Bailey and Massingill General Store facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Bailey and Massingill General Store
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The Bailey and Massingill General Store in 1917
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| Location | 4 N. E Street Lakeview, Oregon |
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| Area | Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1900 |
| Architectural style | Commercial style, with Italianate details |
| NRHP reference No. | 84000133 |
| Added to NRHP | October 25, 1984 |
The Bailey and Massingill General Store is a very old and important building in Lakeview, Oregon, in the United States. It's a special kind of store called a general store, which means it used to sell almost everything people needed in one place. This building has a cool history, especially because it survived two big fires!
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A Store's Long History
The story of this store began way back in 1876. That's when the very first business in Lakeview opened on this same spot. Later, in 1897, two business partners named Harry Bailey and W. A. Massingill bought the store. They worked together to make it an important part of the town.
The Great Fire of 1900
On May 22, 1900, a huge fire swept through Lakeview. It destroyed many buildings in the town. Bailey and Massingill's store was completely burned down. They lost a lot of money, about $18,000, which was a huge amount back then!
But Harry Bailey and W. A. Massingill didn't give up. They decided to rebuild their store right away. They wanted to make it even stronger and safer than before.
Building a Fire-Resistant Store
The new store, which is the building you see today, opened in the same year, 1900. The partners learned a lot from the big fire. They added special features to their new building to help it survive future fires.
These features included:
- Walls covered in metal sheets. This helped stop fire from spreading easily.
- A special "fire awning" that could be lowered to protect the windows and front door. This awning is not there anymore, but it was a clever idea at the time.
Thanks to these smart designs, the Bailey and Massingill General Store was ready for anything.
Surviving Another Big Fire
Just two years later, in 1902, another large fire hit Lakeview. But this time, the Bailey and Massingill store was ready! Its special fire-resistant features worked, and the building survived the blaze. This showed how well it was built and how important those safety features were.
After the fires, the store continued to be one of the most important businesses in Lakeview. It helped the town grow and provided people with the things they needed for many years.
A Historic Landmark
Because of its unique history and how it survived the fires, the Bailey and Massingill General Store was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. This means it's recognized as a very important building that should be protected for future generations.
Even today, the building is still used as a store. It stands as a reminder of Lakeview's past and the clever ways people built things to last.
