St. James General Store - St. James, New York - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The St. James General store is the oldest general store still open for business in the United States.

Ebenezer Smith had built the General Store in 1857. Much of the community was centered around the vicinity of the store at the time. The majority of customers consisted of local farmers and sailors who depended on the general store for their goods and services. The store also served as the local post office, and in the late-19th Century was the home of the hamlet's first telephone.

In 1973, it became one of a number of contributing properties to the Saint James Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. By 1980 it was bought by another couple named John and Eleanor Oakley, and by 1990 it was purchased by the Suffolk County Department of Parks, and dedicated to the Suffolk County Historical Trust.

Today, the store reflects a period between 1880 and 1910. Sales women dressed in Gibson Girl outfits are eager to answer questions about the store's history or to point out the many museum pieces that highlight the rooms. Artifacts from the Victorian time period line the shelves, mingled with the large assortment of merchandise for sale. There are displays of ledgers and old photographs in museum cases. The St. James General Store is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Throughout the years the old store has resisted the changes of progress. It is unchanged structurally since 1894. The original counters and cases, the post office, coffee grinder, tea canisters, pot belly stove, barrels, old checkerboard, and many other items remain to permit visitors to look at the Long Island of the Nineteenth Century.

Just as the past inventory reflected both treasures and necessities to rural residents, now the store is filled with future heirlooms or with items that offer a special blend of nostalgia and a taste of our local heritage.

Preservation means more than saving the wood and nuts and bolts of a structure, it also means preserving the entire human experience. That effort is obvious at this site. Today as people make their purchases beneath the old portrait of Ebenezer Smith, it's really business as usual at the St. James General Store.

Street address: 516 Moriches Road St. James, New York United States 11780 County / Borough / Parish: Suffolk County Year listed: 1973 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture Periods of significance: 1875-1899, 1850-1874, 1800-1824, 1825-1849. Historic function: General Store Current function: General Store Privately owned?: no Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Secondary Website 2: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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