For An Authentic Appalachian Experience See Forbus General Store

 

For an authentic Appalachian experience see Forbus General Store.

Open the old-timey white screen door at Forbus General Store to see what pure rural Appalachian life is all about. Well seasoned, this screen door is just like the firewood sitting next to the massive homemade wood stove. This is where modern and the past try to join together but fails, since time doesn’t seem to have progressed since the 1950s. But there’s so much more to discover here than coonskin hats and country ham. For instance, a local card game called PIG that draws international attention. Come see what rural Appalachian life is like in this tiny Tennessee town of Pall Mall.

 

Forbus General Store sits off of Highway 127 on the Cumberland Plateau in Fentress County, Tennessee. If you drive a few miles north of scenic Pall Mall you will find it standing alone on a curve. You can’t miss it because of the very big wood carved statues of people and bears along with some rocking chairs for whittling. You’ll enjoy the scenic drive too through lots of curves and hills that eventually lead into Kentucky, which is only six miles away.

 

This is our two-part series about Forbus General Store as well as Genuine Appalachian Cuisine Is Found At Forbus General Store.

 

Forbes General Store Is Full Of Americana

Once you get past the front porch and its interesting Americana mood then open the squeaky screen door and take a look around. Listen to the squeak. Some will remember the sound of a squeaky spring on an old screen door, but others won’t. Have you ever heard this distinctive squeak?  

 

Once inside, the first thing you notice is a coonskin hat hanging on a post with a chaotic background of cluttered goods all around. Next, two large signs for fudge and ice cream pop out above the antique glass counter. After that, you’re on your own. 

 

In colder months a light smell of smoke from the homemade wood-burning stove penetrates the air. In that case, you will probably leave with a light smoky smell clinging to you.

If you depend on organization and tidiness for peace of mind then you probably should not go inside. But if you’re ok looking through relics, antiques and paraphernalia then you will be in heaven. 

 

In this case, I wouldn’t be surprised if you find something here from its beginning since the building was originally built in 1892. After all, You will find a little bit of everything here. This building has been the center of the community as a general store for many years, but it has also been used for a post office, lumber mill, pharmacy, and feed mill. By and large, few places are left where you can take a glimpse into the past deep in the heart of Appalachia.

 

We recommend these articles we have written about Fentress County, Tennessee.

 

The Highway 127 World’s Longest Yard Sale is where to experience Americana for 690 miles from Michigan to Alabama. But Tennessee is where you will find the most action. In fact, our neighbor helped start it along with his family. We lived in the middle of the action so check out our perspective!

Experience living history in Tennessee on a journey back in time during the World War One years. My (Tom) favorite part was getting up close to biplanes at the aerodrome. We have included a lot of photos too!

The Allardt Pumpkin Festival is one of the most visited Fall festivals in Tennessee. This tiny town is barely over 600 people but attracts more than 12,000 on the first Saturday each October. World records have been broken here!

 

Home Away From Home

If you’re lucky enough, and chances are good, you will see local people hanging out. Either sitting by the wood stove on the old wooden church pew, playing cards on a table in the back, or whittling on the front porch. The age-old tradition of whittling is simply carving thin shavings off of a stick with a pocket knife until it’s smooth. Many feel it’s therapeutic and relaxing. It is also a good way to pass the time. By the way, overalls and flannel are still all the rage here. 

 

For many local people, the Forbus General Store is their home away from home. They hang out here to socialize and catch up on news. Everyone knows each other and in Appalachia, this is more like family than friends. This community is centered around the store, much like in the old days. People know where each other lives, and if they don’t, the answer will be something like “just up the hill a bit”.

 

So, for an authentic Appalachian experience see Forbus General Store!

 

Unique Items Found Here

 

Inside Forbus General Store you will find normal items as expected and then some uncommon ones. Items you expect like t-shirts, hats, candles, barrels of novelty candy, some convenience store items, and postcards. On the other hand, books on understanding hillbilly speak and log cabin cooking along with American flags, crafty items to display, burlap feed bags, corn cob pipes, and coonskin hats are some more interesting items to buy.

 

You can also buy packaged food items such as Moon Pies and fried pork rinds along with jars of pickled okra, pickled beets, sorghum, apple butter, F.R.O.G. jam, and T.O.E. jam.

 

So, for an authentic Appalachian experience see Forbus General Store!

 

Country Ham Is Sovereign

 

Another unique Southern item is country ham. Country ham wears the crown where meat is concerned.

 

Around here we usually see whole shanks of country ham with big blotches of greenish-black mold on the outside of the cloth package. Look for it hanging on display in stores and due to its salt curing not refrigerated.  

 

I called a country ham factory in North Carolina (not the one in the photo) to find out more because my curiosity got the best of me. Besides, why would a store still sell this, much less someone buys it?

 

Country ham is salt-cured and that occasionally this happens over time, the owner explained.  The owner then said, “That’s ok though because you just cut out any discolored part then eat it!”

 

My Experience With Country Ham

 

However, country ham is very salty. I (Tom) have never been a big fan because it’s too salty for my taste. I know a little about this since I grew up in the Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina. My entire family is from small towns in rural North Carolina so we occasionally had country ham. I also remember large gatherings with country ham often being served. Not only did we have country ham cooking in an iron skillet but red-eye gravy always topped it off.  

 

Making red-eye gravy is simple, just like most authentic Appalachian cooking. Simply take the leftover ham drippings in the iron skillet, add water and black coffee then whisk until it reduces to about half.

 

As you can guess, it has a distinctive flavor, mostly from the coffee. Most people pour it on their country ham but I remember eating it on grits. Although I haven’t had it since I was a kid I do remember that flavor well.  

 

Have you had country ham and red-eye gravy? If not, would you try it? Let us know what you think in the comment box below because we would like to hear what you think about it.

 

Over The Top Fudge

 

The locals eat here regularly, but in reality, their homemade fudge is what pays the bills. Before, the general store was intriguing enough to make tourists stop, but they didn’t buy very much, thus it was not profitable.  

 

So the owners decided to make fudge with the hope of visitors spending more. Granted you can buy fudge premade or in kits, but that’s not what they had in mind. They buy fresh ingredients from New York and make it homemade themselves. Undoubtedly, one unique ingredient is pure local mountain spring water.  

 

In due time, fudge sales made the store profitable and they haven’t looked back since. Now they make about 4,500 pounds each year! In fact, they now have a reputation for their delicious fudge so visitors make a point to stop at Forbus General Store.

 

New flavors keep getting added as a result of increasing fudge sales.

 

The list of flavors includes amaretto chocolate swirl, orange cream, butterscotch, birthday cake, salted caramel, caramel pecan, maple nut, peanut butter, chocolate pecan, Butterfinger, peanut butter & chocolate, apple pie, chocolate walnut, plain chocolate, and vanilla. Of course, many more flavors get mixed in the rotation too.

 

Insider tip: Many places that sell fudge order from companies like Country Fresh Food & Confections in Oliver Springs, Tennessee, and then give the impression of being homemade. Especially around the high tourist areas of Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and anywhere around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. They sell it to shops by the block or even in single-serve plastic containers so beware if you want fresh homemade fudge. 

 

World PIG Championship

 

Along with Ham, have you heard of the card game PIG? Most people haven’t but people come from around the world to participate. This unique card game originated here in Fentress County and the World PIG Championship is held at Forbus General Store every year at noon on the last Saturday in February. 

During your visit walk to the back of the store where restaurant seating mixes with items for sale. First, you will see a few old wood tables. These are specifically used for playing PIG. Every day small groups come throughout the day to get a few games in. In fact, one player even opens the store every morning at 5:30, brings firewood in, and then starts the fire before anyone else arrives. Not to mention he’s not even an employee or the owner!

 

You might enjoy watching the social part of PIG too. Just like a poker game, watch how each player reads the others. We like how people interact with each other and how a slower pace of life happens here. Everyone knows each other so well that conversations lean toward catching up with people in the community. This reminds us of the past where communities met to connect. To many locals, this is their home away from home.

 

Remember, if you hear a player saying they smell bacon frying then this means PIG talk for winning.

 

Final Thoughts

 

To point out, one of the differences here is overalls and flannel as normal attire. Another difference being sweet tea which is more likely to be seen sitting on tables instead of alcoholic beverages. I emphasize sweet, as in tons of sugar mixed in after the tea finishes brewing.

 

Come sit on the front porch along with other whittlers and maybe you can help solve the world’s problems too.

 

As always, thanks for reading For an authentic Appalachian experience see Forbus General Store.

 

Tom and Kristi

 

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