Davolls General Store Explained

Davolls General Store
Former Names:Slocum's Store
Address:1228 Russells Mills Road[1]
Location Town:Dartmouth, Massachusetts
Opened Date:1793
Owner:Ben and Will Shattuck
Floor Count:2.5
Architectural Style:Federal
Grounds Area:0.63 Acres

Davoll's General Store is a general store in the Russells Mills Village Historic District in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, United States.[2] [3] [4] [5] It is owned by brothers Will and Ben Shattuck.[6] [7] [8] It is the oldest continually operating General Store in Massachusetts, established in 1793.[9] [10] [11] It is on the National Register of Historic Places, coupled with the entire Russells Mills area.[12]

History

The lot was originally owned by brothers John, Daniel, and Giles Russell. The building where the store would be created was purchased in 1780 by Michael Wainer, who sold the building to William Howland in 1792; however, Howland did not start using the building as a general store until 1793. The store changed hands several times over the course of the 1800s, but primarily stayed in the hands of the Howlands, Tuckers, and Slocums. In the second half of the 19th century, the store went by the name Slocum's Store,[13] until it was purchased by the Davolls at the start of the 20th century when its name changed to Davolls General Store.[14] The Davolls co-owned the store with Nancy Slocum and Australian whaler John Thomas Sherratt.[15] One of their employees was Chester Perry. Following the Davolls’ ownership of the store, it retained the same name and passed through several more owners, including a 42-year stint by the Morrisons and Glennons.

In the store’s early history it did not just serve as a location to purchase items, but also was a trading station. The store also provided newspapers. Once, Davolls caught on fire and was covered in soot. In Davolls, Russell's Mills Captain Smith purchased a ball for his son before he sailed away on a whaling voyage. Owner John Sherratt was also a whaler. He was signed onto a whaling voyage as a cabin boy by his father in his home of Albany, Australia. His father was supposed to rescue him at the first port of call but missed the connection. Sherratt continued on to Dartmouth where he became involved in town politics and eventually would be buried in the South Dartmouth Cemetery after dying in 1924.

Throughout its entire history Davolls sold a variety of everyday items constituting the normal purpose of a general store. The store was once home to a post office, which served as Zip code 02714 and served the Russells Mills area from the 19th century until 2014.[16] In 1810 the postmaster was Abraham Tucker.[17] Davolls also used to sell gasoline, with both a pump and a tank located outside the store before failing an annual pressure test.

The store was completely overhauled during the Arruda and Chouinard ownership period. The owners conducted an award-winning renovation for the first year and a half of their store ownership period.

Ownership history

Services

Davolls offers a variety of produce, keeping with its history as a general store, in addition to candles, penny candy,[25] honey, fresh produce, eggs, and local red meat.[26] However, they also contain an independent bookstore, a cafe, and a bar serving draft beer.[27] Outside the store a functioning antique telephone can be used to make calls, including a number that contains prerecorded messages from Ben Shattuck's wife, actress Jenny Slate.[28] [29] [30] Davolls annually hosts a 'Burns Night' to celebrate Scottish poet Robert Burns.[31]

References

  1. Web site: DAVOLL'S GENERAL STORE . 2023-03-02 . DAVOLL'S GENERAL STORE . en-US.
  2. Web site: Sousa . Ron . Russells Mills Village Historic Tours .
  3. Web site: Dog Walk at Destruction Brook Woods . 2023-03-06 . Buzzards Bay Coalition . en.
  4. Web site: Beard . Morgan . 12 August 2022 . Dartmouth High students get to work on local history documentary . 2023-03-06 . Dartmouth The Week Today . en.
  5. Web site: LLOYD CENTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Annual Report 2018 . Lloyd Center.
  6. Web site: Tallman . Kerri . Shattuck brothers preserve small-town feel at Davoll's General Store in Dartmouth . 2023-03-02 . New Bedford Standard-Times . en-US.
  7. Web site: Shea . Christopher . 3 May 2022 . In debut book, Ben Shattuck retraces Thoreau while finding himself . 2023-03-06 . Dartmouth . en.
  8. Web site: 2022-08-19 . Reviving Davoll's General Store and rescuing donkeys in need . 2023-03-06 . WCVB . en.
  9. Web site: Daley . Lauren . 22 August 2021 . A general store all about the details . 2023-03-02 . The Boston Globe . en-US.
  10. Web site: Lamothe . Zack . 2022-04-24 . Davoll's General Store, Dartmouth MA, a community gathering spot for over 200 years . 2023-03-02 . edible Southeastern Massachusetts . en-US.
  11. Web site: Mahoney . Melissa . 2021-09-02 . A Trip To One Of The Oldest General Stores In Massachusetts Is Like Stepping Back In Time . 2023-03-02 . OnlyInYourState® . en-US.
  12. Web site: National Archives NextGen Catalog . 2023-03-06 . catalog.archives.gov.
  13. Web site: Bills . Joe . 2018-10-30 . Favorite General Store in Every New England State . 2023-03-06 . New England Today . en-US.
  14. Web site: Landrigan . Leslie . 2016-11-26 . 6 of the Oldest General Stores in New England . 2023-03-03 . New England Historical Society . en-US.
  15. Web site: Robert Stevens Collection . City of Albany Public Library.
  16. Web site: Urbon . Steve . Davoll Store's post office is now history . 2023-03-06 . New Bedford Standard-Times . en-US.
  17. Web site: Larry . Julie . July 2011 . FORM B − BUILDING . Town of Dartmouth, Massachusetts.
  18. Web site: Davoll's General Store owner Ben Shattuck pens book following in Thoreau's footsteps . 2023-03-06 . www.yahoo.com . en-US.
  19. Web site: Robinson . Kate . New owners of historic general store awarded for renovations . 2023-03-02 . Dartmouth The Week Today . en.
  20. Web site: Hilsman . Angie . Davoll's General Store set to switch ownership in mid-June . 2023-03-02 . Dartmouth The Week Today . en.
  21. Web site: Thomas . Seth . 13 June 2015 . Davoll's: 200 years of changing trends . 2023-03-02 . Dartmouth The Week Today . en.
  22. Web site: About . 2023-03-02 . DAVOLL'S GENERAL STORE . en-US.
  23. Web site: Carvalho . Jonathon . With 200 years of Dartmouth history behind it, Davoll's General Store for sale . 2023-03-02 . New Bedford Standard-Times . en-US.
  24. Web site: Store Archives . 2023-03-10 . New England Historical Society . en-US.
  25. Web site: South Dartmouth . 2023-03-06 . www.themaidssouthcoast.com . en.
  26. Web site: Davoll's General Store . Savor by Sophie. 31 July 2022 .
  27. Web site: Sampson . Freya . Shelf Awareness for Monday, August 2, 2021 . 2023-03-10 . www.shelf-awareness.com.
  28. Web site: Shea . Christoper . 27 July 2021 . Davoll's reopens under new ownership . 2023-03-02 . Dartmouth The Week Today . en.
  29. Web site: Kasey . Silvia . 23 July 2021 . Here's a First Look Inside Davoll's General Store in Dartmouth . 2023-03-02 . FUN 107 . en.
  30. Web site: O'Neill . Kelly . 2021-08-03 . A look inside: One of America's oldest general stores reopens in Dartmouth . 2023-03-02 . WJAR NBC 10 . en.
  31. Web site: Davoll’s General Store celebrates the Bard of Scotland . 2024-02-05 . Dartmouth . en.

Sources

External links

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Davolls General Store".

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