D-4-16
Melville Store
Uriah Wheeler built a house and tavern here as early as 1781. The establishment must have been quite commodious as town meeting were often adjourned to his house. The Wheelers sold the place to Jonas Minot of Concord, Massachusetts and Thaddeus Barker seems to have kept the tavern here from 1787 to 1792 when Minot gave the property to his son-in-law, Josiah Melvin (later changed legally to Melville), who established a store near this location in the 1790’s. Henry Melville ran the store after him and, his son, Josiah, after that. It probably ceased operation when Jonas Melville, Josiah’s brother, partnered with Reuel Nims to build the large brick store in the new village center in about 1840 though the 1877 county map shows a building at this location.
