THEN & NOW

In 1750 a home-cooked chicken dinner started with killing and plucking the bird. Here's a look at how far we've come in daily living.

Food For breakfast, visitors and guests at taverns in colonial Cumberland County were typically given tea and weat bread or hoecakes.	Leisure Gala balls, hoedowns, afternoon teas and formal suppers entertained many townspeople and rural folks of the 19th century.
Communication Installation of the posts for the first telegraph line across Cumberland County was completed in 1847.	Farming North Carolina farmers raise nearly 10 million hogs a year, more than any state except Iowa.
Shopping In Cumberland County’s early days, shopping was not an everyday event. Now, it's a modern shop-’til-you-drop society.	Medicine In 1929, MacKethan’s Drug Store received exclusive rights to market a medicine called ‘‘Sargon.”
Education Cumberland County received $1,915.64 from the state for public schools in 1845-46. This year, the state and county will provide the school system with $58.8 million.	Transportation In 1847, it took 10 hours for a four-horse coach to carry the mail between Fayetteville and Raleigh. Today, it takes a little more than an hour to drive between the two cities.
Public Utilities The county's first public water system was built in 1824 in Fayetteville. Now the Fayetteville Public Works Commission uses 1,210 miles of water mains and can treat up to 50 million gallons of water a day.	Housing Since the beginning, home improvement has been a focus. We can spend hours watching television for tips and tricks. Homemakers of the past employed other means.
Fashion In 1900, farmers could purchase overalls for about 50 cents. Similar overalls today cost $35 to $100. In the past 250 years, there's been a gradual exposure of more skin.	Taverns Travelers needing a meal, a beer or a place to sleep in colonial Cumberland County would have been directed to an ordinary.

MISCELLANEOUS