Times change, but heritage remains

The legacy of Green River Hill Grocery continues

Mary Beth Sallee

Editor

Hart Co. News-Herald

Green River Hill Grocery is located on 31E near Rio Bridge, about halfway between the small towns of Canmer and Linwood. Since being built in 1951 by Shell and Emma Childress, the store’s ownership has passed between many hands, including Jack and Georgia Carver. Now, the legacy and heritage continue with yet another family.

Tony and Rachelle Wright took over ownership of Green River Hill Grocery in December of 2024, after purchasing the store from Tony’s brother, Kevin, and his wife Carla, who owned the store for two years prior.

Tony’s history with Green River Hill Grocery began when he was a child. In 1984 at the age of 14, Tony began working at Green River Hill Grocery, stocking shelves and pumping gas for customers.

Tony and Rachelle began dating when they were 17.

“He introduced me to the store when I was a teenager, too,” Rachelle said.

Now, the couple is back at Green River Hill Grocery, this time in a different role as owners. A recent addition includes their daughter, Dara Wright, who has joined Tony and Rachelle as a partner in the business.

“It’s kind of the full circle,” Tony said. “It’s good. We’re excited. It’s a lot of fun, and it brings back a lot of memories.”

For the Wrights, the goal is to create a place where both locals and tourists can connect to the heritage and traditions of not only the store’s history, but also all that the local area has to offer, combining together their passion for both food and agriculture. You’re not only getting a downhome atmosphere, but also downhome cooking – and sometimes with a twist.

“We’re trying to make everything that’s possible small batch from scratch,” Tony said.

Each week, the Wrights feature new menu items. Not only can visitors grab a bite of the classics like pinto beans and chocolate pie, but also unique dishes like carrot souffle.

“We didn’t know if a souffle would ever be what somebody would choose,” Tony said. “…It would be risky, but with risk comes reward most of the time.”

A customer favorite is the baked lasagna, a recipe passed down through generations.

“That is kind of a combination from my grandmother and mother,” Tony said. “I’m assuming that my grandmother passed it on to my mother, and my mother would fix it, and we kind of picked up on that. Tried to stay as close to her original recipe as we can.”

“It’s just the way we’ve always done it,” Rachelle said of the lasagna. “Tony’s grandmother did it (that way), and my mom did it. Everything is very much how we’ve done it or how those before us have done it.”

Tony also shared that his favorite thing to make is sweets.

“Yep. Anything with sugar in it,” Tony laughed. “Cakes, cookies, pies.”

The Wrights also shared that they try their best to feature Kentucky products, especially from the local area, either on their store shelves or in their made-from-scratch foods. For example, Legacy Dairy milk produced out of Hiseville can be purchased at the store, and tomato juice from Dennison’s Roadside Market is used in some of their dishes. The pinto beans they use are grown in Logan County.

“Snoddy Farms actually delivers them to us,” Rachelle said. “Walnut Grove processes them, and Snoddy Farms grows them. They’re the only ones in the south that grow pintos. They come in 25-pound bags, and yesterday we sold over 10 pounds of beans. We sell a lot of pinto beans.”

“That’s a Ski cake,” Rachelle continued, pointing to a dessert on the counter. “Which I know Ski is not made in Kentucky technically anymore, but you know, it’s ours. Then there are the blackberry jam cupcakes with caramel icing. As long as we can, it’ll be with our blackberries that we’ve grown. We can’t do that forever, but…we try to use truly the most local sources we can.”

“We’re not just in it for ourselves,” Tony added. “We want to be supportive of other businesses, farmers, and locals in the community.”

 Green River Hill Grocery has been essential to Hart County and its communities along the Green River for nearly 75 years. As the old saying goes, times certainly do change. But for Tony and Rachelle Wright and their daughter Dara, the focus is to keep community heritage strong and continue the legacy of local, small town traditions.

Tony said it’s a blessing to be back in the community, for which he has great appreciation.

“The community still feels the same. The people still feel the same,” Tony said. “The hospitality and interaction that we get from people as they come in feels the same…We feel very fortunate to be welcomed back into this community. Even though we live in Munfordville, just a few miles from here, to see people that I saw as a kid and get to talk with them – it’s refreshing to share some old memories about this place. You know, this used to be a deer check station. Hunters would bring in their deer, hang them up, weigh them, check them in, and pump gas, make sandwiches. It all still really feels the same.”

“Our love of country stores, road trips, and home have all come together for this,” the Wrights said.

Green River Hill Grocery, located at 5685 North Jackson Highway in Munfordville along 31E, is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. CST. Stop by and grab snacks and drinks before taking a float down the river, or take a seat at a table and catch an episode of “Gunsmoke” while enjoying a home-cooked meal.

To learn more about the history of the store or to view the weekly menu, visit the Green River Hill Grocery website at https://greenriverhillgrocery.com. You can also check out the store’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/greenriverhillgrocery.