Written by Clay Riley – The General Store, sometimes called a dry goods store, emporium or mercantile – had a little bit of everything. Foodstuffs like cheese, crackers, hardtack, wheat flour, rice, coffee, canned vegetables, dried fruit and sugar were available, as were household goods like pots and pans, lamps, nails, utensils, furniture, tools, and even stoves! As the new century approached, the assortment of merchandise available increased. The railroad helped to ship local products for sale state wide, as other merchandise from all over the state was shipped into Brown county.
Stores in those days had very little fresh meat, so customers had to grow their own. Chickens were sold alive, on foot for 25¢ each. Any fresh meat had to be sold immediately, since refrigeration was not available. Meats were dried, smoked or cured with salt. Flour, corn meal, sugar, rice and beans were sold in bulk. Fresh fruits and vegetables were available in season only, from local farmers.
In some communities, if there wasn’t a separate feed store in town, the general store might also be the go‐to place for farming supplies and equipment.
Shovels and rakes, seed, almanacs, feed, rope, and any number of other useful essentials could be found lining the shelves.
It also wasn’t uncommon for other businesses to set up shop in a corner of the store or in a second‐story office. Doctors, dentists, lawyers, post offices, and even banks made their homes in general store buildings. All this activity and commerce made general stores popular places for meeting, socializing, and conducting business of all kinds.
The shopping experience was quite a bit different than the self‐serve method we use today. The proprietor or his/her clerk generally waited on each customer, pulling the requested items one by one and marking them down in a ledger to calculate the price.
Locals usually had a line of credit with the store, which they used to charge purchases until they could obtain the necessary cash to pay off their bill.
In 19th century Texas, many families outside of town relied on selling surplus eggs, corn, cotton, pecans, or other products to provide the cash they needed.
Sometimes families sold or traded their farm products directly to the store as part of their method of payment.
Originally scanned by Tom Adams
General‐store proprietors were more often men of diverse talents. Besides peddling every good under the sun, they served as town clerks, custodians of the land records, and justices of the peace. Many could doctor a horse, offer legal advice, and draw up a sound contract. They even dispatched mail as postmasters. The Mills County community of William’s Ranch (previously part of Brown County prior to 1884), was a bustling place. One store owner’s 12-year old daughter was the telegraph operator for that town.
More than mere merchants, general store proprietors were pillars of the community, and it was to their store that people came to keep abreast of town events. Matrons tacked to store bulletin boards, notices of church socials. Farmers posted advertisements for produce, auctions and turkey shoots. Around cracker barrels took place talk of crops, politics, or the weather. Over all this activity storekeepers presided, enthroned behind their cluttered counters.
This vast array of merchandise not only gave general stores a signature appeal. It gave them a signature smell, as well. Social historians wrote that “diarists and old timers agree that it was a “well‐dugin” odor, with lots of authority, a blend made up of the store’s inventory, the customers and the cat.
Adding to the aroma were ripe cheese and sauerkraut, sweet pickles, the smell of bright paint on new toys, kerosene, lard and molasses, old onions and potatoes, poultry feed, gun oil, rubber boots, calico, dried fish, coffee, and ‘kept’ eggs.” (By “‘kept’ eggs” means “eggs that should have been shipped off to the city some time ago, but weren’t.”)
Some Products Invented in the 1890s – 1900:
1890 ‐ Lipton tea
1891 ‐ Del Monte Brands of canned vegetables
1891 ‐ Quaker Oats Company
1893 ‐ Cream of Wheat
1893 ‐ Juicy Fruit gum
1894 ‐ Chili powder
1895 ‐ Shredded coconut
1896 ‐ Cracker Jacks
1896 ‐ Michelob beer
1896 ‐ Tootsie Rolls
1897 ‐ Campbell’s condensed soups
1897 ‐ Grape Nuts
1897 ‐ Jell‐O
1898 ‐ Nabisco graham crackers
1899 ‐ Wesson vegetable oil
1900 ‐ Chiclets gum
1900 ‐ Cotton candy
1900 ‐ Hershey’s chocolate bars
Typical Foods Available in the 1890s
• With the establishment of family farms, the diet of our ancestors improved. By the 1890s a typical day’s diet included two kinds of meats, eggs, cheese, butter, cream, bread, corn, several other vegetables, jellies, preserves, relishes, cakes, pies, milk, coffee, and tea. Because cattle were more widely available, west Texans also consumed more beef than did southerners.
• During the 1890s, the expansion of railroad networks enabled foods to be transported farther and faster. The refrigerated railroad car allowed foods grown only in one part of the country to be shipped safely and cheaply to shoppers all over the state.
Home Remedies – Good and Bad
Turpentine and lard rubbed on the chest was wonderful for COLDS, and if we had no turpentine, one could use coal oil or kerosene.
Plain table salt was another good remedy for TOOTHACHE, SORE THROAT, etc. This was mixed with water, one teaspoonful to a glass of water.
Vinegar or blue vitriol served to defeat the ravages of RASHES, POISON OAK, etc.
Of course, there was one always effective way to stop HICCOUGHS. Just swallow nine gulps of water while standing on one foot.
STIFF NECK: Wrap a pair of under drawers which have been worn more than two days around the neck.
STOMACH ACHE: Swallow a tablespoonful of clean white sand.
If these did not work, then there were “patent” medicines to try.
DEATH TEST: To determine whether or not a sick person will die, rub his hand with yeast and let a dog sniff it. If the dog licks the hand, the person will recover; if the dog refuses to lick his hand, he will die.
Not all products were beneficial, regardless of the manufacturers’ claims, nor were there any truth in advertising restrictions. Such was the life of Brown County residents in the years between 1890 and the start of new century, of 1900.
Source material: Presentation Material by Frank Hilton and Clay Riley, made to the PVGS in 2016. Brownwood Bulletin, San Saba News, Comanche Chief and other local newspapers and diaries.
This and many other stories are available at the Brownwood Public Library – Genealogy & Local History Branch at 213 S. Broadway. Volunteers from the Pecan Valley Genealogical Society are there to assist you in your family or local history research.
Clay Riley is a local historian and retired Aerospace Engineer that has been involved in the Historical and Genealogical Community of Brown County for over 20 years.
Should you have a comment, or a question that he may be able to answer in future columns, he can be reached at; pvgsbwd@gmail.com.
