The porch of all of these stores became the "communication center" for the community. It was the precursor of today's social media. Every door, wall or outside pillar served as a bulletin board where there were notices posted for horse thieves, church socials, elections, farm auctions and barn raisings. Most every post office in those early days was located in one of the general stores and more apt than not the merchant was the postman on top of everything else. The men had a tendency to finish their business earlier than the women folk and in good weather would sit out in front of the general stores on the long wooden benches set aside for their use. If the weather was too cold they would go inside and sit around the hot potbellied stove that sat in a bed of sand next to empty cans for spitting their tobacco juice. There they sat together whittling and discussing the pros and cons of the political situation of the day. They also talked in great detail about the female customers that happen to stroll by or else told whopping tales of farming, hunting, fishing, and fighting.
