This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Remembering the mountain store era of trust and community
Larry Hypes recalls a time when small local stores, often run by neighbors and former miners, served as trusted hubs. Elders traded on honor with handshakes rather than cash registers, stocked simple goods, tobacco, flour, and penny candy, and kept a close-knit, community-focused way of life before franchises and supermarkets changed the landscape.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Neck of the Woods
al Roker
Coca-Cola
Pepsi
RC Cola
Mountains
Bluefield
Welch
Grundy
Tazewell
Pocahontas
Princeton
Pall Mall
Prince Albert Tobacco
Brown Mule
Red Man
Trust
America