Beaconsfield Supply Store
Beaconsfield Supply Store | |
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| Location | Beaconsfield, Iowa |
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| Coordinates | 40°48′27″N 94°03′01″W / 40.80750°N 94.05028°W |
| Built | 1916 |
| NRHP reference No. | 07000451 |
| Added to NRHP | May 24, 2007 |
The Beaconsfield Supply Store is a one-story brick building in rural Ringgold County, Iowa, United States.[1] Built in 1916, it became the birthplace of the Hy-Vee chain of stores when Charles Hyde and David Vredenburg opened a general store together in 1930.[2] The building was later used for a variety of purposes, including a telephone exchange. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.[3]
The building serves as the community center for Beaconsfield, which, with 15 residents as of 2021,[4] has been described as the second smallest incorporated city in Iowa.[5]
History
[edit]In late 1929, the founders of Hy-Vee paid $3,000 to buy the building, which had previously housed a dry goods store that failed during the stock market crash.[6] It served as a retail store until 1956, when a local phone company took ownership.[7]
In 2021, the building was named one of the most endangered historic sites in Iowa.[8] The small local community is working to preserve and restore it, with the possibility of making it a museum.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ Hy-Vee. "Beaconsfield Supply Store" (PDF). Hy-Vee. Retrieved 2015-10-15.
- ^ Gilbert, Kathleen (2004). The History of Hy-Vee: 75 Years of a Helpful Smile. Heritage Publishers. ISBN 0929690788.
- ^ National Park Service. "NATIONAL REGISTER DIGITAL ASSETS". National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2015-10-15.
- ^ "The Tiniest Town in Every State". MSN.
- ^ McMillan, Brian (August 13, 2010). "First Hy-Vee Store". Iowa Backroads. Retrieved 2015-10-15.
- ^ Fritz, E. Mae (1989). John Rhodes (ed.). The Family of Hy-Vee: Sixty Years of Tradition, a history of Hy-Vee Food Stores. West Des Moines, Iowa: Hy-Vee. p. 10.
- ^ Gahm, Marilyn (2007). "Beaconsfield Supply Store" (PDF). State Historical Society of Iowa. Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
After they closed the store in 1933, other retailers operated out of the building until the Beaconsfield Telephone Coop bought it in 1956.
- ^ "Preservation Iowa Announces Most Endangered Properties" (PDF). Iowa Historian. State Historical Society of Iowa. February 17, 2021. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ DeYoung, Jeff (September 27, 2020). "Small Iowa town packs two big claims to fame". Iowa Farmer Today. Lee Agri-Media. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
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