{"nrhp_refnum":"08000780","name":"Thomas Brothers Store","other_names":["Biglerville Country Store"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"4 S. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Biglerville","county":"Adams County","state":"PA","lat":39.930374216000075,"lon":-77.24832097899997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2008-08-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick general store and residence at the southeast corner of Main and York Streets in Biglerville, Adams County, Pennsylvania, built in 1912. It is a vernacular interpretation of the Classical Revival style with a shed roof behind a parapet and cornice.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the store was the commercial and social center for Biglerville and surrounding Fruitbelt communities from 1912 onward. It is described as an outstanding example of the general store and as unusually intact, with its original fabric, historic merchandise, and continuous operation under the same family.","narrative":"Built in 1912 at the southeast corner of Main and York Streets in Biglerville, the three-story brick Thomas Brothers Store was designed and built by Ner Clifford Thomas, who also served as general contractor. The building combines a parapet and overhanging cornice with a shed roof behind it, and it has a paired-window storefront and a rear residence joined to its south side. Its interior retains original woodwork and varnish. The store sold hardware, clothing, feed, groceries and bulk goods to farmers and townspeople of the Fruitbelt, and farmers brought produce to trade there. The upper floors held offices, a library, a lodge meeting room and an auditorium used for plays, concerts and community events. The building is regarded as a well-preserved example of the general store and one of few such commercial buildings still operating in their original role.","period_of_significance":"1912-1958","architect_builder":"Thomas, Ner C.","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals/Classical Revival","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"In continuous operation since 1912 under the same family's ownership, according to the document.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:10:27.054196-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/08000780.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000780/a4956e501b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000780/a4956e501b-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_Bros_Biglerville_AdamsCo_PA.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_Bros_Biglerville_AdamsCo_PA.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71994678","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Brothers_Store","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7787942"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/adams-county/thomas-brothers-store-08000780/"}