The photo seen here offers an early look at the general store on Old Stone Highway in Springs around 1900. The store was built in 1844 by David Dimon Parsons (1811-1882), who had purchased the land from Isaac Edwards for $100.
The Greek Revival-style structure included a basement made with stones from Connecticut, which had been transported by Capt. Sineus Edwards on his boat Florian. He also hauled the lumber and the shingles, which came from Sag Harbor. The total bill for the shipment ended up being $182.52. During the Civil War and the two World Wars, the store was an essential place to get news. Other than groceries, the store also served the community as a post office.
Another one of the general store's well-known owners was Charles K. Smith (1856-1910), who ran it starting in 1888. Many locals treated it as a social hub where they told stories and chatted. Smith found humor in sending his regular talkers bills for "the cheese" every month. This photo was taken during his era of ownership.
In the 1940s, Dan Miller bought the store and operated it within his family for over 20 years. One of the most interesting occurrences during Miller's proprietorship was when Jackson Pollock paid his grocery bills with one of his paintings, which now hangs in a museum in Paris. When Miller died in 1975, the business was sold to Michael Collins, who rented out the store for others to run.
During its more than 170 years of existence, the building has had more than 10 owners and remains in operation today. Along with the Springs General Store, the building also has a two-bedroom apartment on the second floor, a two-car garage, and gas pumps that are no longer in use.
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Mayra Scanlon is a librarian and archivist with the East Hampton Library's Long Island Collection.
