Osment’s Grocery stood (and still stands, as a historic structure) in the small community of Wilkensville, in Cherokee County. The building originally served as the post office for Wilkensville: the Wilkinsville Post Office was established there in 1904. Later, the building was converted into Osment’s Grocery, operated by Arthur Bates Osment, and served as a general store for the community.

For “nearly 70 years,” Osment’s Grocery functioned as a cornerstone for Wilkensville residents — offering groceries and basics to a small, rural population. The grocery reportedly operated until about 1971. Given that the post office began there in 1904 and the grocery continued through much of the 20th century, the building’s usefulness spanned several generations — covering the era of early 1900s rural life through mid-century changes.

The structure that housed Osment’s Grocery carries the legacy of being both a post office and a community store — characteristic of rural general-stores that doubled as service hubs (mail, supplies, groceries). In descriptions from local historic-preservation resources, the building is recognized as part of the cultural and social fabric of Wilkensville and Cherokee County — a near-vanishing relic representing rural commerce and community life.

Osment’s Grocery wasn’t just a store — it functioned as a “cornerstone of life in Wilkensville,” meaning many locals likely depended on it for groceries, mail services, and as a social gathering spot for decades. Its long service period (early 1900s–1971) means it witnessed huge social and economic changes: from rural-post-Reconstruction-era South, through the World Wars, to the transformations of the mid-20th century. Today, even if the store is no longer operating, the structure remains a historic landmark — a physical reminder of the former rural-village lifestyle in Wilkensville and Cherokee County.