Footnotes to Long Island History
Middle Island's Country Store
by
Thomas R. Bayles
Pfeiffer's General store on Middle Country road in Middle Island.
The
country store which has now all but passed from the American scene was once an
important part of the life of small country
town and one can find no better example than Pfeiffer's country store in
Middle Island which for nearly one hundred years supplied the wants of the
surrounding countryside and was the social meeting place for the men of the
community.
The old
pot bellied stove that really threw out some heat when filled with oak chunks
was the center of attraction and during the stormy days of winter there was
always a crowd from 10 to 30 men and boys surrounding the stove in the back of
the store. The old checker board was kept constant use and some expert players
were developed. One of the fixtures in his chair behind the stove in the years
gone by was Everett Topping and anyone who took this chair before he arrived
would have to vacate it when he showed up. He was always ready for a game of
checkers with anyone who came along, although once in awhile a stranger would
happen in and play a game and give him a good beating.
It was a customary routine for the men of the neighborhood
to spend some time each day in social conversation with the gang behind the
stove in the store and here the news of the day was discussed and the fate of
the nation argued. Politics was a favorite subject and many of the important
issues of the day were settled behind the stove. The store was kept open
evenings and those who couldn't make it during the day usually showed up for
awhile after supper.
This
social center of the town was a picturesque scene years ago with the hanging
oil lamps, the old stove and the benches and chairs around the stove in the
back of the store. in those day day most groceries were sold in bulk and there
would be barrels of crackers, oatmeal, flour, and sugar, Boxes of prunes, dried
peaches, tea and coffee and many other items all of which had to be weighed out
and put up in small packages. In the back room were barrels of New Orleans
molasses, vinegar, other barrels of salt, pork, and smoked hams hanging
overhead.
The
country store supplied nearly all the needs of the local people and sold almost
everything including yard goods, dresses, boots, shoes, men's clothing,
hardware, paint, horse blankets, whips, harnesses, farming supplies besides
groceries and other articles.
The
scene has changed and we no longer see the men and boys congregating at the
store for a social hour. The old hanging oil lamps have gone to the antique
collector and all that is left is the old stove and the old chair which Everett
Topping occupied for so many years. The old checker board lies hidden away on
a shelf, dreaming of the days where it was the center of attraction and kept in
daily use. The rush of our modern world seems to have dispelled the good old
custom of neighbors stopping in to be sociable for awhile and who will say that
the change is for the better