General Store Museum
Housed in the Barrett-Jones building along historic Main Street Westminster, SC, the General Store Museum displays a vast collection of historic artifacts from the original England’s General Merchandise store.
The original general store building (2 blocks west on Main Street) was built in 1908, and England’s General Merchandise opened for business at that time. For decades, the downtown general store carried everything its customers might ever need or want including the “Flymo” hovering lawnmower, Blue Horse notebook paper, saddle shoes, and much much more! For over a 100 years the shopkeepers accumulated a collection of merchandise spanning the entire twentieth century. The last shopkeeper, William “Dub” England, ceased store operations in the early 1980s, opening his collection as a museum until his passing in 2005.
HOURS:
Thursday & Friday 11:00am – 4:00pm
Saturday 11:00am – 2:30pm
Call or contact us for special appointment
Admission:
FREE! $3 per person donation is suggested.
Parking:
Ample free parking (including handicap) is available along Main Street and in the public parking lot next to the historic train depot across the street.
Parking for buses available in the public parking lot across Main Street.
Restrooms:
A clean public restroom is available to guests.
Handicap Accessibility:
General Store Museum facilities are handicap accessible.
Directions to 126 E. Main Street, Westminster SC:
From Greenville (SC) via I-85 South: Take exit 11 for SC-24 toward Westminster. Turn left onto E. Main Street in Westminster. Continue and make slight right at the downtown Westminster sign to stay on E. Main Street. Destination will be on left.
From Atlanta (GA) via I-85 North: Take exit 1 for SC-11 toward Walhalla (10 miles). Exit left onto SC-24 W. Turn right to stay on SC-24 W. Turn left onto E. Main Street in Westminster. Continue and make slight right at the downtown Westminster sign to stay on E. Main Street. Destination will be on left.
From Asheville (NC) via I-26 East: Take exit 54 for US-25 S toward Greenville. Exit left for SC-11 S. Turn right to continue on SC-11/ US-276 N. Continue to intersection of SC-11 and US-123. Exit right onto US-123 toward Westminster. Continue and make slight right at the downtown Westminster sign to stay on E. Main Street. Destination will be on left.
Preserving England’s Store
In 2007 a non-profit organization, the Westminster Area Historic Preservation Society (WAHPS), purchased the building’s historic contents. WAHPS then donated the contents to the Oconee History Museum for the purpose of establishing a branch museum. In 2008, the Barrett-Jones building was donated by Lee and Joyce Barrett to Oconee History Museum and renovations began. With the ongoing help of the Westminster Area Historic Preservation Society, the General Store Museum opened in 2011.
