Once upon a time, if a farmer could not come to the grocery store, the store came to him. That was the history of Carl Vendevener’s rolling country store, which he found in an ad in Farm Collector magazine.

The store, which is in original condition, was set up at this year’s Historic Day’s Farm Show in Penfield, Ill. The story behind it made it a popular draw.

The Hornback family ran a grocery route and took this truck, filled with the items they thought a farm family may need to get by, through southern Indiana. On the side of the truck is a faded sign that reads “Hornback & Son Rolling Country Store.”

Carl said this truck was actually the second version of the rolling store. The Hornback family, who owned a general store first, ran their country route using a wagon pulled by mules.

In time, they moved up to the 1.5-ton 1936 International Harvester Model C with the Roth body. Run by father/son Wilbur and William Hornback, William continued the store route after his father died. It was a popular item for those who were often isolated on the farm.
Carl knew how the store operated because of a letter he has that was written by Ruth Hornback. This letter shared how the store was used and stocked.

William not only brought items to the farmers, but he also often picked up items along the way. Carl said, “He stopped at houses and bought eggs and chickens in exchange for food.”

At the Historic Farm Days, visitors enjoyed seeing how the store would have been set up. Carl restocked the truck as it would have been when the Hornback family was operating it.

“The three shelves on top run from the back to the front,” Carl said. “He carried cereal, flour and sugar. Back then, people bought 25 pounds at a time. On the lower shelves the shelves held canned food, even sardines. Then there were egg cases on the floor.”

Underneath the truck there was even a tank that would hold kerosene, also delivered to the farm. There were also cases for chickens attached under the truck. As customers purchased groceries, he would load up with eggs and chickens, which Carl said he took to Cincinnati to exchange for groceries.

The rolling country store was also called a huckster wagon. At the www.sweetowen.net website created by Debbie Jennings, she shares its history: “The huckster wagon was a most welcome sight on a rural road. The huckster was sort of like a store on wheels; he was a man who was hired by the storekeeper, or sometimes the storekeeper himself.

“They operated a wagon filled with the majority of items carried in the store. Common items were the staples in prepackaged amounts as well as some meat and other items. Each huckster operated on his own schedule, but many of them ran through an area twice a week; on his first trip through the area, he would have everything, but on the return trip, his wares were growing slim.
“The huckster would trade not only for cash, but for other items such as butter, cream or eggs as well; some accepted live poultry in exchange for goods. The huckster also supplied welcome gossip or community news, many times. At times, the huckster was a lifesaver for the housewife, if the man of the house could not get away from work to go to town.”

Readers with questions or comments for Cindy Ladage may write to her in care of this publication.