"Deanwood General Store"

Country Values By Brian Wilkes

Illustrating the value of "Commerce", this work is a memory of a time when picking up your mail and a few supplies could be an hours-long, relaxed social event, and a testimony to historical preservation and respect for the past. The tiny crossroads of Iron Hill sat about 9 miles east of Marion, Crittenden County, Kentucky. When Joseph Dean became postmaster in 1874, he built a new post office and general store. This building replaced it in 1910, and the community was re-named “Deanwood” in the family’s honor. Although it has not been a working store or post office for decades, the land’s new owner maintains it, including the paint job, as a link to the region’s history. I lived in Marion for a decade, and was so intrigued passing by the store that I sought out its history, which I share with you here as part of my “Country Values” collection.