Wood County History
By LOU MALLORY - Chairperson, Wood County Historical Commission
Over 20 years ago, Roger Speights wrote an account of the history of a business founded by his father, William R. Speights. Mr, Speights (Sr.) opened his first grocery store with a partner, in 1902 on North Johnson Street in Mineola.
In 1905, he opened his own establishment at 109 East Broad Street in the Flynt building.
In his son's words, "Saturdays downtown were like a county fair. Almost everyone came to town. Wagons, buggies and saddle horses were everywhere. There were hitching racks on vacant lots and iron rings sunk into the concrete along the sidewalks to tie up the horses. This was a busy day for the merchants."
He continues, "Many foods in the early store were the same we have today but marketed differently. Roasted coffee beans came in burlap bags. Coffee was ground at the store in a Hobart coffee grinder which sat in the window. During the grinding, the aroma was great and could be detected for some distance. The ground coffee was kept in bins and the amount each customer wanted was weighed and placed in a brown paper bag."
He adds, "Flour was bought by the carload and sold in single 24 or 48-pound cotton sacks. Many customers, especially farmers who lived several miles away, bought flour by the barrel, which was made up of four 48-pound sacks. When a fresh shipment came in, some customers drove up to the railroad car and loaded flour directly onto their wagons, after paying for it at the store. There was volunteer rationing during the First World War due to the scarcity of flour. Cornmeal was also sold, usually in 24-pound sacks.
Mr. Speights continues, Lard was received in crates of five or eight-pound buckets and sold by the bucket. Ten-pound cans were also available. This was supplied by the Swift & Armour Companies. Farmers did not usually buy this lard until the supply they made at home at hog-killing time was used up."
He notes that more cured meats were used than fresh meat until adequate cold storage became available. "Paper or cloth-wrapped hams, bacon, sausage and jowls were stacked in meat bins, or hung above them, five or six feet above the floor. Several companies provided one-pound packages of chili, the leading one being from Austin. Potted meats and Vienna sausage as well as canned fruits and vegetables lined the shelves."
He adds, "Bananas were hung by the stalk and sold singly or by the dozen. Other fruits were received and displayed in wooden boxes and crates and also sold singly or by the dozen - apples and oranges being the most common."
He states that a "hoop" of cheese was a round cake five to six inches thick. It rested on a cheese cutter - a turntable of sorts with a cutter attached at the center.
"When a piece was cut, it was weighed and sold by the pound. Some customers would just ask for five or ten cents worth! During the late 1920s, cheese was provided in small wrapped packages by the Kraft Company."
Speights continues, "School-girl pickles were shipped 800 in a barrel of vinegar. These were sold singly to customers, usually for five cents. They were sold by the dozen to hamburger establishments. During the 1920s, Heinz and other firms began to market pickles in glass jars."
According to Speights Jr., most fresh produce in the store was locally grown. Peaches, peas, beans, greens, corn, watermelons and cantaloupes were plentiful in season.
"Butter, eggs, and chickens were available all year. Ribbon cane syrup, made by farmers and marketed in gallon and half-gallon buckets, sold well. Dried peaches, apples, prunes and raisins were delivered in small wooden crates, weighed, and sold by the pound."
He notes, "People usually bought fresh milk from a neighbor or kept a milk cow for the family's needs."
Since many families owned one or more cows and horses, the grocery store also stocked feed. "Corn chops, maize, cottonseed meal and cottonseed hulls, plus wheat bran were marketed in burlap bags. Bales of hay were also sold."
Sugar, he states, was bought from the wholesaler in 100-pound cloth bags. "It was weighed into 10-pound brown paper bags. However, any amount a customer wanted was also sold in a paper bag. Also, several varieties of beans and rice were received in similar fashion and sold by the pound."
In the early 1920s, the store in the Flynt building was closed. Soon afterward, William Speights and E.P. Davis opened a store at 110 East Broad Street. According to his son, the operation and stock remained about the same as in the former store.
Other members of the family opened subsequent grocery operations and when the last one was sold in 1975, the Speights family ended almost 75 years of service to the people of Mineola and the surrounding county.
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