsend and Julia Hills. In 1898, Henry King was the owner-operator of the property and store. He sold to David Fortune in 1899. In 1913 the Fortune family sold the property to M.D. Caldwell. In 1915, Caldwell sold the property to William Bradshaw. The following year, Bradshaw sold the property to John Bedell., According to family interviews, George Wright moved his family to Athens from Croton in 1907 and took over operation of the store. The Kahoka-Gazette Herald (May 10, 1912) informed readers that Wright had recently received a new stock of goods at this Athens store. Wright operated the store until it burned, with all it's contents, just prior to World War I. Earl and Clyde Wright, sons of George Wright, remembered that there was a basement under part of the store where ice was stored, packed under sawdust. The ice was for sale and use during the warmer months of the year. Former Athens resident, Bertha Parke, also remembered when George Wright operated the store and recalled local men helping cut ice on the river for storage in the store basement.