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Penn's Store is the oldest country store in America run by the same family since 1850. While it has been in the Penn family since that time, the store can actually be traced back prior to 1845.
Gabriel Jackson "Jack" Penn was the first Penn to own the store. In c.1870 ownership and operation of the store was transferred from Jack Penn to his oldest son, Wilson "Dick" Penn at the age of 28, and the family tradition was established. Dick Penn was truly a man of many talents. Among his professions were being a surveyor, dentist, druggist (governor appointed), and postmaster. He was the community's first postmaster and Penn's Store was site of the first post office in the area known as Rollings, Kentucky. Penn's Store carried a wide assortment of drugs which he sold to the local people. Penn was also known to have a cure for skin cancer and treated many people with such afflictions. Dick had sworn to secrecy the formula and never divulged its ingredients. Since no one in the family held Penn's love for medicine, the cancer secret died with him on July 4, 1913, from a heat stroke on the store porch.
Penn's Store looked quite different in its younger years than it does today. There were many buildings that surrounded the store. There was a spirits shop, a poultry coop used to house chickens and assorted fowl that people brought to the store to trade for goods, storage buildings and a couple of houses The store then carried a wide variety of goods. There were shoes, fabric, farming tools, lanterns, and just about any thing that was needed by a rural inhabitant. Penn's Store had changed little over the course of the years. It was still the place to come to in the community and new residents would always make themselves known to Penn's Store.
Beginning in 1983, the store has remained open seven days a week, rain or shine. Up until about 20 years ago, most people outside of the region had never heard of Penn's Store.
That all changed in 1992.
WHY?
After almost 150 years without a bathroom, one was added to Penn's Store. But it was no ordinary bathroom - it was an outhouse. The fact that the store was adding a new outhouse was news enough. No one builds outhouses anymore. But the publicity really started when we decided to throw a party to dedicate it. This was no ordinary party. It was an OUTHOUSE BLOWOUT.
The outhouse was dedicated by Chet Atkins, Billy Edd Wheeler, and many other musical guests from far and near. The media ate it up. Since then, the store has been featured in numerous newspaper stories, magazine articles, and television shows. The store was even in Playboy magazine.
****UPDATE****
In May 2010 heavy rains caused the Rolling Fork River to rise and caused massive flooding in the area. The old store was a casualty and sustained heavy damage water damage to the original structure. Since that time the family has had historical re-constructionists working to get it back up and running.
Penn's Store is tabbed to be reopening in October, just in time for the annual Festival and Great Outhouse Blowout.
Stop by and check it out. You may even want to go in if they're open and say hello.
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The cache will be an ammo can, with swag, a logbook and hopefully a pen or other writing instrument. FTF - Don't forget to grab your KyO dollar as a FTF prize. WOOT!
WATCH OUT FOR PUPPIES!!