{"nrhp_refnum":"73001383","name":"Mast General Store","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"S of Valle Crucis on SR 1112","address_restricted":false,"city":"Valle Crucis","county":"Watauga County","state":"NC","lat":36.207902226000044,"lon":-81.77984353799997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-04-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A general store in the mountain village of Valle Crucis, Watauga County, North Carolina, on S.R. 1112. The oldest part of the present building was reportedly built in 1898.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the store is a vivid, complete survivor of the rural general store, once a commercial and social center. It is valued for its extraordinary range of merchandise, its long association with the Mast family, and its authentic character as an important vernacular institution.","narrative":"Valle Crucis, an unincorporated mountain village in Watauga County, North Carolina, has a business district made up of one general store. The building has three sections: a two-story central block with a gable roof, a one-story left wing, and a narrower two-story right wing, both with shed roofs behind false fronts. Segmental-arched window and door heads unify the facade, and a small gable-roofed shelter beside the store covers two gasoline pumps. Inside, shelves and aisles hold goods ranging from saddles and washboards to groceries and medicine. The oldest portion reportedly dates to 1898. W. W. Mast bought the store from C. D. Taylor in 1913, expanded it several times, and contracted with Standard Oil in 1930 to sell fuel. The business was incorporated in 1951 and has been run by the Mast family throughout the twentieth century. It was listed as a surviving example of the rural general store, which served as supplier, post office, and meeting place.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (box checked); no specific dates given","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Still operating as a general store and post office; condition listed as good and altered.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:58:57.553945-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/92/7227/47722792/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/73001383.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001383/8b072a4b01-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001383/8b072a4b01-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Ken Thomas","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mast_General_Store-27527.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Ken Thomas</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mast_General_Store-27527.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47722792","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mast_General_Store","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6784860"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/watauga-county/mast-general-store-73001383/"}