Pictured from left in the back are Trionne Brown, Twilda Brown, Sarah Brown, Lizzie Evans, Marlyce Brown and Mattie Schnuerle. In front are Lisa Brown, Cheryl Brown and Karen Post. This was likely taken when store ownership changed hands late in the 1960s.

 

Welcome To The O.G. Evans General Merchandise Store!

We hope you'll enjoy your visit. The photographs here are from the collection of the late Eleanor Thaden Poen, acting postmistress of the Pauline Post Office from 1963-67. A longtime Pauline-area resident, Mrs. Poen was an avid picture-taker, documenting the comings and goings at the store during the time that she worked there. The granddaughter of early area farmers Bernhardt and Jauntken Post, Mrs. Poen was a first cousin, once removed to the web editor. Her photographs are shared with us courtesy of her niece, Donna Knight.

Longtime store owner Lizzie Evans.

Frank Pavelka sits among the store wares.

John H. Post and Margaret Smidt await mail delivery.

An interior view of the store. The post office is located behind the stove.

Local men enjoyed gathering around the pot-bellied stove to visit in winter, particularly on Saturday evenings.

Area resident Dorothy Brader is pictured with her children, Chuck and Linda.

Eleanor Poen, acting postmistress, is pictured here. Mrs. Poen extensively photographed the store and its patrons.

Lizzie Evans waits on customer Lester Woods. His wife, Catherine, is slightly to the right of him, sitting on a counter beneath the front windows. Lizzie's cousin Mattie Schnuerle is seen at far right.

The store, with its ample supply of soda pop and candy, was a draw for local youth. Linda and Chuck Brader are pictured after having biked to the store one day.

Sherri and Penny Seeman and cousin Tammy Butts are pictured in front of the store.

Kelli, Karen and Carla Post stand in front of their father's 1956 Chevy at the store.

Eddie Moore of Fairfield was a weekly visitor enroute to a doctor's appointment in Blue Hill.

Ella Herrenstein, a double cousin to Lizzie Evans, stands outside the Evans Store. The Jones store and meat locker is seen in the background, to the right.

An unidentified woman stands outside the store. The paved Showboat Road, running north, is seen in the background.

Lizzie Evans, Ella Herrenstein and an unidentified woman pose outside the store.

An unidentified young cowboy was among the store's patrons.

Exterior view of the O.G. Evans General Merchandise store. To the left of the store is the Sime Service Station.

Another interior view of the store. The cash register is to the left of the white scales on the countertop.

Web editor's all-time favorite postcard, purchased at the store during the late 1960s.

Postcards purchased at the store carried Pauline greetings.

Car belonging to John H. Post, web editor's grandfather, is seen outside the store. Bill Moore's service station is across the street in the background.

Pauline residents Lizzie Post and Margaret Smidt are pictured in front of the store.

Pictured in back from left are Twilda Brown, Trionne Brown, Lizzie Evans and Eleanor Poen. Karen Post is the child in front. This was likely taken when store ownership changed hands for the last time in the late 1960s.

Merl and Twilda Brown, the last owners of the general store, are pictured with Lizzie Evans.

 This haunting double-exposure photo, with its subjects fading from view, is the perfect end to our photo tour of the O.G. Evans General Merchandise store. From left are J. Rolland Post (seated in plaid shirt), Lloyd Poen (husband of photographer Eleanor Poen), two unidentified men, Delmar Brown (seated, with cap), Louie and Helen Reiber, Lizzie Evans, an unidentified man, and Harry Reiber (with cap and dark-framed glasses).