The Bower’s Grocery Store of Hyndsver Community
Hyndsver Landmark Ranks Alongside Weakley County’s Oldest Country Stores By John Baxter The Bowers’ Grocery of the Hyndsver Community is probably one of the oldest country stores of this county. It was built a few years before 1900 by Mr. Tom HIGHFIELD. It was first called Hynds Store; but after a post office was moved in, the name was changed to Hyndsver.When this store first opened for business, it received its supplies from Martin by wagon. These supplies included such articles as horse collars and harness, brogan shoes, cracker box crackers, calico (at 5 cents per yard), pots and pans of all sorts, lanterns, lamp chimneys, plows and buggy whips. The buggy whips were displayed on the wall of the store. The store still has some of the large cans that were used to ship coffee which was sold in whole beans and had to be ground at home. Brown sugar, syrup and vinegar were bought in barrels, and the auger used to open these barrels is still in the store. Candy came in 20 and 30 gallon jars, and one could get a haircut for 15 cents.A wagon left the store on daily routes to peddle merchandise throughout the surrounding country. The wagon was equipped with springs to prevent the breaking of eggs and glassware.In 1900 the Hyndsver store was sold to W.W. HOUSE and R.H. DAVIS, who built a larger building by the side of the original store. This building looked something like a large square box covered with advertising signs. In 1910 Mr. HOUSE was elected Circuit Court Clerk and sold his share of the store to Jack DAVIS. In 1914 this building burned, and the owners built the store that is standing now.The store was a center of many of the community activities, such as elections. Mr. Jack DAVIS was at that time a Magistrate and transacted his official business there. Most of his business was writing up deeds and performing marriage ceremonies, one of which took place on the front porch.After operating the store for several years, Mr. DAVIS sold it to Mr. John TUCK, who operated it for a short time and then sold to Mr. and Mrs. Curtis BOWERS. Mr. BOWERS added to the operation a cream station and a hammer mill which stayed in operation until Mr. Mrs. Carlos BOWERS, who are the present owners, bought it. At the present time the store is primarily a grocery store with a complete line of goods. Gasoline and oil have replaced the harness and buggy whips. The store still has the friendly atmosphere of the old country store. Although it has been modernized with a good line of groceries, a window fan, and two large front windows, the big potbellied stove still stands in the back surrounded by chairs and benches. There is a television set to replace the checker games which once dominated the interest of visitors. Submitted by Cris Gatewood Bean I would be interested in knowing when the article was written. My grandpa Gatewood died in 1983 and his wife Nona cut this out before her death in 1978. She was the one who saved the articles….Cris |
| from Rebecca – I have a copy of that article and it was in the Weakley County Press – June 20, 1958. Weakley County Press – June 20, 1958 Hyndsver Landmark Ranks Alongside Weakley County’s Oldest Country Stores By John Baxter |
