MEMORIES
Hill’s General Store has been a part of Cana, VA and it’s surrounding areas since 1927. Our ancestor Thomas B. Hill (1791-1868) moved to Carroll County from Grayson County, VA sometime during his lifetime. Thomas’ great-great grandson, WC Hill (let’s call him Grandpa) saw a need in the community and decided to provide it, with the hopes that it would support his family…and it did.
Many memories were made over the years. We see it when we digitized Grandpa’s recordings from our 50th anniversary celebration. Grandpa loved stories and making memories to share. He was on the forefront of the cassette tape recorder trend. He thought it might be a treasure for the community to hear the voices of the past. Of course, back in 1977 many of us thought the idea was a little silly. We were embarrassed a bit by having to tell our ages. Little did we know that Grandpa would pass about a year and a half after making these recordings. I began this project in December of 2015. We had the recordings digitized years ago, but had never broken them up by “recording sessions.” As I sat and listened to the voices of my childhood (I was 8 in 1977), I was surprised at how many memories came flooding back. We would love to share your memories. If you have one to share, write it up or record it on your mobile phone and email it to us. We will add it to our page. If you hear a memory from a family member and would like a digital copy, let us know and we will email it to you.
Ralph Berrier, Jr. – Christmas Eve
As a kid in the 1970s, Christmas Eve meant going to Hill’s General Store for their prize drawings. Osler and Oscar Hill, and their wives Edith and Barbara, prepared all sorts of prizes, mostly candy and nick-nacks, so that everybody who entered won something. There were a few big prizes — boots, pocket knives and such — but I always hoped to win...
50th Anniversary Recordings
Hill’s 50th Anniversary was an event for the entire community. Grandpa set up his cassette recorder and microphone near the space occupied by the office in today’s store. It was just past the pop cooler, and close to where we had set up free fountain drink station as part of the celebration. You could see the gas pumps through the large plate...
Todd Hill, aka Whistle Britches
Here’s the origin story of what was probably Todd’s most infamous nick name: Whistle Britches. WO was notorious for picking on the kids of the family, and I remember him trying to get my ire up by calling me by the same name, but it didn’t have the same effect as it did on Todd. Here, Barbara retells the story of where the name came from and how...
Ralph Berrier Remembers
Ralph reminisces about the earlier days of Hill’s General Store. Ralph’s memories cover 1952 presidential election, knife swapping, gathering around the stove, bringing his kids to the store, Wiffle ball games, the price of pop, gas wars, and more. Barbara Hill chimes in occasionally.We dug around YouTube and found the CBS coverage of that...
Mary Lou Lawson Remembers
Mary Lou Lawson was an important person in the Hill’s Shoes story. She was a fixture in the store for many years as our first resident shoe expert. While not technically a member of the family, we feel she is and always will be an important part of the family in our hearts. Mary Lou remembers coming to work at Hill’s, the growth of the shoe...
Mickey Leonard Remembers
Mickey, another of W.C.’s grandsons–Orene’s son, grew up two doors south of Hill’s. His dad, Junior Leonard worked at the store for many years. In this clip, Mickey tells us what it was like coming home from school to the store, a tale of a “life of chapstick crime,” and his brother, Scott’s ex-girlfriend who was not satisfied with Scott’s...