Revitalizing and finding contemporary uses for important historical buildings creates an important sense of identity and place in any community. The Buxton-Hollis Historical Society has been engaged in historical preservation since its inception more than 40 years ago. One of its most important projects, restoring the Elden Store at Buxton Centre, is nearing completion and is the topic of the society’s first meeting on Tuesday evening, April 17.
Buxton Centre was a hotbed of commercial and community activity during the 19th century and into the 20th century. Now it is a quiet area on Long Plains Road (Route 22) where it intersects with Groveville Road. In its heyday, however, there was a sawmill, the store and post office (which later became the Hanson Coat Shop), a train depot, some large and very active farms, and the Town Hall. The Baptist church still stands across the road from the old store building.
The Elden Store has an interesting history and is integral to the development of the town into the center of business activity in the area. Through the years its changes in use reflect the concept of preserving and re-using old buildings. The oldest commercial building in Buxton, it was built in 1802 by an early settler in the area, Nathan Elden. The Elden family ran a general store and post office at the site until Samuel D. Hanson purchased it in the 1850s. Mr. Hanson turned the building into the Hanson Coat Shop and became the leading industrialist in the region.
Mr. Hanson was talented tailor, a visionary, and an astute businessman. The Civil War was a fortuitous event in Mr. Hanson’s business, as the coat shop produced uniforms and coats for the Union army. After the war, returning soldiers needed lots of clothing, especially coats. The Hanson Coat Shop profited. At its height, some 1,200 area residents were in Mr. Hanson’s employ. Most of them were women who produced piece work at home.
Sometime in the early 1940s, the town of Buxton purchased the Elden Store building for agricultural education. It was later owned and operated by School Administrative District 6. During the early 1970s, the building was returned to the town of Buxton by the school district. The town still owns the building and has installed its Emergency Management Agency in the basement. The historical society leases the second floor and attic.
Buxton Hollis Historical Society has been very active in efforts to restore the building. Generous grant funding from Narragansett Number One Foundation has been crucial in supporting the project. A private donation from an Elden descendent has made it possible to add a beautiful handcrafted sign to the south side of the building. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Maine Historic Preservation Commission has said that this corner is probably eligible for nomination as a small historic district. The scope of the historic site designation has still to be determined, but would include at least three public buildings there.
The first phase of the project has been completed. The second phase, which involves landscaping the grounds, is now a priority. Local landscape architect Theresa Mattor has designed a period landscape plan to complement the building. Private donations for the landscaping project are being raised in part by an “Adopt-A-Shrub” program.
For the first meeting of the Buxton-Hollis Historical Society this season, Ms. Mattor and Jan Hill, president of the society and project manager for the Elden Store Restoration Project, will present the history of the restoration and details of the landscaping phases. The meeting on Tuesday, April 17, will be held in the historic N.C. Watson One-Room School, another restoration supported by the society. The school is located at the corner of Long Plains Road (Route 22) and Groveville Road, adjacent to the Buxton Centre Baptist Church. The meeting time is 6:30 p.m. and will include a short tour of the Elden Store site, weather permitting.
Marguerite Gardner is a resident of Hollis and is a Buxton-Hollis Historical Society board member.
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