By Joann M. Ringelstetter
Five years ago, in June, we spent three days photographing on the backroads and in the small towns of a dozen counties in northeastern Iowa. On the morning of the third day, we took a few photos in the small town of Readlyn and then headed to an old general store. Klinger Store sits at a country crossroads about five minutes south of Readlyn. The main road past the front of the store was paved, but the road crossing it was gravel.
There was nothing fancy about the outside. In fact, the only things pointing to it being a store were the modern Pepsi machine on the porch of the store and a small hand-painted sign above the porch saying, “Klinger Store.” This store is truly an old-fashioned general store, sparsely stocked with necessities and a few non-essential things. One set of shelves held baking ingredients, charcoal, and paper towels. Across the aisle were light bulbs, batteries, and leather gloves. At the end of the aisle in the back of the store sat a small supply of paint, and some garden hoses. Hanging on the wall above the back door were replacement shovel handles.
In the middle of the store was a deli case with meat and cheese. On top of the deli case were cans of Pik-Nik shoestring potatoes and a basket of yellow onions. Beside the case was a scale and behind the case was a meat slicer and a rack with rolls of butcher paper. Above the deli case was a wooden sign that listed, on the left side, the meats and cheeses that were available:
Cold Meats:
Cooked Ham $4.25/lb
Jumbo S S KRMR All Beef $5.50/lb
(There was a sign below the board that said Kramer’s German Brand Beef Summer Sausage)
Cheese:
Mini Horn and Long Horn $4.75/lb
Hot Pepper $4.50/lb
Swiss-Amer $4.40/lb
Salami $4.50/lb
American $4.25/lb
C Jack $4.75/lb
Caraway $4.50/lb
On the right side of the board, it said “Misc Items” and three kinds of water softener salt were listed below. The prices seemed very reasonable to me.
As I walked the old wooden floor towards the back of the store, which was dedicated to hardware, there were boxes and bins of nuts and bolts, screws, electrical supplies, and other hardware items next to the canned goods and below the cleaning supplies. Beyond that were galvanized pails and funnels, heavy-duty electrical cords hanging from the ceiling, a stand of Redi-Bolt steel rods, and a red tie-down strap suspended from the shelf. Hanging on the back wall were putty knives, clamps, ropes, and chains. A 6-foot step-ladder leaned in front of the merchandise.
One wall of the store was filled with shelves that held blue jeans and bib overalls. On a nearby rack were three T-shirts, two plaid long-sleeved shirts, and a yellow raincoat.
There was also an area devoted to shoes, boots, and work gloves. Packages of Hanes underwear were around the corner.
Klinger Store is owned and operated by Arlin and Patricia Poock, who seemed quiet but friendly, and they were gracious enough to allow me to take some photos of their store. As I walked around the store, I chatted with the Poocks. Arlin told me that the building was built in 1888 and that his grandfather had originally purchased the store. According to obituaries posted on the Find A Grave website, his maternal grandfather, Jacob Herman, operated the store from 1909 until 1916, and in 1946, his father, Theodore Poock, purchased the store and ran it until his unexpected death in 1959. The following year, Arlin, who had worked for his father since graduating from high school in 1947, purchased the store and he and his wife have run it ever since. In the black and white photo below, Arlin and Patricia stand behind the deli case discussing the day’s business.
In 2010, the owner of Burmester’s Grocery in Loganville, Wisconsin had told me that he was trying to keep his store open, but suppliers didn’t want to deal with him because his store was too small. So I asked Arlin and Patricia if they struggled with the same issues. They told me it was a major struggle to get suppliers to work with them. Most suppliers wanted a huge minimum order every month or they weren’t willing to do business. And even the suppliers who were driving past on their way to larger stores weren’t willing to make a stop at Klinger Store.
This struggle to stock merchandise was evidenced by the sparse offerings at the store and by the number of refrigerated cases that were sitting empty. They also face the struggles of limited clientele. As I walked past one large refrigerated case, the contents made me stop and think about how much I take for granted every day. The dairy options consisted of one gallon of 2% milk and one half-gallon of chocolate milk, four packages of cream cheese, two packages of cheese slices, a couple pounds of real butter, two kinds of butter substitutes, and a box of Velveeta processed cheese. The produce options consisted of two heads of iceberg lettuce, one head of cabbage, three bags of carrots, and a few Red Delicious apples.
As far as I can tell, Arlin and Patricia are still in business and still managing to keep Klinger Store open. When you’re out and about in the small rural communities of our country and you pass an old general store, please stop in and support these hard-working folks. You might just come away with a newfound appreciation for what you have.
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Shunpiking To Heaven Backroads Blog
Showing posts with label general stores. Show all posts
Showing posts with label general stores. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
The Town That Time Forgot – Cooksville, Wisconsin
By Ruth A. Ringelstetter
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes. Just click on the desired photo and look for the blue “BUY” button.
This past summer, the town of Cooksville celebrated their 175th anniversary. The whole town is listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. It was the second district in Wisconsin to be listed. (The first was Mineral Point.)
One of the main buildings in the historic district is the General Store that was built circa 1846. It is believed to be the oldest general store in Wisconsin.
The store building was built, and is owned, by Waucoma Masonic Lodge No. 90, which meets on the second floor above the retail space. In all the years we’ve visited the store, we were unaware of this fact, and never noticed the globe light with the faded masonic symbol on it.
Cooksville and Waucoma were two towns adjacent to each other. The two villages were settled by people from New England, New York, the British Isles, and later, Norway. The combined villages became known as Cooksville because of the post office’s location. The planned railroad bypassed the town and instead went to Edgerton and Stoughton, and Cooksville became “the town that time forgot.”
The town was set up like a traditional New England town with a public square or commons. The original one-room school was built about 1850 and was made of brick. It sat on the commons but because of structural problems and its small size, it was replaced by the current wood frame building, with its bell tower and two entry doors. The two doors, one for girls and one for boys, were a traditional New England-Puritanical design.
When all of the rural schools were consolidated in 1961, the Cooksville School closed. The following year, the Cooksville Community Center was organized, and still uses the building today.
Behind the school, the old witch’s hat merry-go-round still stands.
The town also includes two churches. The first is the Cooksville Congregational Church, which no longer has an active congregation but can be used for weddings and events. The architecture of the church, including the cupola and spires, had been altered over the years, but were restored to their original glory. It is “the little brown church on the corner,” since it sits at the intersection of highways 59 and 138.
The second church is the Cooksville Lutheran Church, which still has an active congregation and recently celebrated their 125th anniversary.
Included in the historic district are many of the old brick houses in town. Outside one of these old brick houses we found this gate with bells on it. We had never seen this before and thought it was cute.
Over the years, Cooksville had many blacksmith shops. The only one remaining is the William Graves Blacksmith Shop. It was built around 1886 and was attached to the Blackman-Graves house. By the 1960’s the house was in ruins and finally collapsed in 2000, and the attached pink-cream brick blacksmith shop was also badly deteriorated.
But in 2010, the mostly collapsed building was faithfully reconstructed on the original site using the salvaged original pink-cream brick. It is now the only historic “blacksmith shop” in the village.
If you find yourself near Stoughton or Edgerton, it’s worth the short drive to Cooksville to check out this historic town. And don’t forget to stop at the general store for a cool drink, an ice cream cone, or some baking supplies.
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes. Just click on the desired photo and look for the blue “BUY” button.
This past summer, the town of Cooksville celebrated their 175th anniversary. The whole town is listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. It was the second district in Wisconsin to be listed. (The first was Mineral Point.)
One of the main buildings in the historic district is the General Store that was built circa 1846. It is believed to be the oldest general store in Wisconsin.
The store building was built, and is owned, by Waucoma Masonic Lodge No. 90, which meets on the second floor above the retail space. In all the years we’ve visited the store, we were unaware of this fact, and never noticed the globe light with the faded masonic symbol on it.
Cooksville and Waucoma were two towns adjacent to each other. The two villages were settled by people from New England, New York, the British Isles, and later, Norway. The combined villages became known as Cooksville because of the post office’s location. The planned railroad bypassed the town and instead went to Edgerton and Stoughton, and Cooksville became “the town that time forgot.”
The town was set up like a traditional New England town with a public square or commons. The original one-room school was built about 1850 and was made of brick. It sat on the commons but because of structural problems and its small size, it was replaced by the current wood frame building, with its bell tower and two entry doors. The two doors, one for girls and one for boys, were a traditional New England-Puritanical design.
When all of the rural schools were consolidated in 1961, the Cooksville School closed. The following year, the Cooksville Community Center was organized, and still uses the building today.
Behind the school, the old witch’s hat merry-go-round still stands.
The town also includes two churches. The first is the Cooksville Congregational Church, which no longer has an active congregation but can be used for weddings and events. The architecture of the church, including the cupola and spires, had been altered over the years, but were restored to their original glory. It is “the little brown church on the corner,” since it sits at the intersection of highways 59 and 138.
The second church is the Cooksville Lutheran Church, which still has an active congregation and recently celebrated their 125th anniversary.
Included in the historic district are many of the old brick houses in town. Outside one of these old brick houses we found this gate with bells on it. We had never seen this before and thought it was cute.
Over the years, Cooksville had many blacksmith shops. The only one remaining is the William Graves Blacksmith Shop. It was built around 1886 and was attached to the Blackman-Graves house. By the 1960’s the house was in ruins and finally collapsed in 2000, and the attached pink-cream brick blacksmith shop was also badly deteriorated.
But in 2010, the mostly collapsed building was faithfully reconstructed on the original site using the salvaged original pink-cream brick. It is now the only historic “blacksmith shop” in the village.
If you find yourself near Stoughton or Edgerton, it’s worth the short drive to Cooksville to check out this historic town. And don’t forget to stop at the general store for a cool drink, an ice cream cone, or some baking supplies.
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
Friday, February 26, 2016
Remembering the Past, Looking to the Future at Rabbit Hash, Kentucky
By Ruth A. Ringelstetter
During the evening hours of February 13, 2016, fire broke out at the Rabbit Hash General Store. Multiple fire departments responded to the fire, but they were only able to pull a few large pieces from the store before it became too dangerous to be inside the building.
The fire could be seen across the river in Rising Sun, Indiana. By the time the fire was put out, the building was a total loss. The General Store building was owned by the Rabbit Hash Historical Society. The store and the town had survived so much, including the Civil War, the Great Depression, multiple floods, and landslides. The Rabbit Hash General Store was in continuous operation since 1831, during which time 38 US presidents took office.
While the old site is being cleaned up and the planning for rebuilding is completed, the General Store is up and running in the annex known as the Rabbit Hash Barn.
The good news is, they plan to rebuild. The bad news is, it will take quite a lot of money, which they do not have. A GoFundMe page has been set up to assist in raising funds for the rebuilding of the store. You can also mail a check to the Rabbit Hash Historical Society at 11646 Lower River Road, Union KY 41091. There will also be some fundraisers in the future with all proceeds going to the rebuilding fund. If you would like to receive updates about the store, “Like” the Rabbit Hash Historical Society’s Facebook page.
Joann and I love old general stores, and we were blessed to have visited the Rabbit Hash General Store twice in our travels. We soaked in the atmosphere and the charm of the town and its people and visitors.
The town of Rabbit Hash is only a few acres, but to the people who live there and the people who return again and again, it was known as “the center of the universe”. When we visited on the weekend, it was hard to find a place to park.
The Rabbit Hash General Store was a destination. With the help of neighbors and friends, it will be again.
If you love General Stores as we do, visit them whenever you get the chance. We plan to visit Rabbit Hash again the next time our travels take us to Northern Kentucky.
Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
During the evening hours of February 13, 2016, fire broke out at the Rabbit Hash General Store. Multiple fire departments responded to the fire, but they were only able to pull a few large pieces from the store before it became too dangerous to be inside the building.
The fire could be seen across the river in Rising Sun, Indiana. By the time the fire was put out, the building was a total loss. The General Store building was owned by the Rabbit Hash Historical Society. The store and the town had survived so much, including the Civil War, the Great Depression, multiple floods, and landslides. The Rabbit Hash General Store was in continuous operation since 1831, during which time 38 US presidents took office.
While the old site is being cleaned up and the planning for rebuilding is completed, the General Store is up and running in the annex known as the Rabbit Hash Barn.
The good news is, they plan to rebuild. The bad news is, it will take quite a lot of money, which they do not have. A GoFundMe page has been set up to assist in raising funds for the rebuilding of the store. You can also mail a check to the Rabbit Hash Historical Society at 11646 Lower River Road, Union KY 41091. There will also be some fundraisers in the future with all proceeds going to the rebuilding fund. If you would like to receive updates about the store, “Like” the Rabbit Hash Historical Society’s Facebook page.
Joann and I love old general stores, and we were blessed to have visited the Rabbit Hash General Store twice in our travels. We soaked in the atmosphere and the charm of the town and its people and visitors.
The town of Rabbit Hash is only a few acres, but to the people who live there and the people who return again and again, it was known as “the center of the universe”. When we visited on the weekend, it was hard to find a place to park.
The Rabbit Hash General Store was a destination. With the help of neighbors and friends, it will be again.
If you love General Stores as we do, visit them whenever you get the chance. We plan to visit Rabbit Hash again the next time our travels take us to Northern Kentucky.
Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
Sunday, May 5, 2013
The First Case of the Missing Purple Bag
Starring: Good Car (gone but not forgotten), Joann, and Ruth
By Ruth A. Ringelstetter
Our first picnic bag was a white nylon tote. It served its purpose, but it wasn’t always the most convenient. The top was open, and the sides weren’t sturdy. It never stood up and often things spilled out.
Then Joann discovered she had an unused sports bag that would work perfectly. It was purple…and pink! But it had different compartments and a zipper to keep it closed. It also had sturdy sides so it would stand up in the back of the car when it was loaded down with all of our picnic and other travel supplies.
We had been using the purple bag for years when we started to pack for our trip to North Carolina in 2010. By this time, it was starting to fray around the zipper and the seams. Joann had done extensive searching online and around town to find another bag of almost the exact size, but she came up empty-handed. Because they were so hard to find, we decided to use the purple bag until something happened to it so we couldn’t use it anymore.
We were in North Carolina the first time the purple picnic bag went missing. This was in the days of Good Car, and sadly, we have to admit, Good Car was not at fault. Usually we have a morning routine of getting the car packed to hit the road. We both work on taking items out to the car. When I think everything but the last little bit is in the car, I climb in and get Irwin, our trusty GPS, fired up and our starting location keyed in. Meanwhile, Joann does a once-over of the room, locks the motel room door, closes the back of the car, and off we go.
On the morning of day nine of our 14-day trip, something went awry, yet we didn't notice for hours. We had gotten up early, packed the car, and headed off in the darkness. Our first stop was an old general store. It was vine-covered with a faded sign and old rusty Coca Cola signs.
Several hours later, we stopped at an old mill. A couple of dogs came running down from the house up on the hill. They were bringing me sticks to throw while Joann headed off to photograph. She asked me to get breakfast ready because it was a peaceful place to enjoy our morning meal. After playing with the dogs for a while, I washed my hands, opened the back of Good Car, and got our fruit and yogurt parfaits ready to eat.
When Joann returned from photographing the dam behind the mill, we enjoyed our breakfast as we listened to the sound of the water rushing over the dam. When we were done with breakfast, we put our bowls in the dirty dishes bag, closed the back of the car, climbed in, and headed on.
Several more hours passed as we worked our way north. At lunchtime, we located a park where we could eat our lunch, found a picnic table, and parked the car. Then we opened the back and started to get out the things we would need for lunch.
After getting what we needed from the cooler, Joann looked around for the picnic bag. It was NOT in the back of the car! Did we leave it sitting on the ground when we ate breakfast? No, we used bowls that were not in the picnic bag, so we hadn’t even noticed it was missing. Joann couldn’t believe she had somehow overlooked a bright purple and pink bag when we packed the car early that morning.
We managed to eat our lunch with what we could find in the car and while we ate, we debated what to do. It was quite a ways back to the motel, and Joann suggested that we leave the picnic bag there and stop and buy what we needed. I was torn.
There was an old general store in the area of the motel that we had wanted to photograph. It was down a long driveway with a gate, and the gate was closed when we had passed by earlier. We still had several days of our trip left, so we would have to take the time to go shopping to replace everything in the bag.
Should we go shopping to replace everything, or should we call the motel and go back for the bag if they have it? After much discussion, we called the motel and found out that they had the purple bag. We decided to return to pick it up, which would allow us to stop at the general store for some photos.
That purple (and pink!) bag had been all around Wisconsin and had traveled with us to many other states. It was a vital piece of our travel gear and it felt so good to get it back. The first case of the missing purple bag was unsettling, but easily solved. We tried to be much more careful from then on.
Stay tuned for the second disappearing act and, once the weather is warm enough, have a picnic, but keep your eyes on your “purple bag”!
Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
By Ruth A. Ringelstetter
Our first picnic bag was a white nylon tote. It served its purpose, but it wasn’t always the most convenient. The top was open, and the sides weren’t sturdy. It never stood up and often things spilled out.
Then Joann discovered she had an unused sports bag that would work perfectly. It was purple…and pink! But it had different compartments and a zipper to keep it closed. It also had sturdy sides so it would stand up in the back of the car when it was loaded down with all of our picnic and other travel supplies.
We had been using the purple bag for years when we started to pack for our trip to North Carolina in 2010. By this time, it was starting to fray around the zipper and the seams. Joann had done extensive searching online and around town to find another bag of almost the exact size, but she came up empty-handed. Because they were so hard to find, we decided to use the purple bag until something happened to it so we couldn’t use it anymore.
We were in North Carolina the first time the purple picnic bag went missing. This was in the days of Good Car, and sadly, we have to admit, Good Car was not at fault. Usually we have a morning routine of getting the car packed to hit the road. We both work on taking items out to the car. When I think everything but the last little bit is in the car, I climb in and get Irwin, our trusty GPS, fired up and our starting location keyed in. Meanwhile, Joann does a once-over of the room, locks the motel room door, closes the back of the car, and off we go.
On the morning of day nine of our 14-day trip, something went awry, yet we didn't notice for hours. We had gotten up early, packed the car, and headed off in the darkness. Our first stop was an old general store. It was vine-covered with a faded sign and old rusty Coca Cola signs.
Several hours later, we stopped at an old mill. A couple of dogs came running down from the house up on the hill. They were bringing me sticks to throw while Joann headed off to photograph. She asked me to get breakfast ready because it was a peaceful place to enjoy our morning meal. After playing with the dogs for a while, I washed my hands, opened the back of Good Car, and got our fruit and yogurt parfaits ready to eat.
When Joann returned from photographing the dam behind the mill, we enjoyed our breakfast as we listened to the sound of the water rushing over the dam. When we were done with breakfast, we put our bowls in the dirty dishes bag, closed the back of the car, climbed in, and headed on.
Several more hours passed as we worked our way north. At lunchtime, we located a park where we could eat our lunch, found a picnic table, and parked the car. Then we opened the back and started to get out the things we would need for lunch.
After getting what we needed from the cooler, Joann looked around for the picnic bag. It was NOT in the back of the car! Did we leave it sitting on the ground when we ate breakfast? No, we used bowls that were not in the picnic bag, so we hadn’t even noticed it was missing. Joann couldn’t believe she had somehow overlooked a bright purple and pink bag when we packed the car early that morning.
We managed to eat our lunch with what we could find in the car and while we ate, we debated what to do. It was quite a ways back to the motel, and Joann suggested that we leave the picnic bag there and stop and buy what we needed. I was torn.
There was an old general store in the area of the motel that we had wanted to photograph. It was down a long driveway with a gate, and the gate was closed when we had passed by earlier. We still had several days of our trip left, so we would have to take the time to go shopping to replace everything in the bag.
Should we go shopping to replace everything, or should we call the motel and go back for the bag if they have it? After much discussion, we called the motel and found out that they had the purple bag. We decided to return to pick it up, which would allow us to stop at the general store for some photos.
That purple (and pink!) bag had been all around Wisconsin and had traveled with us to many other states. It was a vital piece of our travel gear and it felt so good to get it back. The first case of the missing purple bag was unsettling, but easily solved. We tried to be much more careful from then on.
Stay tuned for the second disappearing act and, once the weather is warm enough, have a picnic, but keep your eyes on your “purple bag”!
Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
Thursday, February 14, 2013
With a Job Like That...
By Joann M. Ringelstetter
In the autumn of 2011, Ruth and I passed through the small town of Wayland (pop. 966) in the southeast corner of Iowa. As we drove down Main Street, we saw an old building that looked like it might have had quite a history. It was then the Wayland Museum, but I wanted to know more.
Recently, through the kindness of Larry Roth, owner of the Midwest Memories Museum in Wayland, I discovered that Wayland was called Crooked Creek in the late 1830s when the first settlers arrived. In 1851, its name was changed to Marshall and then changed again around 1879 to Wayland.
A man named Thurston Mosher constructed the building around 1856 and opened a store, which also served as the local post office. Over the years, this building was home to a variety of businesses, including a meat market, a picture studio, a doctor’s office, and a millinery shop. After the millinery shop closed, it served as a private home.
As I photographed the museum building, I noticed another old building on the corner and I knew I wanted to photograph that building, too. As I pointed my camera toward it, a man came around the corner and said, “Hurry up and get your photos. We’re tearing it down tomorrow.”
This building was built in 1883 as the home of Adoniram Lodge #120, an organization for Masons living in the Marshall (Wayland) area. Adoniram Lodge was officially chartered in 1858, occupying two prior buildings that were both destroyed by fire – the first one in 1858 and the second one in 1883.
Masonry (or Freemasonry) is the oldest fraternity in the world. Many of the Founding Fathers of our country were Masons. Masonry emphasizes self-improvement and social betterment. During the 1800s and early 1900s, before many of today’s governmental social programs were established, Masons provided much-needed assistance to members of the community.
The minutes from Adoniram Lodge meetings, which have been preserved through the years, bear witness to the Masons’ goal of making the world a better place. Funds have been used to supply food, clothing, fuel, rent, medical services, and assistance for widows.
Both the store building and the Masonic Hall served their communities well. According to Mr. Roth, the Masonic Hall was indeed torn down and the store building will soon suffer the same fate due to its state of disrepair. The good news is that, in May of 2012, the Wayland Museum merged with the Midwest Memories Museum.
As I stood photographing that day and chatting with the nice gentleman who informed me of the fate of the Masonic Hall, the following conversation took place. (I never got his name, so I will refer to him as Gentleman).
Gentleman: "So, do you and your sister just spend your time traveling around the country photographing old buildings?"
Joann: "I wish that’s all we did, but we both work in high-stress Information Technology jobs. Every chance we get, we hit the backroads. Photography is my meditation."
Gentleman (after giving my comment some serious thought): "Well, I suppose with a job like that, you NEED medication."
Oh, how that struck my funny bone, but I didn’t want to offend him, so I thanked him for the conversation and headed back to the car.
As soon as I got in and slammed the door, I burst into laughter and shared the humor with Ruth, who also got quite a charge out of it. With smiles on our faces, we left the small town of Wayland and headed for the backroads of Iowa to finish out our day.
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
In the autumn of 2011, Ruth and I passed through the small town of Wayland (pop. 966) in the southeast corner of Iowa. As we drove down Main Street, we saw an old building that looked like it might have had quite a history. It was then the Wayland Museum, but I wanted to know more.
Recently, through the kindness of Larry Roth, owner of the Midwest Memories Museum in Wayland, I discovered that Wayland was called Crooked Creek in the late 1830s when the first settlers arrived. In 1851, its name was changed to Marshall and then changed again around 1879 to Wayland.
A man named Thurston Mosher constructed the building around 1856 and opened a store, which also served as the local post office. Over the years, this building was home to a variety of businesses, including a meat market, a picture studio, a doctor’s office, and a millinery shop. After the millinery shop closed, it served as a private home.
As I photographed the museum building, I noticed another old building on the corner and I knew I wanted to photograph that building, too. As I pointed my camera toward it, a man came around the corner and said, “Hurry up and get your photos. We’re tearing it down tomorrow.”
This building was built in 1883 as the home of Adoniram Lodge #120, an organization for Masons living in the Marshall (Wayland) area. Adoniram Lodge was officially chartered in 1858, occupying two prior buildings that were both destroyed by fire – the first one in 1858 and the second one in 1883.
Masonry (or Freemasonry) is the oldest fraternity in the world. Many of the Founding Fathers of our country were Masons. Masonry emphasizes self-improvement and social betterment. During the 1800s and early 1900s, before many of today’s governmental social programs were established, Masons provided much-needed assistance to members of the community.
The minutes from Adoniram Lodge meetings, which have been preserved through the years, bear witness to the Masons’ goal of making the world a better place. Funds have been used to supply food, clothing, fuel, rent, medical services, and assistance for widows.
Both the store building and the Masonic Hall served their communities well. According to Mr. Roth, the Masonic Hall was indeed torn down and the store building will soon suffer the same fate due to its state of disrepair. The good news is that, in May of 2012, the Wayland Museum merged with the Midwest Memories Museum.
As I stood photographing that day and chatting with the nice gentleman who informed me of the fate of the Masonic Hall, the following conversation took place. (I never got his name, so I will refer to him as Gentleman).
Gentleman: "So, do you and your sister just spend your time traveling around the country photographing old buildings?"
Joann: "I wish that’s all we did, but we both work in high-stress Information Technology jobs. Every chance we get, we hit the backroads. Photography is my meditation."
Gentleman (after giving my comment some serious thought): "Well, I suppose with a job like that, you NEED medication."
Oh, how that struck my funny bone, but I didn’t want to offend him, so I thanked him for the conversation and headed back to the car.
As soon as I got in and slammed the door, I burst into laughter and shared the humor with Ruth, who also got quite a charge out of it. With smiles on our faces, we left the small town of Wayland and headed for the backroads of Iowa to finish out our day.
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
Sunday, September 18, 2011
A Town Called Story
By Joann M. Ringelstetter
In the spring of 2010, after 11 days of photographing on the backroads of North Carolina and West Virginia, Ruth and I were eager to spend the twelfth day on the backroads of Kentucky. Unfortunately, a short time after we crossed into Kentucky, it began to rain and it rained all that evening and into the next morning.
We headed out that morning and photographed in the rain for a short time and then the lightening began. We continued to photograph in the rain (between bouts of lightening), but then the flash floods began and we decided to give up on Kentucky and head for Indiana. But a steady downpour continued for the rest of the day. Finally, we decided to give it up and headed for our motel.
Thank heavens the rains finally came to an end because we had some serious plans for the next morning. A couple of years ago, a photographer friend of mine had visited the town of Story, Indiana, and had shared some of the photos he had taken there. I was really impressed and asked Ruth to add it to her list of places we hoped to visit someday. And finally, that “someday” was upon us!
We left our motel in the pre-dawn hours and headed to Story. As we drove along in the dark on the hilly and curving roads, we had to take it slowly because thick fog had descended on the area. We were worried that we wouldn’t make it there by first light, but then we realized that the fog would delay the dawn. When we pulled into Story, it was absolutely magical.
The fog was lightly engulfing the old general store building and the old-fashioned street lights were lit, as well as the lights of the inn. Even the vintage Red Crown gas pumps were lit up.
The town of Story was founded in 1851 by Dr. George Story and it was soon to become the largest settlement in the area. At the height of its growth, there were two general stores, a one-room schoolhouse, a church, a grain mill, a sawmill, a blacksmith shop, a post office, and a slaughterhouse.
The Great Depression (1929-1933), however, took its toll on Story and it never recovered. As depicted in John Steinbeck’s novel, “The Grapes of Wrath,” farm families abandoned their farms in search of work elsewhere. During the decade from 1930-1940, roughly half of Brown County’s population left in hopes of finding better opportunities to make a living.
As most of this abandoned land reverted back to the state for non-payment of taxes, it gave the state the opportunity to create the Brown County State Park and the Hoosier National Forest.
The hard economic times during the Depression also spawned a new illegal industry of bootlegging and moonshine stills. Because grain was needed to produce the bootleg liquor, the Story grain mill was kept busy well into the 1930’s. The current Story Still Tavern got its name from the still that was captured at that location in 1932 by Brown County Sheriff Clarence Moore.
Due to a lack of capital following the Great Depression, the town of Story was not modernized and, in 1960, the US Army Corps of Engineers flooded the area, creating Lake Monroe and isolating the town of Story from easy access to Bloomington. In 1980, the general store building was purchased by a couple who created the Story Inn bed and breakfast. Over the next 15 years, they acquired the roughly 23 acres that comprise the entire town.
In 1998, Rick Hofstetter and Frank Mueller purchased the financially troubled town of Story, turning it into a successful country inn/bed & breakfast, which offers fine dining, catering, and lodging. The old general store operates as a gourmet restaurant, known as the Story Inn. The upstairs, which was a Studebaker buggy factory for a short time in the 1920’s, was renovated into four bed & breakfast accommodations.
As we mulled around in the rather mystical foggy atmosphere that morning, a local calico cat kept a watchful eye on us. As I captured the feeling of the inn and its surroundings, the cat patrolled the main street in front of the Story Inn and the Old Mill.
Maybe, however, we were being watched by someone other than the cat. When Mr. Hofstetter purchased the Story Inn in the late 1990’s, he examined the guest books which were kept in the rooms, along with old ones that were found in the attic. He was “flabbergasted to find numerous handwritten stories of ghost sightings, particularly in the rooms above the restaurant.” This ghost is known locally as the “Blue Lady” and is believed to be one of the wives of Dr. George Story, the founder of the town.
If you’re ever in southern Indiana, you might enjoy a visit to the Story Inn. According to its owner, “it is perhaps the best preserved example of a 19th century village in the American Midwest.”
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
In the spring of 2010, after 11 days of photographing on the backroads of North Carolina and West Virginia, Ruth and I were eager to spend the twelfth day on the backroads of Kentucky. Unfortunately, a short time after we crossed into Kentucky, it began to rain and it rained all that evening and into the next morning.
We headed out that morning and photographed in the rain for a short time and then the lightening began. We continued to photograph in the rain (between bouts of lightening), but then the flash floods began and we decided to give up on Kentucky and head for Indiana. But a steady downpour continued for the rest of the day. Finally, we decided to give it up and headed for our motel.
Thank heavens the rains finally came to an end because we had some serious plans for the next morning. A couple of years ago, a photographer friend of mine had visited the town of Story, Indiana, and had shared some of the photos he had taken there. I was really impressed and asked Ruth to add it to her list of places we hoped to visit someday. And finally, that “someday” was upon us!
We left our motel in the pre-dawn hours and headed to Story. As we drove along in the dark on the hilly and curving roads, we had to take it slowly because thick fog had descended on the area. We were worried that we wouldn’t make it there by first light, but then we realized that the fog would delay the dawn. When we pulled into Story, it was absolutely magical.
The fog was lightly engulfing the old general store building and the old-fashioned street lights were lit, as well as the lights of the inn. Even the vintage Red Crown gas pumps were lit up.
The town of Story was founded in 1851 by Dr. George Story and it was soon to become the largest settlement in the area. At the height of its growth, there were two general stores, a one-room schoolhouse, a church, a grain mill, a sawmill, a blacksmith shop, a post office, and a slaughterhouse.
The Great Depression (1929-1933), however, took its toll on Story and it never recovered. As depicted in John Steinbeck’s novel, “The Grapes of Wrath,” farm families abandoned their farms in search of work elsewhere. During the decade from 1930-1940, roughly half of Brown County’s population left in hopes of finding better opportunities to make a living.
As most of this abandoned land reverted back to the state for non-payment of taxes, it gave the state the opportunity to create the Brown County State Park and the Hoosier National Forest.
The hard economic times during the Depression also spawned a new illegal industry of bootlegging and moonshine stills. Because grain was needed to produce the bootleg liquor, the Story grain mill was kept busy well into the 1930’s. The current Story Still Tavern got its name from the still that was captured at that location in 1932 by Brown County Sheriff Clarence Moore.
Due to a lack of capital following the Great Depression, the town of Story was not modernized and, in 1960, the US Army Corps of Engineers flooded the area, creating Lake Monroe and isolating the town of Story from easy access to Bloomington. In 1980, the general store building was purchased by a couple who created the Story Inn bed and breakfast. Over the next 15 years, they acquired the roughly 23 acres that comprise the entire town.
In 1998, Rick Hofstetter and Frank Mueller purchased the financially troubled town of Story, turning it into a successful country inn/bed & breakfast, which offers fine dining, catering, and lodging. The old general store operates as a gourmet restaurant, known as the Story Inn. The upstairs, which was a Studebaker buggy factory for a short time in the 1920’s, was renovated into four bed & breakfast accommodations.
As we mulled around in the rather mystical foggy atmosphere that morning, a local calico cat kept a watchful eye on us. As I captured the feeling of the inn and its surroundings, the cat patrolled the main street in front of the Story Inn and the Old Mill.
Maybe, however, we were being watched by someone other than the cat. When Mr. Hofstetter purchased the Story Inn in the late 1990’s, he examined the guest books which were kept in the rooms, along with old ones that were found in the attic. He was “flabbergasted to find numerous handwritten stories of ghost sightings, particularly in the rooms above the restaurant.” This ghost is known locally as the “Blue Lady” and is believed to be one of the wives of Dr. George Story, the founder of the town.
If you’re ever in southern Indiana, you might enjoy a visit to the Story Inn. According to its owner, “it is perhaps the best preserved example of a 19th century village in the American Midwest.”
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
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