FOREST HILL W.Va. (Hinton News) – This week’s piece is going to be a bit “lackluster” in regards to the history of this specific piece. However, I felt compelled to tell you the little bit I know about this piece in hopes that you may be able to fill in the other aspects around it. After more than 2 years of writing this series, I haven’t told much about the section of Summers County where Forest Hill is located.
Other than the original Civil War monument unveiling ceremony, my Great Great Great Grandfather Jesse W. Thompson was in, I just don’t have much in my collection from this area. While going through some boxes I have in storage with all of my old local documents in (and I have a lot), I ran across this piece. I purchased it years ago in a box lot at a local auction.
It is an early 1900s advertising pamphlet from a general store that used to be in Forest Hill. It reads, “Medicines Advertised in this Pamphlet are for sale by C.W. Garten, Forest Hill, West Virginia.” It doesn’t flat out call it a store, but based on the fact that it advertises medicine and the few little articles I found in the newspaper archives, it can be determined that C.W. Garten owned and operated a store.
It further reads, “Dry Goods, Groceries, Hardware, Medicines, Hats, Caps, Boots, Shoes and Ready-Made Clothing Country Produce Bought and Sold. We — — — is everything you used. Our prices are the lowest.” The first section of the bottom line is illegible.
This store is one of the earliest and farthest businesses in this section of the county that I have ever found. I know there must have been ones prior to, but I have yet to run across anything regarding any others. Ballard, being the next town past it towards Virginia, had the old general store in operation in town until recent years when it burned down. Citizens in this area of the county could have done their shopping at either store before crossing the border to Virginia.”
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