{"nrhp_refnum":"09000394","name":"B. Williams & Co. Store","other_names":["Vdhr #057-0035"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1030 Williams Wharf Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Mathews","county":"Mathews County","state":"VA","lat":37.404169533000044,"lon":-76.34519528541153,"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 country store and dwelling at Williams Wharf on the East River in Mathews County, Virginia, built in 1869-70 by Josiah Williams for the Williams family, with financial help from Heron Murray of Baltimore.","why_significant":"The store is nominated under Criteria A and C for its role in the long commercial history of Williams Wharf and for the part played by Williams family members, especially women, in running it. It is also a rare, formal Classical Revival commercial building in an area of plainer country stores. It served as a store, millinery shop and post office until steamboat traffic ended in 1935.","narrative":"Built in 1869-70 beside the East River at Williams Wharf in Mathews County, Virginia, this two-story frame building served as a general store, ships chandlery, ladies' hat shop and post office. Its builder was Josiah Williams, and Heron Murray of Baltimore, an in-law of the Williams family, supplied funds, materials and advice. Sarah Elizabeth 'Bettie' Williams ran the millinery business, and a post office operated inside from 1879. The building has Classical Greek Revival details, including a dentilled cornice with curved brackets, and it is more formal than most country stores in the region. Steamboat traffic at the wharf ended in 1935, after which the building became solely a residence. Hurricanes in 1933 and 2003 caused damage and led to repairs, including replacement window sashes, but the frame, footprint and much of the original fabric survive. The store was listed for its commercial history, its association with women in business, and its architecture.","period_of_significance":"1869/70 - 1935","architect_builder":"Williams, Josiah (builder)","architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Used as a single-family residence since the mid-1930s; the current owners are preserving it and hope to restore it as a community heritage center.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:03.158362-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/83/6818/41681883/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/09000394.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000394/1adbab3201-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000394/1adbab3201-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Williams_and_Company_Store,_Mathews.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Williams_and_Company_Store,_Mathews.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41681883","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._Williams_%26_Co._Store","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14711993"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/mathews-county/b-williams-and-co-store-09000394/"}