A news release from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources announced the designation of a 165-year-old country store in Halifax County as a historic landmark.We have plenty of those old stores here.The department said, “Once a defining feature of rural America, the general store is rapidly becoming an endangered architectural species. Such buildings formerly dotted the countryside with regularity. Most, however, have vanished, and many of the remaining ones are abandoned.”We know. We have plenty of them here.We can hope that recognition from state historical authorities may spur renewed interest in these stalwart old buildings. One, Buck’s Store Museum in Bena, has already been preserved and seems to be thriving. Fundraisers and interesting programs and continuing restoration efforts by the Guinea Heritage Association have established Buck Rowe’s store as a beloved and shining point of public interest.The 19th century Sibley’s Store in Mathews Court House has similarly been lovi...
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