Old country store on the Haw River keeps NC traditions alive

There was a time when old-fashioned general stores carried the memories and stores of rural North Carolina — locals sitting in rocking chairs on the front porch, somebody picking a guitar while the older folks swap stories and kids run in and out buying penny candy and bubblegum.

Today, many of those old country stores can be found decaying along rural North Carolina roadsides. With antique paint curling on fading storefronts, their drooping wooden porches are only fit for ghosts – and no one can hear their stories.

But tucked away down the winding rural roads of NC, there’s a place not far from the Triangle where the old traditions continue – where you can sit in a rocking chair and listen to local music on the front porch on a balmy summer evening. Or, in the fall, you can bundle up with cider on a crisp afternoon and listen to authentic storytellers keep our state’s country lore alive.

Almost a century old, stepping into Bynum’s general store is like stepping back in time. It’s one of the few remaining original stores from the historic mill village, which sits on the bank of the Haw River.

On a summer evening, you might see people dancing barefoot in the grass while a musician strums the guitar, or families running down to play near the river. There’s a food truck on-site, and several locals sitting on the front porch in rocking chairs.

Many of the dozen or so original stores in the unincorporated community of Bynum have closed their doors over the decades. In fact, Bynum itself has faded from the maps, losing its zip code, post office, movie theater and central cotton mill over the decades after a bypass funneled traffic away from the town.

However, the vibrant community refuses to let their way of life – or their history – just fade away.

Bynum Front Porch: Step back in time in Chatham County

Fueled by volunteers and community members, these old store keeps the Old North State’s legacy of storytelling, music and community alive.

“I was born within a stone’s throw of the store,” said Ted Williams, a native of Bynum.

Williams’ parents built the general store, now known as Bynum Front Porch, in the mid-1930s. Before that, both his parents worked at the cotton mill, which was central to Bynum’s existence. Families lived in traditional mill houses, and kept entertained by visiting the five or six stores in downtown. There was also a movie theater and a school.

“It was a vibrant community,” says Williams. “There was a lot of traffic through here at the time.”

As a kid, Williams recalls sitting on the porch, where people gathered to tell stores, swap jokes and laugh and talk with each other.

“I remember sitting down here and just listening to the grown folks talk,” he said. “It was really special.”

In those days, the town had around 60 or 70 kids, according to his memory, and the bus had two stops:

“One at this store and the other at a store down the street,” he said.

The highway went right through Bynum, bringing plenty of visitors and money to the town. However, when a bypass was built around the little mill town in the 1950s, the town began to struggle. It was the beginning of the end.

Soon, locals began going to nearby towns to shop. Eventually, stores began closing down and even the post office decided there weren’t enough residents to stay in town. Bynum lost its zip code and became incorporated.

The mill stopped running in the 1980s, and a fire destroyed it a few decades later.

But despite the setbacks, the people of Bymum refused to let their little town’s history just fade away. Bynum was a vibrant community — and would fight to stay that way.

Keeping Bynum’s history alive

Many waterways across North Carolina are dotted with overgrown stone foundations of mills and surrounding villages that washed away, burned down or were otherwise lost to time. Some communities became ghost towns; others were swallowed by the development of rapidly-growing cities nearby. In the mountains, the ghost of an old mill town provides a glimpse of what can happen when history is lost. Not far away, the community of Merry Oaks – whose general store is abandoned, but for sale – is under pressure by large nearby developments. 

Instead of letting the tide of history wash Bynum away, Ron Hatley, chair of the board for Bynum Front Porch, wants to ensure Bynum’s history is preserved.

“It’s a constant struggle,” he said.

There are efforts in place to preserve the old water tower, as well Bynum Bridge – an abandoned bridge closed to vehicle traffic that currently serves as a popular walking path for locals, as well as a ‘freedom of expression’ canvas for painters. Colorful and vibrant, the bridge provides sweeping views of the Haw River. Every Halloween, hundreds of people come from around the region to see the bridge lined with glowing, carved pumpkins.

“One of the things we’re doing is an SOS, Save our Store. The Bynum Front Porch building is over a creek, and it’s 90 years old,” he said. “We’re trying to raise money to shore up the foundation. Back then, they just laid down some rocks and built right on top!”

Just as it always has, Bynum Front Porch serves as the beating heart of the community. It may no longer sell groceries, but it you can still trade a story or two and keep those old NC memories alive.

“It’s stayed open as a community center,” said Hatley. “Summer music, storytelling, yoga, morning coffee, scout troop meetings, gatherings for local organizations and leaders.”

Every Friday in summer, Bynum Front Porch hosts a summer music series in the grassy lawn beside the store. Then, starting in September, guests can come sit and listen to a storyteller at the old country store – just like kids listening to the older folks swap tales on the front porch.