I have been so lucky to explore some extraordinary places in my lifetime, but few even come close to this one. This is the 153 Mile Store, and it has sat perfectly preserved - full of unsold merchandise - since the day it closed in 1963. I grew up just down the road from this location, so I was always aware of it, but it was so much more than I ever expected. Its rare that you get to see old artifacts in good condition, but this store is FULL of artifacts in literally brand new condition. This store opened in 1900 and ran until 1963, when the owner died in the store behind the counter. Shortly after that, the doors were closed and locked and it has sat just the same ever since. The calendar behind the counter is still on the month and year that she died in the store. The store is located on a working ranch, so it has been kept in remarkable condition from the current owners of the ranch, but there has not been intention to open the store for public sale since the day that it closed.
VIDEO HERE (27 minutes)
What a treasure. Times were a lot tougher back then but a whole lot simpler
ReplyDeleteThanks Kenny for showing this vid. What a time capsule and I am old enough to recognize about 99% of what we were viewing. What a treasure man! Have a Merry Christmas, enjoy your time off and connect back when you are refreshed and raring to hit the trail again!
ReplyDeleteIs she still laying there behind the counter?
ReplyDeleteNo, they propped her up in a chair, kinda like Norman Bates' mother.
DeleteOne comment mentions the informal caretakers of the place include the entire community.
ReplyDeleteWith everybody watching, all the windows are intact, the doors locked, the roof leak-free.
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I am humbled.
Great story, thanks WC.
ReplyDeleteThere's a hardware store here in Waynesville, NC like that.
ReplyDeleteWhich one is that? I haven't been to Waynesville in some years, although I have driven through Maggie Valley several times on my way to I-40 West.
DeleteThere was a Chevy dealer like that here in Texas awhile back. This was way back, in I think, 2001 or so. As I read the story in the paper and looked at the pics, I was having heart palpitations - 1967 corvairs, 1966 pickups - all sitting since then, stickers still on the windows.
ReplyDeleteI think it was some sort of family squabble that lasted far after everyone died off.
Another great one was a pickers episode where they found a dude that bought up an old harley dealership - parts from the 30s on, still in teh boxes.
What surprises me is that there is no dust on anything anywhere. How is that even possible after fifty years?
ReplyDeleteCurrent owners care for the store and upkeep it.
Delete-arc
Believe it or not, most of the dust in our homes is skin cells.
DeleteThere was an article in Electric Radio a few years ago about a radio amateur whose shop was locked by his family when he died and hadn't been opened since. It was a museum of the top gear of the time. Guy looked just like my uncle "Hog" Garrett, another great ham.
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