Way Way General Store facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Way Way General Store
|
|
 |
|
 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
|
|
| Nearest city | Saco, Maine |
|---|---|
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1927 |
| Architect | Cousens, Eugene M. |
| NRHP reference No. | 95001462 |
| Added to NRHP | December 14, 1995 |
The Way Way General Store is a special old shop located at 93 Buxton Road in Saco, Maine. It's more than just a store; it's a piece of history! This unique building was built between 1927 and 1929. The Cousens family has run it ever since. In 1995, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important building because of its design and how it helped the small farming community in northern Saco.
Contents
About the Way Way General Store
The Way Way General Store sits on the east side of Buxton Road. This road is also known as Maine State Route 112. The store is in a country area of northern Saco. It is about 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of the city center.
What Does It Look Like?
The store is a two-story building with a very interesting and mixed design. The first floor is made from concrete blocks. These blocks were shaped by hand. They are painted in a pattern of red and white. The lines between the blocks are painted green.
The second floor is made of wood. It is covered with shingles. A special covered entrance, called a porte cochere, sticks out from the front. It is held up by columns made of fieldstone. On top of this entrance is a railing. This area used to protect two old "National" brand gas pumps from the 1940s. These pumps are no longer used.
To the left of the store is a garage with two bays. It is made of poured concrete. The garage walls are painted to match the main store's colors and pattern. Inside the store, everything is still original. This includes the way it's set up, the old shelves, and the wooden details.
How the Store Started
Eugene Cousens and his son Carrol built the store. They worked on it for three years, from 1927 to 1929. Before building the store, Eugene Cousens had already been selling gasoline from this spot since 1916. In 1924, he opened a small shop in a wooden building.
When the new, bigger building was finished, Cousens started selling many more kinds of general goods. The store quickly became a very important place for the people living in this rural area.
Garage and Family History
The garage bays were added in the 1930s. Carrol Cousens used them to fix cars until the 1950s. This helped people in the area keep their vehicles running.
As of 1995, when the store was added to the National Register, it was still owned by Eugene Cousens' daughters. This shows how long the family has kept the store going.
