Moultonborough Country Store - from the Citizen
Old-time country store Moultonborough:
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Sunday, January 24, 2010
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Kathi Hopper/For The Citizen The rambling structure of the Old Country Store beckons travelers passing through Moultonborough.
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Because I have lived in the Lakes Region most of my life, I've passed by the Old Country Store and Museum at 1011 Whittier Highway in Moultonborough many times. You probably have too. You have seen the big, yellow building situated very close to the road in downtown Moultonborough (next to the town library). You may have taken your kids there for penny candy or to browse through the items, from candy to aged Vermont cheddar cheese to John Deere collectibles to moccasins and molasses and books about New Hampshire and New England history and much more.
The Old Country Store, which has been owned and operated by the Holden family for about 38 years, is always a last stop for my family when we attend the Sandwich Fair. The fair is just up the road from the store. The unique Old Country Store is a convenient stop for my daughter's favorite penny candy on the way home from a day at the fair. The store also is a wonderful place to visit on a winter day when I want to get out and do something a bit different.
One of my favorite things about the Old Country Store is the fact that there is no hurry. No hurry to shop, pay and leave; no hurry to move out of the well-stocked aisles; no hurry to get in and out. Browsing is encouraged at the store, probably because there is just so darned much to see and it is in keeping with the old-time atmosphere that makes the store a Lakes Region treasure.
Don't come to the store if you are looking for a mall-like environment. Don't come here if you want fast food. But do come here if you want to slow down, browse, buy some unique gifts, choose some penny candy that you probably won't find elsewhere, as well as some Vermont cheddar cheese and pickles from the barrel. At the store, so much is authentic and unique; you'll be dizzy trying to see it all.
The store was started by Jonathan Moulton in 1781 and has been in operation ever since. Covering two stories, the store seems to go on forever, filled with every gadget and goody imaginable, as well as a historical museum.
It would be impossible to list everything this country store stocks, and I think half the fun is in poking around for something I would not find elsewhere. Listing all the items in stock would fill a book, but a partial list includes: wood carvings, maple leaf candy, spices, New Hampshire history and humor books (and many other titles as well), T-shirts, kitchen utensils, baskets, mugs, postcards, linens, suspenders, night lights, toys, replicas of old posters, tin ware, ship bells, wrought iron pieces, aroogah horns, crackers, weather vanes, cedar wooden eggs, rubber snakes, pickles (in barrels), molasses from the barrel and honey. Beware-this is just a partial list!
One of the great things about this store is its old-fashioned atmosphere. The building is very old and upper shelves above the penny candy counter are filled with antique advertising memorabilia and other old collectibles. Small side rooms, such as a closet-sized Map Room offering all kinds of area maps, are a delight.
For those who like candles, the Candle Room will be a pleasure. It is filled with all sorts of candles in many forms and sizes.
In the entrance area/room, old wooden counters and really old cash registers (no computerized registers here) remind one of a time when a country store was the only place to shop for miles around. People gathered in such stores for local gossip and news. A huge wood stove, just like the ones in every country store painting, throws off some serious warmth in the winter months.
The rooms and aisles of merchandise seem to go on forever — just the thing for a family with children looking for something to do on a snowy afternoon. It's sure children will be fascinated with the chance to see dark, thick molasses being cranked from the barrel into jars. (The molasses is bought in bulk and aged in the wooden barrel.)
The huge, circular wheel of aged Vermont cheddar cheese is equally fascinating, as well as tasty. (This cheese comes from Cabot, Vt., in 38-pound wheels.)
I loved the old posters announcing such unusual things as the New Consolidation, the Gaiety Burlesque Co. and Lily Clay's Co. of Ladies Only, and Dr. Daniel's Veterinary Medicine.
The museum lists the population of Moultonborough at various years throughout history. In 1771 the population was 197; in 1820 it was 1,279; etc.
As a lover of odd antiques, I also fell in love with the old Moultonborough post office boxes, numbered one through 156, which were in regular use from the 1800s to 1967.
In the many times I've visited the Old Country Store and Museum, I never walked out without buying and/or learning something new about local history or a gadget I had never seen before. I challenge anyone who visits to leave without at least a few pieces of penny candy or some gift they could never, ever find elsewhere.
The Old Country Store is open seven days a week, year-round, and closed only on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Call 476-5750 or visit www.nhcountrystore.com (http://www.nhcountrystore.com/).
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Blocks of cheese are among the items available at the Old Country Store in Moultonborough.
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The second floor of the Old Country Store in Moultonborough is given over to a museum of old and unusual items from the past.
</B>http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=FD&Date=20100124&Category=GJNEWS02&ArtNo=701249999&Ref=V4&MaxW=250
(http://javascript<b></b>:location.href='http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/fosters?photo_name=250145701249999&title=20100124250145&t_url='+escape('www.fosters.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=FD&Date=20100124&Category=GJNEWS02&ArtNo=701249999&Ref=H3&MaxW=400'))Jars of molasses poured from a giant barrel are among the items for sale at the Old Country Store in Moultonborough.</B>
PS - there is no "country store" in Gilmanton Iron Works. It is merely a "convenience" store recently purchased by an Indian family.
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