Paris, Tenn.–Henry County Historical Society President David Webb, left, videotapes Thursday night’s presentation on the history of the Buchanan General Store by Dr. Jeff Morris. A huge turnout was on hand for the entertaining presentation, in which Dr. Morris recounted memorable anecdotes from the lengthy history of the store.
The Buchanan Store provided merchandise of all types, from groceries to auto parts. “If you could name it, they had it,” he said.
Morris’ grandparents, G.W. and Jewel Crutcher, were the last to operate the business. Although the store has been closed for decades, the landmark building still stands.
Morris said no one is quite sure when the building that housed the store was built, but they do know that the center portion was built in the Civil War-era. There were four different additions to the building, he said.
In its earliest days, deliveries were made to the store via wagons from the Paris Landing area brought on the river by steamboat.
The store provided a valuable service for residents of the Buchanan area with not only supplies available there, but it also served as the post office, with a night deposit slot in the wall for mail and customers could pay their utility bills there, too.
In the near vicinity of the store in the early days of Buchanan (which was founded in the 1840s) was a blacksmith shop, wagon shop, brick plant, fertilizer shop and building which housed the town’s horse-drawn hearse.
Morris said whenever anyone in Buchanan died, his grandmother would take up a collection at the store for flowers. A box would sit on the counter for people to give money for the flowers.
The videotape of the presentation will be posted on the Historical Society’s Facebook page for people from out of town who could not make it for the program.
Photo by Shannon McFarlin.