South Michigan News

Richard Fanson's 19th century Fenton meat market.

Fenton historian Burns Fuller wrote beautifully about the experience of visiting an old-time butcher shop, and he identified a problem that still goes on today.

As Fuller recalls, "In the dead of winter, the meat markets took advantage of the weather. It is very possible you moderns never saw the meat displays of those days. The front doors of the shop would be wide open, and you nearly froze as you transacted business. But that was part of the deal. Hanging out in front were rabbits and fowl. In the windows, quarters and halves of lambs, calves and pigs were displayed."

"The floor would be covered with saw dust, the purpose of which was to absorb blood dripping from the dead animals."

"Many grocery stores had barrels of pickles and great heads of cheese with a barrel of crackers also nearby. Many a time I have seen tight fisted patrons help themselves to a good portion of each and never think of paying for it. 'Public relations' were in effect too, for I never saw a proprietor make such persons pay for their flagrant abuse of said relations."

Original source can be found here.