Wikipedia

Davolls General Store

Davoll's General Store is a general store in the Russells Mills Village Historic District in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, United States.[3][4][5][6] It is owned by brothers Will and Ben Shattuck.[7][8][9] It is the oldest continually operating General Store in Massachusetts, established in 1793.[10][11][12] It is on the National Register of Historic Places, coupled with the entire Russells Mills area.[13]

Davolls General Store
The Storefront in 2009
Former namesSlocum's Store
General information
Architectural styleFederal
Address1228 Russells Mills Road[1]
Town or cityDartmouth, Massachusetts
Opened1793
OwnerBen and Will Shattuck
Technical details
Floor count2.5 [2]
Grounds0.63 Acres
Website
www.davolls.com

History

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The lot was originally owned by brothers John, Daniel, and Giles Russell.[14] The building where the store would be created was purchased in 1780 by Michael Wainer, who sold the building to William Howland in 1792; however, Howland did not start using the building as a general store until 1793.[15][2] The store changed hands several times over the course of the 1800s, but primarily stayed in the hands of the Howlands, Tuckers, and Slocums.[2] In the second half of the 19th century, the store went by the name Slocum's Store,[16] until it was purchased by the Davolls at the start of the 20th century when its name changed to Davolls General Store.[17] The Davolls co-owned the store with Nancy Slocum and Australian whaler John Thomas Sherratt.[18] One of their employees was Chester Perry.[19] Following the Davolls’ ownership of the store, it retained the same name and passed through several more owners, including a 42-year stint by the Morrisons and Glennons.[20]

In the store’s early history it did not just serve as a location to purchase items, but also was a trading station. The store also provided newspapers. Once, Davolls caught on fire and was covered in soot. In Davolls, Russell's Mills Captain Smith purchased a ball for his son before he sailed away on a whaling voyage. Owner John Sherratt was also a whaler. He was signed onto a whaling voyage as a cabin boy by his father in his home of Albany, Australia. His father was supposed to rescue him at the first port of call but missed the connection. Sherratt continued on to Dartmouth where he became involved in town politics and eventually would be buried in the South Dartmouth Cemetery after dying in 1924.[21]

Throughout its entire history Davolls sold a variety of everyday items constituting the normal purpose of a general store.[11] The store was once home to a post office, which served as Zip code 02714 and served the Russells Mills area from the 19th century until 2014.[22][23] In 1810 the postmaster was Abraham Tucker.[2] Davolls also used to sell gasoline, with both a pump and a tank located outside the store before failing an annual pressure test.[22]

The store was completely overhauled during the Arruda and Chouinard ownership period. The owners conducted an award-winning renovation for the first year and a half of their store ownership period.[24]

Ownership history

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  • Ben Shattuck and Will Shattuck (2021–present)[7][25]
  • Kim Arruda and Jim Chouinard (2016-2021)[24]
  • Wilfred & Virginia Morrison, Beverly Morrison Glennon and Dr. Joseph R. Glennon (1974-2016)[20][26]
  • Nancy Slocum, John Thomas Sherratt, Frank Davoll, & Raymond Davoll (1901-1974)[2]
  • William Allen & James H Slocum (1862-1901)[2]
  • Charles Tucker (1851-1862)[2]
  • William Tucker (1849-1851)[2]
  • Rebecca Church with ½ interest to Abner Tucker, and Nancy and Benjamin Potter ½ interest to Abner Tucker (1842-1849)[2]
  • Henry & Benjamin Tucker (1810-1842)[2]
  • Caleb Slocum (1809-1810)[2]
  • Jonathan Allen (1805-1809)[2]
  • Benjamin Cummings & Joshua Howland (1801-1805)[27][2]
  • William Howland (1793-1801)[15][28]

Services

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Davolls offers a variety of produce, keeping with its history as a general store, in addition to candles, penny candy,[29] honey, fresh produce, eggs, and local red meat.[30] However, they also contain an independent bookstore, a cafe, and a bar serving draft beer.[31] Outside the store a functioning antique telephone can be used to make calls, including a number that contains prerecorded messages from Ben Shattuck's wife, actress Jenny Slate.[32][23][33] Davolls annually hosts a 'Burns Night' to celebrate Scottish poet Robert Burns[34] as well as a monthly open Irish Session.

References

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  1. ^ "DAVOLL'S GENERAL STORE". DAVOLL'S GENERAL STORE. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Larry, Julie (July 2011). "FORM B − BUILDING". Town of Dartmouth, Massachusetts.
  3. ^ Sousa, Ron. "Russells Mills Village Historic Tours".
  4. ^ "Dog Walk at Destruction Brook Woods". Buzzards Bay Coalition. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  5. ^ Beard, Morgan (12 August 2022). "Dartmouth High students get to work on local history documentary". Dartmouth The Week Today. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  6. ^ "LLOYD CENTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Annual Report 2018" (PDF). Lloyd Center.
  7. ^ a b Tallman, Kerri. "Shattuck brothers preserve small-town feel at Davoll's General Store in Dartmouth". New Bedford Standard-Times. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  8. ^ Shea, Christopher (3 May 2022). "In debut book, Ben Shattuck retraces Thoreau while finding himself". Dartmouth. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  9. ^ "Reviving Davoll's General Store and rescuing donkeys in need". WCVB. 2022-08-19. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  10. ^ Daley, Lauren (22 August 2021). "A general store all about the details". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  11. ^ a b Lamothe, Zack (2022-04-24). "Davoll's General Store, Dartmouth MA, a community gathering spot for over 200 years". edible Southeastern Massachusetts. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  12. ^ Mahoney, Melissa (2021-09-02). "A Trip To One Of The Oldest General Stores In Massachusetts Is Like Stepping Back In Time". OnlyInYourState®. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  13. ^ "National Archives NextGen Catalog". catalog.archives.gov. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  14. ^ Glennon 2001, pp. 371–373
  15. ^ a b Carvalho, Jonathon. "With 200 years of Dartmouth history behind it, Davoll's General Store for sale". New Bedford Standard-Times. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  16. ^ Bills, Joe (2018-10-30). "Favorite General Store in Every New England State". New England Today. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  17. ^ Landrigan, Leslie (2016-11-26). "6 of the Oldest General Stores in New England". New England Historical Society. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  18. ^ "Robert Stevens Collection" (PDF). City of Albany Public Library.
  19. ^ Glennon 2001, p. 145
  20. ^ a b Hilsman, Angie. "Davoll's General Store set to switch ownership in mid-June". Dartmouth The Week Today. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  21. ^ Glennon 2001, pp. 371–373. 466
  22. ^ a b Urbon, Steve. "Davoll Store's post office is now history". New Bedford Standard-Times. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  23. ^ a b Kasey, Silvia (23 July 2021). "Here's a First Look Inside Davoll's General Store in Dartmouth". FUN 107. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  24. ^ a b Robinson, Kate. "New owners of historic general store awarded for renovations". Dartmouth The Week Today. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  25. ^ "Davoll's General Store owner Ben Shattuck pens book following in Thoreau's footsteps". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  26. ^ Thomas, Seth (13 June 2015). "Davoll's: 200 years of changing trends". Dartmouth The Week Today. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  27. ^ "About". DAVOLL'S GENERAL STORE. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  28. ^ "Store Archives". New England Historical Society. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  29. ^ "South Dartmouth". www.themaidssouthcoast.com. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  30. ^ "Davoll's General Store". Savor by Sophie. 31 July 2022.
  31. ^ Sampson, Freya. "Shelf Awareness for Monday, August 2, 2021". www.shelf-awareness.com. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  32. ^ Shea, Christoper (27 July 2021). "Davoll's reopens under new ownership". Dartmouth The Week Today. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  33. ^ O'Neill, Kelly (2021-08-03). "A look inside: One of America's oldest general stores reopens in Dartmouth". WJAR NBC 10. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  34. ^ "Davoll's General Store celebrates the Bard of Scotland". Dartmouth. Retrieved 2024-02-05.

Sources

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  • Glennon, Beverly (October 2001). Dartmouth: The Early History of a Massachusetts Coastal Town. New Bedford, MA: American Printing. p. 49. ISBN 978-0971459106.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
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41°34′19″N 71°00′20″W / 41.57193°N 71.00545°W / 41.57193; -71.00545

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