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About The Old Stone Store
The Old Stone Store was built Ca. 1835, by the Ensign family. Their accomplishments include, among others, the
construction of Sheffield’s Town Hall and the Upper Covered Bridge. It is located between the Mobil Station and
Old Parish Church and is the oldest retail building in town.
The structure’s stone, with its distinctive, mottled brown coloring, cleaves like slate and is a product of a quarry
on the Hewins’ family property. While there are other structures in town built of the same material, the Store
was the first to originate from the Hewins’ quarry.
The Old Stone Store’s history...
1836 - Edward F. and Richard Ensign opened a General Store in the building their father, Eli, built and later that
year Miss M. Rood operated a millinery and dress making parlor in second floor rooms above the Store.
Ca. 1865 - The Store housed the first telegraph office in Sheffield under the direction of William H. Little.
Ca. 1869 - M. S. Bidwell opened a Drug Store in the building.
1872 - F. P. Gleason purchased Drug Store..
1873 — Pratt & Hotchkiss opened a fish, clam and oyster business.
1891 - Lathrop and Smith purchased the Store and Ralph F. Little operated a Meat Market until 1892.
1892 - Putnam Flint Bradford opened a Drug Store in the building.
Ca. 1895 -- Samuel Fox converted the Store in to a Billiard Hall.
1898 - Lucy E. Bassett opened the Store as a millinery shop.
1900 - John Piper opened Sheffield’s first Barbershop & the Store’s ownership transferred from Dwight &
Carrie Peck to Edward F. McCormick, a lawyer from Hudson.
1901 - A fire damaged the Store and Peter Cassidy purchased it from Edward McCormick and Esther Cassidy reopened
the Store as a Millinery Shop.
1907 - The Store was converted back to a Drug Store operated by George Scott.
1945 - Peter C. Cassidy transferred his ownership of the Store to Edward H. Cassidy.
Edward H. Cassidy then sold the Store to Richard S. Combes.
1952 — Francis Kersey operated a Market in the Store; one of his clerks was Santi Gulotta.
1957 - Francis & Marion Kersey purchased the Store from Richard S. Combes and operated a Market.
1969 - In August of that year Marion Kersey sold the Store to R. Burbank & A. Humphrey.
1972 - Burbank & Humphrey sold the Store to Charles & Mary Voos who opened a Package Store.
1973 - Doug & Mary Bauman purchased the Package Store and operated it until it closed.
1983 - A restaurant, Mary’s Place, occupied part of the Store during this time.
1995 -Jo Grossman operated The Mystery Café in the building.
1999 - Ownership of the Store transferred from the Bauman Family to Berkshire Bank.
The Sheffield Historical Society purchased the Stone Store and removed the dilapidated frame addition. Berkshire
Bank made a donation of $10,000 toward the purchase.
The Old Stone Store was Sheffield’s first Town Hall.
Millie Percy Smith’s family lived in the Store when they first moved to Sheffield.
The Stone Store’s future...
Plans were put in place to determine how Ashley Falls and Sheffield can benefit from the Stone Store and how the
money can be raised to accomplish its restoration.
The Old Stone Store will serve as a Community Information Center so that residents and visitors can learn about
local activities and what Sheffield has to offer, including town government activities, historic sites, cultural
attractions, businesses and services.
The Stone Store will be a place to exhibit local crafts and goods, historical artifacts, personal collections and
memorabilia such as the Sheffield Kiwanis Club upcoming 50th Anniversary.
A Committee to oversee the raising of funds to renovate the Stone Store was created. The Sheffield Historical Society
will be responsible for a mortgage to cover the cost of the renovations estimated at $200,000 until the money is
raised to cover the cost.
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