Hamer's General Store facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Hamer's General Store
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Exterior of the former store; note the prominent false front at top
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | 88 S. Main St., Mechanicsburg, Ohio |
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| Area | Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Architectural style | Commercial |
| MPS | Mechanicsburg MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 85001882 |
| Added to NRHP | August 29, 1985 |
Hamer's General Store was once a small shop in Mechanicsburg, Ohio. It was a special kind of building called a general store, where people could buy many different things. In the 1980s, it was named a historic site because of its unique look. Sadly, the store is not there anymore.
A Look Back at Mechanicsburg
When the village of Mechanicsburg was first planned in 1814, it was laid out like a checkerboard. This is called a grid plan. It had two main streets: Sandusky and Main. Many of the building plots along Main Street were small. This meant that buildings built there were often narrow and close to the street.
Hamer's General Store was built on one of these small plots. We don't know the exact year it was built, but it was in the second half of the 1800s. The store got its name from Mr. Hamer, who owned and ran it from 1960 until 1983.
General stores like Hamer's used to be very common in the countryside of Ohio. But over time, most of them closed down. Hamer's General Store lasted much longer than most, making it a very rare example of these old shops.
What the Store Looked Like
Hamer's General Store was made of wooden boards on the outside. It had a strong brick base and a roof made of different materials that sloped up to a point.
One of the most interesting parts of the store was its tall, flat front, known as a false front. This made the building look taller and grander than it actually was. It had fancy decorations like brackets and a cornice (a decorative molding) at the top.
A small porch with a sloping roof covered the entrance. This added to the feeling of an old-fashioned country store. The large display windows and double doors at the front were never changed throughout the store's history.
Many other shops in Mechanicsburg, especially in the downtown area, looked very different from Hamer's. They were usually made of brick and had an Italianate style, which was popular at the time.
A Historic Place
In 1985, Hamer's General Store was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of important places in the United States. It was recognized because it was a rare example of a commercial building from the late 1800s that was still standing.
The store was one of about twenty buildings in Mechanicsburg that were added to the list at the same time. These buildings were spread out, so they couldn't be grouped into a single historic district.
Even though Hamer's General Store was named a historic site, it is no longer there. Today, a Valero gas station stands where the old store used to be.
Images for kids
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Exterior of the former store; note the prominent false front at top
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Site of the general store
