{"nrhp_refnum":"73001171","name":"Simons General Store","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Ancram Sq.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Ancram","county":"Columbia County","state":"NY","lat":42.05052735800007,"lon":-73.63748132499995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-04-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story wood-frame general store at Ancram Square in the hamlet of Ancram, Columbia County, New York, built in 1873-74 and facing a small triangular park at a crossroads.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the store has served continuously as the commercial center, visual focal point and gathering place of the hamlet. It was the area's 'department store', received farm produce for rail shipment to New York City, and housed the post office. Its two-story porch served as a stage for public events, and the original furniture, fixtures and ledgers survive.","narrative":"Simons General Store occupies a crossroads in the hamlet of Ancram, where New York State Route 82 meets Columbia County Route 7, facing a small triangular park. Built in 1873-74 by Martin Luther Hills, it is a rectangular clapboard building of three stories, though the slope of the site shows only two above ground on the south and east sides. A cupola crowns the flat roof, and an elaborate two-story porch with square posts and ornamental brackets marks the front. Inside, counters and showcases dating from 1874 to 1895 remain, along with early electrical fixtures from 1911 to 1915 and several ledgers. The store served as the area's department store, supplying farmers by wagon route and sending produce by rail to New York City. It also housed the post office for some years, and its porch served as a stage for park events, including the dedication of the World War I monument. E.J. Simons owned it from 1924 to 1971.","period_of_significance":"1873-1874","architect_builder":"Martin Luther Hills (builder)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as in excellent condition, unaltered and on its original site, with commercial use and a private residence use checked; original counters, showcases and electrical fixtures remain.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:40.094026-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/73001171.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001171/823c5182f9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001171/823c5182f9-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"dougtone (Doug Kerr)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Simons_General_Store_Dec_10.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">dougtone (Doug Kerr)</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Simons_General_Store_Dec_10.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"05001398","name":"Taconic State Parkway","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/new-york/taconic-state-parkway-05001398/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75317071","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simons_General_Store","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7520484"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/columbia-county/simons-general-store-73001171/"}