Down in the south-central part of the state there is a charming and quaint little shop that’s been serving as the general store for the small town of Cooksville since 1846 – before Wisconsin was even a state. Located about midway between Madison and Janesville, this little grocery store was once the center of the town for not only supplies, but socializing. The store has been in continual operation since it opened, making it the oldest grocery store in Wisconsin.
Please note, The Cooksville Country Store has permanently closed.
The Cooksville Country Store began serving the small village of Cooksville in Rock County, Wisconsin. For more than 170 years, this small store was the center of town, serving up groceries, dry good and meals, but also serving as the center of information, from gossip to news.
This charming store served as a conduit between local farmers and the customers, provided all the necessities for the local population and extended credit (or worked on a barter system) well into the 20th century. The large upstairs served as home to a Masonic Lodge and often hosted large, elaborate and special meals.
Today, the store is an homage to its own past - a time capsule of sorts of the way things used to be in this small town midway between Madison and Janesville.
Located near the confluence of the Yahara and Rock Rivers, Cooksville was once a well-traveled area and this store would have served as not only the local grocery, but as a place to stop, refresh and even have a quick meal.
Today the store sells nostalgic bits of candy reminiscent of its younger days. There are local jams and other great locally-made products to be found inside these walls.
Walking inside here really is a blast from the past. The owners have done an incredible job of restoring and capturing an era of time gone back and they've preserved this general store as an amazing time capsule and glimpse into a different time.
From diaries detailing purchases to articles in local newspapers, we have a fairly accurate description of what this store would have looked like and what it would have meant to the town. From an 1893 newspaper clipping describing the owner: "dealer in soft and hard coal, ice cream, wood, lime, cement, perfumery, nails, putty, spectacles and tomato catsup, chocolate caramels and tar roofing, hides, tallow and maple syrup, fine gold jewelry, silverware, salt, glue, codfish and gents neckwear, full line of patent medicines, diseases of horses and children a specialty."
According to the website, they've also got information that the store used to sell an even wider variety of things. "At times, the Cooksville Store also included fuels and building materials and hardware. Eventually, the store sold such widely assorted things as Cornish game hens, lag bolts, wash pans, clothesline, bone-meal, garden seeds, drill bits, underwear, anchovies, overshoes, lamp chimneys, paint, tobacco cloth, and kitchen utensils, as well as dairy and meat products and hot sandwiches and newspapers."
Today you can stock up on penny candy, fudge and whatever else catches your fancy. There's plenty here to explore and it's not difficult to imagine the door as a portal to a totally different time. Close your eyes and you'll hear the townspeople gossiping and the horses clip-clopping by out front. This store truly is a gem of state history.
