WARE'S STORE AND POST OFFICE OF DUNNSVILLE, VIRGINIA.

FRANCIS SCOTT BEGAN BUILDING THE OLDEST SECTION OF THIS BUILDING IN THE LATE 1840s. BEFORE IT WAS COMPLETED, HOWEVER, HE LEFT FOR THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH IN 1849. THE VENTURE PROVED UNSUCCESSFUL, AND THOUGH HE HAD DIFFICULTY GETTING BACK EAST, SCOTT EVENTUALLY RETURNED TO DUNNSVILLE AND COMPLETED THE STORE.

MR FRANCIS SAUNDERS (GRANDFATHER OF E. S. RANSOME OF "SPRING HILL") LATER JOINED SCOTT IN THE BUSINESS OF RUNNING THE GENERAL STORE. EDWARD MACON WARE JR. BOUGHT PART SHARE IN THE STORE AFTER SCOTTS DEATH IN THE 1890s. HIS YOUNGER BROTHER, CATESBY WARE, HELPED HIM RUN IT, AND LATER CATESBY BOUGHT THE OTHER HALF INTEREST IN THE BUSINESS. IN 1933, WHEN EDWARD MACON DIED, CATESBY TOOK OVER THE STORE.

WILBER ATKINS JOINED CATESBY WARE'S BUSINESS AROUND 1934, AND RAN THE POST OFFICE, WHICH WAS KEPT IN THE SAME BUILDING. AFTER HIS HIS DEATH , CATESBY WARE BECAME THE POSTMASTER. HIS SON, JAMES C. WARE, INHERITED THE POSTMASTERHIP, AND WAS THE PROPRIETER OF WARE'S STORE SINCE 1952.

IN THE OLD DAYS, A DOUBLE-HORSE WAGON BROUGHT UP GOODS FROM WARE'S WHARF (2 MILES NORTH-EAST) AND THE BALTMORE SHIPS. TO THE RIGHT OF THE STORE STOOD A SHED WHERE THE BUDDY AND WAGONS WERE KEPT.

IN THE 19th CENTURIES, THE STORE WOULD GIVE EXTENDED CEDIT TO FARMERS; THIS WAS CALLED BUYING ON "CROP TIME". ONCE A YEAR, WHEN THE CROPS WERE HARVESTED AND SOLD COSTOMERS WOULD PAY UP. MR. GEORGE KRIETE, ONE OF THE LAST TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CUSTOM, WOULD REGULARLY RUN UP A BILL OF TWO OR THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS AND WOULD WRITE A SINGLE CHECK TO COVER THE AMOUND. THE STRUTURE WAS BUILT IN FOUR SECTIONS. THE FIRST WAS BUILT IN THE LATE 1840's, THE SECOND SECTION IN THE LATE 19th CENTURY; THE THIRD SOMETIME BETWEEN 1901 AND 1906., LAST LAST DURING 1915 OR SO. THE INTERIOR OF THE STORE IS NOT PARTIONED, SO IT IS DIFULCULT TO DETECT THE DIFFENENT PERIODS OF THE BUILDING. ON THE SECOND FLOOR, WHICH IS USED FOR STORAGE, THESE SECTIONS ARE MORE EVIDENT. SOME OF THE FLOORBOARDS UPSTAIRS ARE 14" WIDE. THERE IS NO BASEMENT; MOST OF THE BUIDING IS SET ON PIERS.

THJE EASTERMOST SECTION WAS BUILD OF RUSTICATED CEMENT BLOCKS MANUFACTURED AT WHARE'S WHARF BY BURWELL WARE (BROTHER OF CATESBY WARE) BETWEEN 1900 AND 1906. (THESE BLOCKS WERE USED TO BUILD NEARBY SPRING HILL). BURWELL WARE LEFT THIS AREA PERMANETKY FOR BECKLEY, W. VIRGINIA AROUND 1906.

THE EXTREMELY HEAVY GAUGE TIN EXTEROIR COVERING HAS BEEN ON THE STORE SINCE THE EARLY 1900s. THE TIN IS MOULDED SO TO RESEMBLE RUSTICATED STONE BLOCKS, THUS MATCHING THE CONCREAT SECTION ON THE EAST END.

NUMBER OF STORIES ARE TWO AND THE LAND COVERS ALMOST TWO ACRES.

NAMES OF PEOPLE INTERVIEWED FOR THIS ARTICLE WERE

MR JAMES C. WARE
MISSES SARAH AND JANIE DUNN
MRS ANN LATANE WARE

THE RECORDER WAS

JEFFREY M. O'DELL

TAPPAHANNOCK, VA.

DATE OF RECORD

JULY, 1973