Friday, September 28, 2007

Childhood Memories

This is a picture of the " R.N. Gott family's" big general store. It was located in Henrietta,Mo. "Small town with a Big Heart" The town is about 8 city blocks long & 5 wide. They use to say "Blink your eyes and you wouldn't see it". Back when I was growing up it was a clean & beautiful little town. All house's were bright white,the yards well cared for,lots of flowers and the smell of cookies or pies filled the air. Mondays was wash day,cloths were hung on the line and you can bet there was a pot of beans on the stove. The store was owned by my Great Grand father and handed down for three generations It burnt in 1956 it took the whole block, "The K.C. Star" reported it could be seen all the way to K.C. Mo. now that's about 40 miles. This pic was taken in 1952. My great Uncle Robert, Great Aunt Nelle,young man who worked there,another worker(dark hair) and my Great Aunt Pearl.( my grand mother was there ,but never liked her pic taken) Big store room on left. The scale in the pic is where I did my job on Saturdays. I would stand on a pop create (you younger ones won't remember them) and weigh out dry beans into 1 & 2 # sacks,(Yes I said sacks, no plastic)fold it down and tie a string around it. Also I had to put the color in the "Blue Bonnet Oleo" for the older ladies. Oleo use to come in a 1# brick (white) and a little packet of color would come with it. You would put it in the bag with the oleo and work it all together until it was all yellow. That was how I earned my first pay. I was 6 yrs old. Now you know why I'm tired,I mean retired.



Now this was a big general store............starting in the front when you walk in : Shoes on right,(with a ladder that ran back an forth) dresses and sewing things on left.As you make you way to the back, right side was post office,(was also the bank at one time) groceries, meat dept.( I'm talkin meat, not the pkg stuff they have today..... taste better too-my mom's younger brother would cut the bologna the way you wanted it,thick,thin or 1# hunk.....ooooooh and the longhorn cheese) a little further back was where they would pump coal oil for your lamps, turn to you left and you in the feed room.(Cows,pig,horse and dog) Now(back to the front) over on the right just down from the shoes wasa few toys and the desk (big Roll top). A big side window with my grandmothers flowers & plants,just beyond that was the hardware part....Yes nuts, bolts,nails you name it, if Gott's didn't have it no one would. Above the store(2nd floor) was a big Glass works were they would cut glass to the size you needed,a big room where they would hold town meetings (in later yrs my cousin and I use to play up there,I was always hiding from her), also two or three Apt's. And get this ...in the basement were live Chicken.....Yep That was a part of my job too. Catch the chicken for the customer. Nothing like fresh Chicken for Sunday dinner. Fresh eggs too. We made delivers everyday( any one could call their order in and we take it to them NO charge.) We also carried extra Milk, bread and cup cakes just in case some one need extra things, people knew what time we would be around. I use to love going with my uncle(Mom's younger brother) in the old truck. I use to shift the gears for him(that's how I learned to drive a stick shift in the floor....) My Mom would get on to him when he let me do that. I also loved going down to the Box cars (railroad workers lived) to deliver groceries to the gang. I was always in aw about how they did there cooking and sleeping there. I liked the caboose. The railroad cooks always had GREAT pie and I would always get a slice.Ya I guess I was a little spoiled....How do you think I got these hips.



On rainy days my cousin and I use to play in the big display windows in the front of the store. We were great mannequins.... I had a great child hood full of great memories.......... I just hope I haven't bored anyone with my ramblings.




The pics below are (left) is of the front of the store (much earlier yrs) That is my grandmother standing at the right of the post. The pic on the right is the bakery the was next to the store ( My grand father is the one in white shirt.) There was also a barber shop and another restaurant. My family owned the whole block......except for the cafe' where the fire started. Our Store was just a block South from the home I was born in. A little South of the store was the Railroad station,( Where my grandmother and I use to catch the "Doodle Bug' 6:30 am and go to Kansas City for the day) Then across the tracks was the Hotel.....Yes a little town of about 300 had a very nice hotel. I was 13 when we lost it all, but I remember it like it were Yesterday.










Now that I've bent you ear for a lot longer than I meant to....I'll close...I may not be on for a couple of days(You guys are saying "Thank goodness" by now).Got a big weekend at church.
Everyone have a great weekend.
Love and God bless,
Glo




8 comments:

Talk..to..Grams said...

Wow Glo! You need to send this into some magazine to be published!! This was so interesting..... I can remember stores like you talked about! they did cut the lunch meat to what size you wanted!

and I had to help my Mom with the butter... I can't spell the other word... I had to sit and squeeze the package.
My folks got a cow and then I always had to sit and turn a handle on a glass chrun!! and Mom would make butter....wow this takes me back.... You did a really good job on writting this!! love and hugs, Carolyn

Linda said...

What a lovely story and a look back to your childhood.

Thanks for stopping by and please come again.

Caregiver's Diary said...

Wow, Glo...I know where Henrietta is and I can hardly believe that people in Kansas City could see it,too. Sheesh, What a horrible fire! Really cool story about your childhood memories. Ha, I just read what my mom wrote you and I didn't know those stories about her with the oleo and the butter churning. I'll have to give her a hard time about that. Shares it with the whole would, but not her own kids :)

Michelle said...

That is such a neat story thanks for sharing it, I loved the picture of your mom too. She is so beautiful.

Thanks for the words of encouragement that you left on my blog.

Courtney said...

I love all these stories. Could listen to them forever.

Michelle said...

That was a great story Glo! It's always so interesting to hear about stories like that. Thank you for sharing! Enjoy your weekend!

Talk..to..Grams said...

Good Morning, Glo! I have a lovely award for you over at my blog.
Come on over and get it!!

I sure hope your sister is feeling better and the pastors wife too!! What a weekend! I feel so bad for them both..... I have fell and done bad stuff to me so I can sure feel for them!! love you, Carolyn

Donna. W said...

Hey, I've enjoyed this. Every time we go to Richmond Walmart, Cliff rejoices that we don't have to go through Henrietta any more because he was always worried about getting a ticket.