The Brattonsville Store

The Brattonsville Store. Architectural History and Preservation of the "Brick House". , A Bratton Family Legacy , In 1841, Dr. John S. Bratton, Sr. hired masons John L. Owen, Robert Owen, and John Powers to construct a brick, two-story I-house reflecting Early Classical Revival architecture. Completed in 1843, it uniquely served both public and private functions., The Brattonsville Store occupied the largest room of the first floor and carried a broad inventory of dry goods, groceries, clothing, farm supplies, and hardware. Over its years of operation, it also served as the community's post office and voting place. The adjacent first floor parlor and second floor were private living quarters for the Bratton family. A two-story, wood-framed addition was added to the rear of the house around 1855 to extend the family's living area., Circa 1885, Napoleon Bonaparte Bratton, John's son and the store's proprietor, moved the Brattonsville Store operations to a newly constructed wooden structure next door. He then renovated the house to serve solely as the family residence. The original double store doors were moved to the center front of the building and the single parlor door was moved to the rear of the house. The ornate railings and flat porch roof were replaced with a metal hipped roof. The former Brattonsville Store eventually became known as the "Brick House.", Preservation and Restoration , The Brattonsville Store closed when Napoleon and his family left Brattonsville in 1915. The Brick House, wooden store building, and land were leased to farmers. One lessee operated a dinner theater and restaurant the house for a single season in 1959., Virginia Bratton, daughter of Napoleon, died in 1960. Two years later, the Mendenhall family purchased 55 acres of the estate, which included the house and wooden store building. The Mendenhalls were instrumental in the establishment of Historic Brattonsville and supported preservation projects in the 1970s. In 2001, they sold the property to become part of Historic Brattonsville. The wooden store building was destroyed by fire in 2004. The chimney and foundation stones remain preserved in their original locations., In 2013, Historic Brattonsville launched projects to restore the Brick House as it appeared in 1871 as the Brattonsville Store. Research revealed that a metal plate roof originally covered the brick portion of the house. The roof was restored with painted stainless steel roofing plates which resemble the original. The double and single front doors were returned to their original locations. The store's interior shelving, counters, furnishings, and merchandise were reproduced based on archival and architectural research. Future restoration efforts will focus on the wood-framed addition. , (captions) , The Brick House, circa 1900, showing the 1880s alterations to add the metal hipped roof and relocate the double doors to the center front. The original parlor door was bricked in, visible on the wall behind the seated figure. Culture and Heritage Museums, Ph.004586 Donated in memory of Margaret Bratton Moore, The Brick House, circa 1990, prior to its restoration and the wooden store before its destruction by fire in 2004. Culture and Heritnge Museums Ph.000097.