Gurdon Bill Store facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Gurdon Bill Store
|
|
Gurdon Bill store in 2014
|
|
 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 15 Church Hill Road, Ledyard, Connecticut |
|---|---|
| Area | 0.3 acres (0.12 ha) |
| Built | 1818 |
| NRHP reference No. | 82004368 |
| Added to NRHP | April 12, 1982 |
The Gurdon Bill Store is a very old and special building in Ledyard, Connecticut. It was built way back in 1818 by a man named Gurdon Bill and his partner. This store was a busy place for many years. It is thought that the last time someone bought something there was in 1868.
The store is a small, one-and-a-half-story building. It has a unique roof design and special window shutters. Experts say it is "the best preserved early 19th-century store known in Connecticut." Because it is so important, the Gurdon Bill Store was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 12, 1982.
Contents
The Story of the Gurdon Bill Store
The Gurdon Bill Store is named after Gurdon Bill, who was born in 1784. He bought the land for the store with his partner, Philip Gray, in 1818. Just one year later, in 1819, Gray sold his share of the store to Bill for $500.
Gurdon Bill ran the store for a long time. He kept it going until just before he passed away in 1856. When he was 21, Bill went to Plainfield Academy. He then worked with other merchants before opening his own store in what is now Ledyard.
The store was eventually sold to the Congregational Society in 1875. They have used it very little, which has helped keep it looking just as it did long ago. Local historians believe the store's last sale happened in 1868. After that, it was closed up and mostly unused. This helped to save its original look and feel.
What the Store Looks Like
The Gurdon Bill Store was built in 1818. It is about 18 feet (5.5 m) wide and 30 feet (9.1 m) long. It has one and a half stories. The walls go up higher than the ceiling to create extra storage space in the attic.
The roof is made of wood shingles. There is also a smaller "pent roof" on the front. This pent roof sticks out about 1 foot (0.30 m) from the wall. This type of roof is quite unusual for buildings in New England.
The store's foundation is made of fieldstone. There are stone blocks above the ground. The building also has a full basement.
Outside the Store
The front of the store has two large windows on the left side. Each window has twelve small glass panes. These windows can be covered with special three-part wooden shutters.
The main entrance is a Dutch door. This type of door can open in two halves, top and bottom. To the right of the main door is a smaller window with six glass panes. This window does not have shutters. The back of the store is plain and has no windows.
The north side of the store has four windows. Two of these are for the attic. The south side has only two windows, both for the attic. All these attic windows have six glass panes.
Inside the Store
The inside of the store has one large room at the south end, near the main entrance. There are also two smaller rooms connected to it on the north side.
The walls in the main room are made of wide wooden panels. There is a large L-shaped counter that runs along the south and west walls. Behind this counter, you can see rows of pine shelves. On the west wall, there are built-in drawers with simple wooden handles. Below these drawers are open bins. The east wall has a wooden bench where people could sit.
The two connected rooms on the north side are similar. They both have plastered walls. They also have a narrow wooden board with pegs or hooks. The windows in these rooms have simple sliding shutters. There are also brick fireplaces in these rooms.
Why This Store is Important
The Gurdon Bill Store is very important because it is so well-preserved. An expert named Clouette wrote that it is "the best preserved early 19th-century store known in Connecticut." While there are older or fancier stores, the Gurdon Bill Store is special because it still has so many of its original features, especially inside.
The store was added to the National Register of Historic Places for a few reasons:
- It was a typical "country store" that provided farmers with things they needed but could not make themselves.
- The building itself is a great example of early 19th-century architecture. It has been kept in excellent condition.
- Its unusual pent-roof and three-part window shutters make it unique.
Locally, some people used to think the Gurdon Bill Store was a tavern or an inn. However, there is no proof of this. It was also rumored to be a stop for stagecoaches. A historical marker nearby also suggests it was the birthplace of Samuel Seabury, America's first Episcopal bishop. But there is no clear evidence to support this claim either.
