A General Store

A General Store. . Early pioneers were self-reliant and made or grew much of what they needed to survive. Yet during this same period, industries were beginning mass-produce everyday items. A growing population and the availability of commercial goods led to the creation of general stores, which were usually one of a handful of businesses in a village. Residents living away from town traveled for hours or days to stock up on supplies, catch up on local news, and pick up mail from the postmaster., This building is a replica of the H.E. Page store of Narcoossee, FL, circa 1880. Constructed in the typical fashion of General stores built during this period, it features a simple architectural style that is unadorned and includes a false facade (or front wall) that is larger than the interior. This “boomtown” front is consistent with the style of front is consistent with the style of other commercial buildings of the region and era. General store merchants received shipments from larger cities, such as Tampa or Orlando, and stocked items for settlers as well as local businesses., Postmasters Office , The 19th century was much different than the system today. In rural communities, locals (often storeowners) were appointed Postmaster. They held the Mail for residents who would pick up letters and packages during trips to town. The Mail came by wagon or boat, and by the late 1880s, trains carried mail to station stops. Towns had to have at least 25 residents to have a post office. Small towns like Narcoossee had mail delivered on Wednesday and Saturday, while larger towns like Kissimmee received mail three or four days a week., Products and Produce , Commercial products may have looked a bit different more than a century ago, but they still satisfied the settlers’ needs. General stores carried household needs such as soap, toothpaste, hair combs, pots, cleaners, towels, canned food, and raw hides, as well as basic daily items like syrup, coffee, and tea. Other items such as flour were sold in bulk quantities as it was impossible to just “run around the corner “ to shop for supplies. Merchants also carried basic ingredients and raw materials such as cloth, which was used to sew women’s and children’s garments at home. Men’s garments were typically purchased at the general store., General stores also carried equipment and supplies for area businesses. Farmers, citrus growers, and cowmen could count on the general store to carry some of their basic needs, including seeds, ledgers, farming tools, and saddles., Cash or Trade? , Do you have gold, paper or something to barter with? If so, you can shop. Merchants rarely extended credit and plastic cards were not invented until the 1960s., (captions) , Hill General Store , Two unidentified men pose on the porch of “Hills Store.” Frederick Hill’s son, Victor, followed in his father’s footsteps, eventually owning a store of his own., Hill and Tupper Store, circa 1900 , Frederick W. Hill’s general store was conveniently near the railroad depot in Narcoossee when the tracks were laid in 1889. The railroads brought cargo and mail, and as postmaster at various times between 1887-1906, it was Hill’s job to pick up the mail. Courtney Jamie’s Vans/ Family Archives, H.E. Page Store circa 1890 , This photograph of the H.E. Page store, once located in Narcoossee, showers the remoteness of the area during its early period. Courtesy Osceola County Historical Society, Miller’s Store Interior circa 1900 , Men pose inside a general store with a variety of items for sale in the background. General stores were known to carry a selection of everyday items for the settlers. Note the kerosene lamps and a stove-pipe toward the rear of the store. Courtesy Osceola County Historical Society