{"nrhp_refnum":"08000244","name":"James, Thomas, Store, Old","other_names":["The Old Store","James Store","057-5027"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Main & Maple Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Mathews Court House","county":"Mathews County","state":"VA","lat":37.43597086600005,"lon":-76.32027230999995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2008-03-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Commerce"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small one-story, frame and weatherboard commercial building (15 by 25 feet) behind the former Sibley Store on Main Street in Mathews Court House, Mathews County, Virginia, built around 1810-1820 as a store for Thomas James.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a rare surviving early nineteenth-century country store, a basic one-room plan with a small counting room and no chimney, and an example of antebellum commerce in Virginia. It qualifies under Criterion A for its role in antebellum economic patterns and Criterion C as an excellent example of its building type. It was moved in 1899, which required a criteria consideration.","narrative":"Behind the former Sibley Store on Main Street in Mathews Court House stands a small frame store measuring fifteen by twenty-five feet. Built between about 1810 and 1820, it is associated with Thomas James, who held a retail license from 1815 to 1820 and served as postmaster and justice of the peace. Its hewn and pit-sawn frame, pegged joints, double-sheathed doors and shutters, and plan of one large sales room with a small counting room and no chimney mark it as a rare survivor among antebellum commercial buildings in the South. The store was moved at least once, and again in 1899 to make way for the Sibley Store, after which it served for storage. Later shed additions and a porch enclosure were added. The building is considered significant locally for its place in early commerce in Mathews County and as an excellent example of its type. It is now vacant, and restoration is planned.","period_of_significance":"c.1810-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Other - 19th century Antebellum Store/Storehouse","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Vacant; maintained by the Mathews County Historical Society, which plans to remove later additions and restore the building to its earlier appearance.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:03.367012-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/81/6818/41681881/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/08000244.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000244/cf854b357c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000244/cf854b357c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jennifer Glass","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James_Store_Interior.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jennifer Glass</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James_Store_Interior.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41681881","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Thomas_James_Store","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7085209"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/mathews-county/james-thomas-store-old-08000244/"}