The final historic site visit - at least for the purposes of my History of Maine course - was to a building from Buxton's commercial past. The Elden Store or Elden's Store sits on the corner of Haines Meadow Road and Long Plains Road (Route 22) in Buxton Center. There was nobody around the site, but plenty of cars going by on Rte 22. The building currently houses the Buxton Emergency Management Agency in the basement and the Buxton-Hollis Historical Society leases the second floor. The building is a beautiful brick Federal style structure. I was unable to enter, but hope to do so in the future.
The Elden Store was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. It dates from 1802, and is Buxton's oldest commercial building. In the 1800's, Buxton Center was the industrial area of the town; the Elden Store, built by Nathan Elden, was both a general store and a post office. The postal service was still in its infancy and post offices were often run by families. I found there were 1,114 offices in existence in 1802. Nathan Elden also owned and operated a grist mill and sawmills in the area. 
Pictured to the right is the Elden Store, with the Wentworth Tavern to the left and Davis Shoe Shop to the right, circa 1860. The railroad ran near Route 22, and by this point the Elden Store had been purchased by Samuel Hanson (1852) and become part of his local industrial empire. His Hanson Coat Shop employed up to 1,200 home piece workers - the first telecommuters! - and the Elden Store was a center for manufacturing, packaging and distribution. The advent of railroads, the Civil War and the general prosperity of the times helped drive demand and supply.
After the boom times ended, the building was sold to the Town of Buxton in the early 1940's and was used for educational purposes for agriculture. It went to the School Administrative District #6, and then back to the town in the 1970's. The Buxton-Hollis Historical Society began to use the space then, and helped restore some of the exterior and interior features.
Work continues on the building today thanks to a grant from Narragansett Number One Foundation. You can see the new doors, windows and beautiful signs, and an historical landscape design has been created by landscape architect Theresa Mattor - who happens to be a friend of mine! (I didn't even realize she was involved with the historical society until now). There is currently a fundraising campaign underway for plant material to bring the plan to life. It is wonderful to see all of the work being done to preserve Maine's past, especially when so much of the varied industrial operations have completely vanished. For instance, I found that just down the road from the Elden Store there used to be the famous Wentworth-Bickford pottery on Haines Meadow Road from the 1790's to the 1870's - but who would know? You can see remnants of prosperity in the beautiful buildings and homes around Buxton, but once the railroads and mills declined or disappeared, the money went with it. Such was the case for much of Maine, but I'm hopeful for our future!
Sources consulted include:
http://books.google.com/books?id=6_QMAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA200&lpg=PA200&dq=who+built+elden+store+buxton&source=bl&ots=4f8BlDN3fI&sig=97MovzVIGd2E8PaJ2SfiUb_oL8U&hl=en&sa=X&ei=8hWMUc74NLbj4APWwIDYCw&ved=0CFkQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=who%20built%20elden%20store%20buxton&f=false
http://www.buxtonhollishistorical.org/eldenstore.html
http://books.google.com/books?id=yOcgAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA7&dq=annual+report+of+the+postmaster+general+1802&hl=en&sa=X&ei=9BmMUc6rGZat4AOImIGgCg&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=1802&f=false
http://www.buxtonhollishistorical.org/images/buxton_bhhs_page_tour.pdf
Good write up!
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