Good Old Days

Reminiscing the "Good Old Days" as we view the faces of pupils in one of the first schools to be taught in Harlan. From this group comes prominent men and women of today. The framed school building that housed the pupils of C.B. Turner, principal, and assistant teachers, Miss mattie Smith and Mrs. Amelia Carter, stood on Second Street. The group journeyed down to the courthouse square to have the picture made. At the time the streets were unnamed. Three general stores stood in the heart of the town and is said to be the first ones. John Jones and J.K. Bailey, grandfather of Virgile Eversole, owned one of the first stores known as Bailey and Jones, where Eversole Street is today. S.C. Howard's General Store stood on the Quality Shop corner. It was called the "Yellow Store." Adjoining it was the boarding house. To meet the demands of the boarders who came to town on horseback, Mr. Howard discovered the need of a stable for horse accommodations, so he ran the stable on the corner where Howard Drug Store is located.

Dresses Came Cheap.

Mr. Howard's hired hands fed the horses and put them up for the night. The general stores consisted of one large room with shelves around the wall. Calico was in great demand and the price was five cents a yard. Ten yards was considered enough for a dress pattern. The early stores kept supplies of turpentine, calimol, domestic, indigo, bed ticking and vermifuge. Stick candy, jelly beans and cinnamon drops always took the youngesters eye. The back end of the store was used for keeping barrels of sugar and canned goods.

Tote Coffee Beans Home

Old-timers recall carrying green coffee beans home in a sack to be parched and ground before using. One of the first brands of coffee to be brought to Harlan was Arbuckle. Brogran shoes could be bought at the general store for 50 cents up to $1.25. The first "goods" to be hauled into town came from Livingston, Ky. it took two full weeks to make the trip.

Just Stick Mail Around

The first post office was in the Jones General Store. Since Mr. jones had no mail boxes, the mail was "stuck around in shelves." John K. Farley went back twice a week to get the mail. T.S. "grandaddy" Ward's store stood about where Hensley's Supply Store is today. A few years later, George Greene put up a store on the corner where the new Foresteeer-Spillman store is located. He sold a few drugs in the back. His partner was a Creech man from Calloway, Ky. After a few years, George Greene moved his store to the Green Miller corner.

First Drug Store

Will Eager put up the first drug store on the lot by Kay's Store. He filled prescriptions for pioneer doctors. Dr. N.S. Howard was among the first. According to information, Dr. Gatliff, of Williamsburg, Ky., taught a medical school where the Margie Grand Theatre is today. Other Pioneer doctors were Dr. G.P. Bailey, father of Dr. Clark Bailey and Dr. W. T. Nolan, father of Mrs. Stella N. Hill. Dr. J.T. Walker was the first dentist to practice in Harlan. He was the father of Roy Walker, formerly of the Howard and Walker Bottling Company. Hamp Huff was ther owner of a "saddle and harness shop" near the Will Eager Drug Store. The building also served as a shoe shop and barber shop in later years.

Sunday August 31, 1952

Volume 51 Number 206

Pages 1 & 8

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