There were several general stores located on the hill, and they were period
supermarkets. The grocer would bring in canned goods, fresh fruits, potted
meats, fresh meats, eggs, milk, hardware items, household items - everything
and anything necessary to feed or equip a household.
As the days of the field wore on, families built homes and established
themselves out on the oil field. Scott Thomas said that Gladys City was
the family part of the hill and that "Old Spindletop" on the
south flank and the south margin was the rough part of the hill.
The General store
sold every type of product from tobacco to work clothing, including cheese,
soda pop, ketchup, pickles, and dry foods such as peas, beans, flour,
corn meal, and rice. Other fresh and canned foods could be bought.
Among the interesting items in the store are a coffee mill, a grist mill,
a green one-cylinder engine and its associated grinder, a chick incubator,
a bread box, several scales, a stove, storage bins, lamp parts and soaps
in the case on the north side, and the two man buck saws for cutting timber
or log beams.
Notice the two oil lamps on exhibit in the case on the north side. The
are the type of kerosene lamps used in homes or businesses. The major
source of lighting was oil lamps, and there was a need for repair parts
for oil lamps, rather than electric light bulbs or electric lamp parts.
The upstairs of the General Store is the proprietor's residence and includes a parlor, three bedrooms, and a kitchen. Oftentimes, families with extra bedrooms went into the boarding house business as a result of the large influx of "boomers" to Spindletop.