A Living Museum

See Early Photos of The Store and the Surrounding Five Corners Historic District

The Store at Five Corners is now a living museum, with an ongoing exhibit of photos, documents and maps of the Store and its surrounding Five Corners Historic District. This neighborhood has long been recognized on the National Register of Historic Places for its historic significance.

The Store itself was initially known as Sloan's Tavern (visited by George Washington), next as The Sabin House inn, and later as a town meeting house, post office, and general store known as Steele's Store.

On the Store's enclosed porch, an entire wall is filled with photos of the Store, the nearby Idlewild Hotel (previously a boys' boarding school), a one-room schoolhouse, a church, shops, and houses dating back to the 1760s.

While enjoying refreshments, visitors can easily envision how this neighborhood once looked, surrounded by historic buildings.

Also look for the 3-ring notebooks with a detailed history of the Store, letters dated 1869–71 from a student named Willie, press clippings, an 1898 Idlewild brochure describing resort amenities – including rooms with best hair mattresses and a casino – and postcards dated 1909–15.

[PHOTOS NEEDED: main exhibit wall, big map, the Store exterior, surrounding buildings, binder cover and inside page]

For more about the history of the Store, see our Timeline – 1760 to present.