Submitter’s note: This story was taken from “Brown County Remembers” with no signature.

The Huckster wagon was a special body mounted on a sturdy chassis. This body was wider than a standard wagon box: its width made room for shelves on both sides and was high enough to walk into. A chicken crate was swung underneath the body to the rear axle of the wagon. Somewhere on the wagon there was a mounted kerosene tank.

Hucksters hauled many of the commodities needed in the rural homes for everyday use, such as tobacco, candy, spices, bacon, other foods, dry goods and kerosene.

The huckster would take poultry, eggs, and in the wintertime, rabbits, as pay for what he had to sell. It required strong horses and mules to roll a loaded huckster over the poor roads.

Hawley and Robertson at one time had a grocery store in Needmore. They had a huckster route past our house at the intersection of North Shore Drive and Elm Shoot Road west of Trevlac. Clarence Robertson’s huckster, came by. He had a fourth-mile south to go to the Fritch crossing on Bean Blossom Creek. When Clarence got to the crossing, the creek was running a little high. He did not swear, and he did not swim. He waited right there ‘til the creek ran low. With a mile and three-fourths to go, he reached Needmore, ready to unload his poultry and call it a day.

Mr. Robertson’s oldest son, Francis Robertson, tells us that the second route went south of Nashville into Salt Creek Bottoms. The roads were rough and hilly. This road requires a team hitched to the end of the wagon tongue. It was known as the lead team and was driven by lines from the driver’s seat.

Once, following a day of heavy rain, there was plenty of water on the road. The horses were wading water, when all at once the horses stopped. The lead team refused to go on and this was very strange. Mr. Robertson dismounted and found the bridge had washed away. By the action of this good lead team, the huckster, the team and Clarence were spared from danger and was able to return to Needmore.

Mr. Robertson had a large family. I taught William, Arthur, Esther, Alice and Charles in Needmore Elementary School. Fred, Arthur and Charles became college professors. Charles was a German prisoner for three years during World War II.

Bean Blossom had two stores that operated huckster routes in the early days. The Kess McDonald store was on the corner of state roads 45 and 135. Their huckster route extended toward the northwest. On the return trip it came past the Brock School, District No 8. I was a small boy at that time. (I am now past 90.) Kess took the Elm Shoot Road until he came to Bear Creek. Then he followed the Old Gosport Road back to Bean Blossom. Herbert McDonald, son of Kess, had a huckster route near the Sprunica School in Hamblen Township.

Mary Jane Helms Strode tells of her brother, Wilson Helms, storekeeper and huckster. His operation was about in 1930. The store was 100 feet north and across State Road 135 east of McDonald’s IGA.

The first route traveled was the Spearsville and Bean Blossom Road. The second route was the Old Lick Creek Road, north to Morgantown and north of Morgantown. The third route was Lick Creek, Owl Creek and Trevlac. The fourth route was Nashville. The fifth route was to Story and Stone Head roads. The sixth route was in Hamblen Township.

A motor-driven huckster was operated by Glen Turner for Wilson Helms for many years. It carried, as did most hucksters, all articles that might be needed. Mr. Turner went further and drove six days per week. In later years, when the roads were better all huckster wagons were replaced by motor-driven trucks. The first store I knew in Needmore was the Henry Poling store. This store had a huckster wagon pulled by horses. Later, he had a truck driven by Wilson Poling.

Most all of Brown County had huckster service; one would go down the lane and wait for the huckster to come on his usual day.

One summer morning as I was going to work, I found a log chain in the road. I supposed it belonged to a home up the road. I stopped to pick it up and the huckster wagon drove by.

The huckster wagons served their day and purpose. They gave needed service to many people for many years.

Submitted by Pauline Hoover, Brown County Historical Society