The Company Store

The Company Store. Social and commercial center of the Community. , The company store, built in 1833, was the nearest source of basic goods for the furnace resident. The store was under the able direction of the bookkeeper, with one or more clerks behind the counter. A wide variety of products were sold in the store, including dry goods, foodstuffs, domestic goods, hardware, animal feed, and luxury items such as coffee, chocolate, spices, and ready-made clothing. Money rarely changed hands, for each worker had an account at the store. Items purchased were recorded in a large ledger book. The company paymaster issued vouchers used to pay their store bills. Wages ranged from $20 to $28 a month., In 1850, the Greenwood Furnace Post Office was established in the store, with mail delivery three times a week by the mail stage. Teamsters and passing travelers stopped at the store, making it a place for the residents to socialize and hear the latest news., The store closed about 1905, and was used as a tree packing shed for the Greenwood Nursery. In 1941, the building was torn down to make way for a larger facility, which is to your right., The Meat House , This small building (directly ahead) was used to keep ham, bacon, and other meats sold in the company store. It is constructed of mortared square hewn logs, and is now covered with wood siding. Hand forged meat hooks are still evident on the ceiling joists inside. The chimney was added in the early nursery years, when the building was used as a blacksmith shop., [Caption:] , The company store as it appeared in 1906. The store was operated as a branch of the main store located in nearby Burnham, which in later years was known as "Logan and Co. No. 2 ,

Shopping List, circa 1879 , Average Worker Salary, $28 per month , Leather shoes, $2.75 a pair , Boots, $3.75 a pair , Coffee, 30 to 35 cents a pound , Maple Syrup, 5 cents a gallon , Sugar, 6 to 7 cents a pound , Slab Bacon, 4 to 6 cents a pound , Ham, 10 cents a pound , Butter, 5 cents a pound , Turkey, 8 cents a pound , Flannel, 35 cents a yard , Beef or Pork quarters, 8 to 10 cents a pound