The General Store
One should stock fish today if he expects to eat fish tomorrow.
- Frank Vance -
The General Store contains examples of products carried by the local community stores that served the Avery County Community. One such store was operated in Altamont by Aunt Allie Wiseman. Her story from the book, Avery County Heritage Volume I follows. This book along with volumes II and III can be purchased at the museum.
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Avery Folks
Aunt Sallie is a kind, gentle lady, remembered by many as the lady who had the store and post office in Altamont, who slyly passed out bubble gum and chocolate drops to the children, whether they could pay or not.
Sarah Elizabeth Dellinger Wiseman is the daughter of William Jones Dellinger and Selena Carpenter Dellinger, the granddaughter of Jacob and Evelyn Carpenter and Matthias and Sarah Franklin Dellinger. She grew up with her brothers Raymond, Theron, Arthur, Mack and Floyd and her sisters Elda and Stella near Linville River at the south end of Altamont. After attending school at Pisgah grades 1 through 5, at the age of 16 she caught the train at Pineola with her brother Raymond and went to Athens, Tennessee, where she attended school. On one of her trips there Theron accompanied her. When they reached Johnson City, he saw the electric light in use for the first time and "he just couldn't' t get over it."
She has fond memories of the short time she taught Grades 1 through 3 at Montezuma with her brother Raymond. That building was torn down in 1912.
In September 1909 she married Carter Hickey Wiseman, son of Henry and Lucy Wiseman. They were married at Sunny Brook by William Ollis. To this marriage were born two sons: William Ray and Don Wilson Wiseman.
Aunt Sallie and Uncle Hickey opened their first store in 1923 in a building constructed by Walter Wiseman. In October 1925 she became Postmaster for Altamont. A new building was constructed by Cling Franklin and Gordon Davenport in 1932 which housed the Post Office and store. On rainy and bad days the men in the community gathered there to swap tales, pick up the mail and get the latest local news. The big pot-bellied stove in the center of the floor smoked many a seat on cold mornings. The long counters provided excellent seating space. It was here that lots of children came for Aunt Sallie to cut their hair. Quite often they woke up with bubble gum in their hair the next morning, the end of their reward for sitting still during the haircut.
At the time Aunt Sallie got her first Bell system telephone, the only other one around was a phone at Garrett Memorial Hospital in Crossnore. People walked for miles to phone the doctor about a sick loved one. During World War II, War Department messages of "death" or "missing in action" were telephoned to Aunt Sallie's store from Western Union at Spruce Pine. Some times the boys would call home to check on their families and it was mighty good to hear Aunt Sallie's voice.
The store served as a bean market for the local growers to sell their beans to the waiting truckers at the end of the day.
The Altamont Post Office was discontinued in July 1953, and Aunt Sallie retired to her kitchen with the warmth of the wood burning stove and the aroma of good foods...
