6-8pence... in Halifax currency... Lobsters, very fine, V 2-I pence each. (ibid). A search of the censuses shows no trace of a merchant or store in the Stanhope community. Only in the memories of some of our senior citizens do we find the local people being serviced in their own area. From Mrs. Cassie Marshall we learn that her mother, Mrs. George Douglas , shopped for groceries at the post office operated by David Lawson at . Cassie, who was born in 1892, also recalled going with her parents to the grocery store of Mrs. Ralph Carr , which was located in their L-shaped house; Cassie stated that ... Mrs. Carr always gave me candy. From Warren Marshall we learn that Mrs. Carr 's teapot... was never off the stove. Calculation puts this store in business around the turn of the century; the house was demolished in the late 1930s. The next grocery store in Stanhope , in the recollection of old- timers, was one operated by Frank McCabe from 1932-38 in the front room of his home; this room is now the living-room in the home of Horace and Edith Marshall. Warren Marshall tells of bringing supplies for the McCabe store from Charlottetown in his Model T Ford , (see the McCabe family history for more on this store). In 1938 George Ross built a grocery store on the property of his brother Will Ross , and in 1944 moved this building to a site at Corner , on property also owned by his brother Will. George Ross operated this store until 1947, when it was sold to Frank Paul , who ran it until 1950, when it was sold to R.E. Mutch Co. of Charlotte- town, who in turn sold this property to Horace Marshall . The store building was used by the Marshalls for a couple of summers to sell home baking to tourists, and was then sold to Jack Proude and moved to Proude's Cottages , where it was again used as a store. In 1945-46, Harry MacLauchlan built a general store on the same site as the first George Ross store, on the farm owned by Alvin MacLauchlan . Opening in February, 1946, this building saw business for only fifteen months when it was completely destroyed by fire in May, 1947, was rebuilt and reduced to ashes again in October, 1947, and then again rebuilt. In 1948, the new building was renovated to include a 3-bedroom apartment upstairs, for the owner. As well as the regular staples, this store carried a stock of hard?? ware, dry goods, livestock feed, lobster fishing supplies, etc. To accommodate the increasing demand for storage of supplies, a barn was purchased from Leigh Chappell in 1952, and the Stanhope School building in 1953, both moved to a site adjoining the store. According to Harry, ... cash was a scarce commodity at that time. You could count the government cheques on your fingers. One pensioner came regularly once a month with a $60 cheque and loaded a '/2-ton truck 124