{"nrhp_refnum":"09000393","name":"Ware Neck Store and Post Office","other_names":["Vdhr #036-5016","Nuttall's Country Store"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"6495 VA 629","address_restricted":false,"city":"Ware Neck","county":"Gloucester County","state":"VA","lat":37.40304556800007,"lon":-76.45911050649813,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2009-06-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Commerce"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story frame store and post office with flanking 1½-story wings and an attached residence, at the intersection of State Routes 692 and 623 on Ware Neck, Gloucester County, Virginia. The central block was built in 1877 for Arthur W. Tabb and expanded over time.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is one of the most intact late nineteenth-century rural stores in the region and still performs its historic functions as a store and post office. It meets Criterion A for commerce, through its role for local residents and steamboat traffic from nearby Hockley Wharf, and Criterion C for architecture as a vernacular store building.","narrative":"Ware Neck Store and Post Office is a two-story frame building with a three-bay front and flanking 1½-story wings, located where State Routes 692 and 623 meet on Ware Neck in Gloucester County. Arthur W. Tabb built the central block in 1877, close to Hockley Wharf, where goods and steamboat passengers arrived. Over the following decades the store was enlarged twice, and residential sections were added to the north for the owners and their families. A post office has operated in the building since 1886. Inside, the store retains beaded-board walls, original curved counters, an open staircase and an early north door. The 1877 store, its additions and its continuing use led to its recognition for commerce and architecture. Few late nineteenth-century stores in the county survive, and many waterfront stores were lost or altered after steamboat service ended and automobiles took over. Its location at a road intersection helped it adapt to that change. Modern alterations include a garage and some vinyl siding.","period_of_significance":"1877-1959","architect_builder":"Unknown (built for Arthur W. Tabb)","architectural_style":"Vernacular","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a community store and post office; the attached residence is used largely for office space and storage.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:03.528002-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/20/6809/41680920/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/09000393.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000393/d5fa735c32-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000393/d5fa735c32-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ware_Neck_Store_and_Post_Office.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ware_Neck_Store_and_Post_Office.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41680920","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ware_Neck_Store_and_Post_Office","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16902895"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/gloucester-county/ware-neck-store-and-post-office-09000393/"}