Beaconsfield Supply Store

Beaconsfield Supply Store
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	Beaconsfield, Iowa
Coordinates	40°48′27″N94°03′01″W / 40.80750°N 94.05028°W / 40.80750; -94.05028
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

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

1. Hy-Vee. "Beaconsfield Supply Store" (PDF). Hy-Vee. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
2. Gilbert, Kathleen (2004). The History of Hy-Vee: 75 Years of a Helpful Smile. Heritage Publishers. ISBN   0929690788.
3. National Park Service. "NATIONAL REGISTER DIGITAL ASSETS". National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
4. "The Tiniest Town in Every State". MSN .
5. McMillan, Brian (August 13, 2010). "First Hy-Vee Store". Iowa Backroads. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
6. 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.
7. Gahm, Marilyn (2007). "Beaconsfield Supply Store" (PDF). State Historical Society of Iowa. Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. Retrieved November 27, 2024. After they closed the store in 1933, other retailers operated out of the building until the Beaconsfield Telephone Coop bought it in 1956.
8. "Preservation Iowa Announces Most Endangered Properties" (PDF). Iowa Historian. State Historical Society of Iowa. February 17, 2021. p. 5. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
9. DeYoung, Jeff (September 27, 2020). "Small Iowa town packs two big claims to fame". Iowa Farmer Today. Lee Agri-Media. Retrieved December 6, 2024.