Todd General Store
Encyclopedia
The Todd General Store is located 10 miles south of West Jefferson
and 11 miles north of Boone
, off Hwy 194, overlooking the South Fork of the New River
, and on Railroad Grade Road, one of the most scenic bike routes
in North Carolina
.
The Todd General Store is a contributing property
in the Todd Historic District
, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
.
According to Kirk Carrison of Preservation North Carolina, the Todd General Store is one of only five or six authentic general store
s remaining in North Carolina
. The Todd General Store is the oldest operating store in Ashe County
and remains "the gathering place" for local residents where stories of days past are still swapped, relationships are built, and community spirit nourished.
"Virginia Creeper
" railroad
. Todd was the end of the line, the last of 13 stops for the train
, which traveled from Abingdon, VA
, to Todd's Elkland station twice a day.
Todd General Store carried a wide variety of general merchandise, clothing, shoe
s, hardware
, food
, feed
, dried foraged herb
s, and farm implements. Most of the items the store sold were brought in by train. It was one of nine stores that served a growing community that also included four doctors
, a dentist
, a Ford
garage
, a bank
, grist mill
, drug store
, post office
, train depot
and four churches.
system, as money
was scarce and almost non-existent in Todd prior to the arrival of the railroad. Ledger
s were kept containing what was owed and what was traded. Customers would trade chicken
s, root
s and herbs and other items of value for merchandise or receive "W.G. Cook" tokens
that were only redeemable at this store. Many of the bartered items would then go to Virginia
on the train.
The General Store was the center of the community and served all the shopping needs of the local residents. Customers would gather around the wood cookstove
to swap stories and catch up on the town news. Most customers either rode horseback
or walked. Only a select few could afford automobile
s and the few road
s that existed were full of pothole
s.
between 1933 and 1936. This was also the time of the Great Depression
and Todd's businesses begun to close one by one. The W.G. Cook Store was the only store that survived through those lean years. Cook was the store's proprietor for 43 years before selling it to Kenny Goodman, who then changed the name to Goodman's Store.
grocery store
s and department store
s were constructed in Boone and West Jefferson. With this new accessibility
to the outside world people began traveling to town to buy their goods. Mr. Goodman decided to sell the store that had been the center of trade for so many years.
In the first few months, the Morgans undertook needed structural repairs to the building, constructed bathroom
s, brought in running water
, put in an extensive septic system
, and built a parking lot
. They searched for replacement fixtures and advertising memorabilia
in an attempt to recapture the look of the General Store as it had been in its heyday. Advertising
was done throughout the region to attract visitors to the store hoping that their visits would add an economic base to allow the business to remain open year-round to serve the local community's needs.
station, and adding a new wooden deck to the back of the store.
, crafts
and collectible
s. In 1994, the house was again converted into a rental residential property until December 2000.
West Jefferson, North Carolina
West Jefferson is a town in Ashe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,081 at the 2000 census.-History:West Jefferson was incorporated as a city in 1909, and it is the second-oldest incorporated town in Ashe County. West Jefferson has the distinction of having the only cheese...
and 11 miles north of Boone
Boone, North Carolina
Boone is a town located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, United States. Boone's population was reported as 17,122, as of 2010...
, off Hwy 194, overlooking the South Fork of the New River
New River (North Carolina)
The New River is a 50-mile long river in southeastern North Carolina in the United States. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean.It rises in northwestern Onslow County and flows east-southeast past Jacksonville, where it widens into a tidal estuary approximately two miles wide...
, and on Railroad Grade Road, one of the most scenic bike routes
Segregated cycle facilities
Segregated cycle facilities are marked lanes, tracks, shoulders and paths designated for use by cyclists from which motorised traffic is generally excluded...
in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
.
The Todd General Store is a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
in the Todd Historic District
Todd Historic District
The Todd Historic District is a historic district in Todd, North Carolina. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000, at which time it included 24 contributing buildings and one other contributing site....
, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
According to Kirk Carrison of Preservation North Carolina, the Todd General Store is one of only five or six authentic general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
s remaining in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. The Todd General Store is the oldest operating store in Ashe County
Ashe County, North Carolina
- History :Historical evidence shows that Ashe county was inhabited by Native Americans, which included the Cherokee, Creek, and Shawnee tribes. Pieces of broken pottery, arrowheads, and other Native American artifacts have been found, indicating their presence...
and remains "the gathering place" for local residents where stories of days past are still swapped, relationships are built, and community spirit nourished.
The Past
Established in 1914, The Todd General Store (originally Cook Brothers General Store) was built by Walter and Monroe Cook in anticipation of the arrival of the Norfolk and WesternNorfolk and Western Railway
The Norfolk and Western Railway , a US class I railroad, was formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It had headquarters in Roanoke, Virginia for most of its 150 year existence....
"Virginia Creeper
Virginia Creeper Trail
The Virginia Creeper Trail is a multi-purpose rail trail in southwestern Virginia. The trail runs from Abingdon to Whitetop, Virginia, near the North Carolina state line – through National Forest and crossing numerous restored trestles and crossing the Appalachian Trail.The trail descends...
" railroad
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
. Todd was the end of the line, the last of 13 stops for the train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
, which traveled from Abingdon, VA
Abingdon, Virginia
Abingdon is a town in Washington County, Virginia, USA, 133 miles southwest of Roanoke. The population was 8,191 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Washington County and is a designated Virginia Historic Landmark...
, to Todd's Elkland station twice a day.
Todd General Store carried a wide variety of general merchandise, clothing, shoe
Shoe
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot while doing various activities. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture to culture, with appearance originally being tied to function...
s, hardware
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
, food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
, feed
Fodder
Fodder or animal feed is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. Most animal feed is from plants but some is of animal origin...
, dried foraged herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
s, and farm implements. Most of the items the store sold were brought in by train. It was one of nine stores that served a growing community that also included four doctors
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, a dentist
Dentistry
Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
, a Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
garage
Automobile repair shop
An automobile repair shop is a place where automobiles are repaired by auto mechanics and electricians.- Types :The automotive garage can be divided in so many category....
, a bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
, grist mill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
, drug store
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
, post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, train depot
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
and four churches.
W.G. Cook Store
Walter bought out his brother's interest in 1917 and continued to operate the business as W.G. Cook Store. At that time most of the trade was conducted on the barterBarter
Barter is a method of exchange by which goods or services are directly exchanged for other goods or services without using a medium of exchange, such as money. It is usually bilateral, but may be multilateral, and usually exists parallel to monetary systems in most developed countries, though to a...
system, as money
Money
Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...
was scarce and almost non-existent in Todd prior to the arrival of the railroad. Ledger
Ledger
A ledger is the principal book or computer file for recording and totaling monetary transactions by account, with debits and credits in separate columns and a beginning balance and ending balance for each account. The ledger is a permanent summary of all amounts entered in supporting journals which...
s were kept containing what was owed and what was traded. Customers would trade chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
s, root
Root
In vascular plants, the root is the organ of a plant that typically lies below the surface of the soil. This is not always the case, however, since a root can also be aerial or aerating . Furthermore, a stem normally occurring below ground is not exceptional either...
s and herbs and other items of value for merchandise or receive "W.G. Cook" tokens
Token coin
In the study of numismatics, tokens are coin-like objects used instead of coins. The field of tokens is part of exonumia. Tokens are used in place of coins and either have a denomination shown or implied by size, color or shape...
that were only redeemable at this store. Many of the bartered items would then go to Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
on the train.
The General Store was the center of the community and served all the shopping needs of the local residents. Customers would gather around the wood cookstove
Cook stove
In cooking, a cook stove is a very basic stove heated by burning wood, charcoal, animal dung or crop residue. Cook stoves are the most common way of cooking and heating food in developing countries....
to swap stories and catch up on the town news. Most customers either rode horseback
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
or walked. Only a select few could afford automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
s and the few road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
s that existed were full of pothole
Pothole
A pothole is a type of disruption in the surface of a roadway where a portion of the road material has broken away, leaving a hole.- Formation :...
s.
The Lean Years
The Norfolk & Western pulled up its tracks from Todd to West JeffersonWest Jefferson, North Carolina
West Jefferson is a town in Ashe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,081 at the 2000 census.-History:West Jefferson was incorporated as a city in 1909, and it is the second-oldest incorporated town in Ashe County. West Jefferson has the distinction of having the only cheese...
between 1933 and 1936. This was also the time of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and Todd's businesses begun to close one by one. The W.G. Cook Store was the only store that survived through those lean years. Cook was the store's proprietor for 43 years before selling it to Kenny Goodman, who then changed the name to Goodman's Store.
Goodmans Store
Kenny Goodman ran a thriving general store business for some 20 years. During the last years of his tenure, he began to see the decline of the traditional general store. Automobiles became common place, new and better roads were built and chainChain store
Chain stores are retail outlets that share a brand and central management, and usually have standardized business methods and practices. These characteristics also apply to chain restaurants and some service-oriented chain businesses. In retail, dining and many service categories, chain businesses...
grocery store
Grocery store
A grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...
s and department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
s were constructed in Boone and West Jefferson. With this new accessibility
Accessibility
Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the "ability to access" and benefit from some system or entity...
to the outside world people began traveling to town to buy their goods. Mr. Goodman decided to sell the store that had been the center of trade for so many years.
Three More Owners
The store changed ownership four times during the next eight years. Goodman sold the store to Bob Peet who changed the name to the Todd General Store. Peet was unable to keep up with the changing demands and business declined. Peet sold it to Al and Carol Shelly who ran it for a couple of years before selling it to Dennis and Alice Dent, who operated it for another couple of years. During the proprietorship of these three owners, the stock was depleted as the decline of the rural country general store continued.The Morgans
Joe and Sheila Morgan purchased the Todd General Store at the beginning of 1985 and operated the store for the next 17 years.In the first few months, the Morgans undertook needed structural repairs to the building, constructed bathroom
Bathroom
A bathroom is a room for bathing in containing a bathtub and/or a shower and optionally a toilet, a sink/hand basin/wash basin and possibly also a bidet....
s, brought in running water
Tap water
Tap water is a principal component of "indoor plumbing", which became available in urban areas of the developed world during the last quarter of the 19th century, and common during the mid-20th century...
, put in an extensive septic system
Septic tank
A septic tank is a key component of the septic system, a small-scale sewage treatment system common in areas with no connection to main sewage pipes provided by local governments or private corporations...
, and built a parking lot
Parking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
. They searched for replacement fixtures and advertising memorabilia
Souvenir
A souvenir , memento, keepsake or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. The term souvenir brings to mind the mass-produced kitsch that is the main commodity of souvenir and gift shops in many tourist traps around the world...
in an attempt to recapture the look of the General Store as it had been in its heyday. Advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
was done throughout the region to attract visitors to the store hoping that their visits would add an economic base to allow the business to remain open year-round to serve the local community's needs.
The Mann's Store
Robert and Virginia Mann purchased the store at the start of 2003 and provided more structural repairs and updated the store's arrangements, providing more seating for audiences of the store's many musical and cultural events, an internetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
station, and adding a new wooden deck to the back of the store.
The Cook House
The W.G. Cook house (built in 1916) served as the residence of the store owners until the Morgan purchase. In 1986, the house was converted to use as retail space offering antiquesAntiques
An antique is an old collectible item. It is collected or desirable because of its age , beauty, rarity, condition, utility, personal emotional connection, and/or other unique features...
, crafts
Arts and crafts
Arts and crafts comprise a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with one's hands and skill. These can be sub-divided into handicrafts or "traditional crafts" and "the rest"...
and collectible
Collectible
A collectable or collectible is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector . There are numerous types of collectables and terms to denote those types. An antique is a collectable that is old...
s. In 1994, the house was again converted into a rental residential property until December 2000.