amUSIngArtifacts

part of the Then and Now continuing series about the march of time

In today’s world, if you need to pick up a few groceries, you most likely have access to a big supermarket where you can find nearly everything, including ethnic foods, a bakery, and often as not, a pharmacy.  It’s pretty much self-serve, including scanning and bagging your own items. 

Things were a lot different in the past….let’s take a look at what our ancestors may have found at the grocery and how they shopped.

The above shows the grocery story owned by Henry P. Kersting, located at 121 W. Franklin St. (what would now be 1321-3 W Franklin St.) in Evansville, IN.  The owners, Henry and Mamie, lived above the store.  Note that there are 3 horse and buggy delivery vehicles and one automotive delivery vehicle parked out front.  This is circa 1890.  (This house was razed circa 1962.)

One thing that would mark this store, and several others seen in this blog, is that it was NOT self-service.  You would hand a clerk your list and s/he would retrieve these items for you, some of which would be in a storage area.  In addition, fresh items like dairy, meat, and produce would need to be purchased from a special dairy, meat market, or produce stand, as a general store like this one would not have the space nor the necessary equipment to keep those items cold.  Delivery would also be more common in those days when many did not have automobiles or easy transportation.

Buying on credit was common—the customer ran a “tab” with the store, coming in to pay up when he got paid. 

Here is the Mott Brothers Shoes and Groceries Cut Price House in New Harmony, IN, in 1897.  The location is on Church Street, near the corner with Brewery St.   It seems a bit odd to buy shoes at a grocery!

The Schlundt and Caldemeyer Staple and Fancy Groceries business operated between 1905-1925, and was located at 700 3^rd Ave. in Evansville, IN.  Edward J. Schlundt and Daniel H. Caldemeyer were half -brothers who later owned a furniture business together.  Signage indicates that Gold Dust Flour and Lipton Tea were 2 of the products available.  Note again the delivery vehicles. This building is no longer standing.

This undated image does not show a grocery store, but rather the delivery wagon for William Struchen Grocery and Meat Market, itself located at 100 E. Columbia St. in Evansville, IN.  Here the driver and his young assistant are preparing to delivery groceries to the house in the background.  Where this house is/was in Evansville is unknown, but you can clearly see a woman standing in the doorway, awaiting her groceries.

For an unusual take on delivering groceries, take a look at this photograph.

Not everyone lives in a house on land where groceries can be easily delivered!  This 1960s photograph shows waterborne delivery of groceries to boat captains pushing barges on the Ohio River.  The captain would call in their needs to the Hironimus Food Center on W. 3^rd St. in Mt. Vernon, Indiana, and would receive their orders from this vessel.  The Oscar Hironimus family owned two of these boats, named after daughters Bonnie and Jill.

This July 25, 1939 image shows the inside of the Henry Wills’ Grocery at 501 N. Tekoppel Ave. in Evansville, IN.  (There is no lightning in this store; this is a flaw in the original photograph.) This may be a bit more self-serve, but it’s clear that the clerks would still have to bring some items out to the customer.  As of the July 2023 Google maps view, this building still stands but is a liquor store (corner of Tekoppel, Hogue, and Upper Mt. Vernon Rds.)

This 1941 photograph shows a family of grocers in their well-stocked store, showing a customer a can of (possibly) ork and beans.  This was in Wadesville, IN.

This 1941 photograph of a grocery in New Harmony shows a scene I’d certainly hope never to see, in terms of hygiene!  Here the grocer and his assistants are showing two avid women a piece of raw meat.

There is surely no need for “now” pictures….you know what your supermarket looks like today.