In these days of supermarkets and prepackaged commodities, we have lost the friendly, informal atmosphere of the country store. Life moves at a faster pace now so the description found in Huntoon’s "History of Canton" of Leonard Everett’s store, which was a going concern in the early 1800’s, sounds something from another world. Mr. Huntoon writes:

"As I remember this place, it was the very embodiment of a country store. Here congregated all the loafers and idlers in the vicinity, who sat on boxes covered with buffalo-skins, around the store, and continually spat tobacco-juice upon it. Here were discussed the politics of the town; and the man who could hold his own in argument for the space of a year was looked upon as village wiseacre.

"The store was for many years open on Sundays at noon; and between services crackers, cheese, and gingerbread were sold to such as did not carry their luncheon to meeting. Singing meetings were often held here; and in 1839 the committee decided in this house what tunes should be printed and what excluded from the forthcoming collection of the Stoughton Musical Society, to be printed by Marsh and Capen.