HINTON W.Va. (Hinton News) – While scavenging my vast collection to find a piece to do a story, I just by pure happenstance checked my Facebook page. Rebecca Stalnaker with Hinton News tagged me in a post about this bottle. I intend to do a more in-depth story about Puckett’s Apothecary in Hinton in the future. However, this little unique bottle was too interesting not to show you now.
Kim Vest, a resident of Avis, had made a post inquiring about this specific pharmacy in Hinton. It was located on the corner of 3rd Avenue and Temple Street. Robert Mazzella recalls it being located on the corner of the alley before the Catholic Church at the end of 2nd Avenue when he was a child. It was near the Tots and Teens store.
According to Bobby Cox, there is a pill box on display from this pharmacy at the Hinton Railroad Museum. I messaged Mrs. Vest, and she found this bottle, one of its kind, while digging in her backyard in Avis on October 15. It was pure luck that it was not damaged while removing it from the ground.
The bottle reads: “Puckett’s Apothecary Hinton, W. Va.” The faint circle you can see to the left of the name reads: “One of the Best.” Between Kroger, Walgreens, and Big Four (which is the old pharmacy still in operation), and then Roses and Creeds, Hinton has a long history of pharmacy businesses in such a little town. Then again, back in the day, it was a major railroad hub. All of the needs of the employees and their families had to be met.
If you know anything about this business, please email me at greenbrierantiques@gmail.com. I will start a file on this subject to write a longer piece about it in the future. Thank you.
