A series of black and white photographs of old country stores left vacant or abandoned across the southern United States
Country stores were a valuable resource for rural people in the days before supermarkets, big box stores, or even cars, were common. Shoppers could buy food, ammunition, farm supplies and implements, hardware, nails, headache medicine, hats and shoes, candy, and swathes of fabric.
But stores were also a place to pick up mail and catch up on news. They were a place to relax over a game of checkers while having a cold Coca-Cola or RC Cola. They were a place to meet friends and relatives and catch up on local gossip. Some of them, like the M.E. Trew General Merchandise Store extended hundreds or even thousands of dollars of credit to local farmers while they waited for the crops to be harvested.
M.E. Trew General Merchandise Store
Our first country store is the M.E. Trew General Merchandise Store near Etowah in East Tennessee. The building on the left was constructed in 1890 by J.W. Trew, and the second opened in 1903. The store was operated by M.E. Trew from 1925 until his death in 1996, when the store was closed permanently.
M.E. Trew General Merchandise Store - Black and White Photograph by Keith Dotson. Buy a fine art print.
Historic Trew General Merchandise Store - Black and White Photograph by Keith Dotson. Buy a fine art print here.
C.H Pender Grocery in Cedar Grove, North Carolina
The historic C.H. Pender Grocery Store building is located at a crossroads in rural North Carolina. The structure was built in the 1880s with a later addition on the side to serve as a post office.
C.H. Pender Grocery Store in North Carolina - Black and White Photograph by Keith Dotson. Buy a fine art print.
Window with Empty Cola Bottle - Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
Turquoise Wooden Door with Mail Slot - Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
C.E. Dodson General Store in Water Valley, Tennessee
This little community made a lot of headlines late in 2021, when it all came up for sale. The headlines said things like, "TN town for sale, here’s what it would cost to buy it" and "An entire town in Tennessee is up for sale for a very reasonable price." and "Buy the historic town of water valley."
C.E. Dodson General Store in Water Valley, Tennessee. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson. Buy a fine art photograph.
Old McGowan General Store in Water Valley, Tennessee
The old McGowan General Store was built in the 1910s in the rural community of Water Valley, Tennessee.
Old McGowan General Store in Water Valley, Tennessee - Black and White Photograph by Keith Dotson. Buy a fine art print.
Watch my video made on location in Water Valley on YouTube here.
Pearcy's General Merchandise in Lascassas, Tennessee
Like most country stores, Pearcy's General Merchandise Store sold everything from gasoline to feed and seed. Even though it's been closed for years, it's still chock full of old stuff, now gathering dust.
Pearcy's General Merchandise - Black and White Photograph by Keith Dotson.
Abandoned Country Store in Northern Mississippi
Abandoned Old Country Store - Black and White Photograph by Keith Dotson. Buy a fine art print.
Tattered front doors of an abandoned old country store in Mississippi - Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson. Buy a fine art print.
Blue Jacket with Sale Tag Hanging in an Abandoned Old Country Store - Black and White Photograph by Keith Dotson. Buy a fine art print.
R.C. Tibbs Store in Hushpuckena, Mississippi
The R.C. Tibbs Store was central to Hushpuckena, a much-beloved small community that's now just a collection of abandoned, ruined buildings standing along a dirt road officially called Highway 61, in Bolivar County — not far from Shelby, Mississippi. Highway 61 is an offshoot of the modern Highway 278, which runs deep into the Mississippi Delta. Hushpuckena was once a flag stop on the Illinois Central train line.
Read my detailed blog post (with video) about Hushpuckena here
Ruins of Tibbs' Store in Hushpuckena, Mississippi - Black and White Photograph by Keith Dotson. Buy a fine art print.
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