OUR COUNTRY STORE

On your first step into the Milford Historical Society’s Country Store, you will see old-fashioned games: marbles, dominoes, and pick-up sticks for children. For adults there are history books, candles, and map reproductions. The room, however, is more than a gift shop; it’s also part of the museum. The wall behind the sales counter is filled with antique kitchenware, tools, boxes, and tins of products used a very long time ago.

The coral-colored coffee grinder at the left has a bottom drawer labeled 21/2 that detaches when you are ready to take out the ground beans that have just been through the grinder.

Next is a fluting press that is quite unusual. The base 51/4 x 3-inch footed metal box has a hinged top allowing the worker to fill it with hot coals to heat the apparatus. Then a fabric was placed on top, and a roller was run across the fabric to make a fluted pattern on the cloth.

With one look, you can recognize a small milk can. It is 6-inches high and has a lid with a semi-circular strap handle. It was used for transporting small amounts of milk.

The tool with the spiral steel handle was used to lift burner plates on old stoves so that wood or coal could be added. The handle was designed so that it stayed cool and the user did not get burned. Lifters were fashioned with specially shaped tongues to fit into slots on top of burner plates.

After a settler built a door, he needed some way to open it or lock it. Shown here is a keyhole saw. This 3-inch saw blade set in a wooden handle was used to cut out keyholes. This item was donated by Rev. N. T. Merwin.

At the front right is a small metal pan with a top used to keep small portions of food warm.

Keep looking at the back wall and you will see old-time brands of cleansers, ointments, soaps, matches, cigarettes, and more. There is Rubens Crayola Drawing Crayons, Cudatty’s 100 Percent Diamond C Kettle Rendered Leaf Lard. You will also find Grandma’s Borax Powder and a 10-pound tin of Standard Baking Powder.

Visit the Milford Historical Society’s Country Store at 34 High Street and see these items and so much more.

—Marilyn May