The Olde General Store

Hi Puzzlers,



The Olde General Store Item #229



Do you have an Old General Store in your town? We have one here in Jackson called Flossie’s and another one a few towns over in North Conway called Zeb's. I can spend hours in these quaint stores just browsing. Both these stores capture your imagination and take you back in time to an era when there was only one place to shop for all your needs! Our General Store puzzle does this as well.

Our wonderful puzzle beautifully depicts the scene of a youngster perched on a crate enjoying a sweet treat as she waits for her Mother to select fabric. Her brother, full of Christmas dreams, gazes wishfully at the sled displayed overhead. But the pièce de résistance for me is the potbelly stove!

Potbelly stoves were a commonly used to heat churches, town halls, general stores, schoolhouses, railroad stations, saloons and just about any business in the 1800s. Towns’ people would gather around the stove to warm themselves and talk about the weather, debate politics, and to gossip. Just imagine what stories these rotund stoves could tell! Many historical paintings and advertisers also feature the potbellied stove. It is as American as you can get.

The potbelly stoves of the 1800s were made from solid cast iron and capable of burning both wood and coal. Stoves of this era were available in three sizes. The small stoves would burn six to eight hours, making them great for smaller rooms and offices. Medium stoves could provide warmth for as long as 8 to 12hours and could easily heat the average general store. The large stoves burned for 14 hours and would be typically found in a dance hall. The portly ring around the middle of a potbelly stove gave it a distinctive look and it also prevented people from knocking into the stove and burning themselves.

Some potbelly stoves featured cook-tops. With a cook-top one could make soups and stews, scramble eggs and warm coffee. This model was a popular choice for the one-room schoolhouse because teachers of this time were often responsible for making lunch for all of the students.

And the final thing I’d like to tell you about the potbelly stove is how it got its name. Originally the stoves were called Cannon Stoves but because the shape of the stove resembled the stomach of middle aged man, the stoves quickly became known as potbelly stoves. So the next time you wander into one of those old General Stores buy a hot cup of coffee and take a little time to browse and take your imagination back to a simpler time and place.

Happy Puzzling!