September 24, 2018 / Joanne Yeck

Buckingham County Houses: Keswick, II

Library of Virginia. Photo by Joanne Yeck.

To catch up, click here: Buckingham Houses: Keswick, Part I

When Elizabeth McCraw surveyed “Keswick” for the Virginia Historical Inventory, she wrote about the property’s historical significance. In addition to the primary dwelling house, there were several old buildings, one of which was a store. In 1937, it was used as a voting place was known as “New Store Precinct.”

According to Mrs. McCraw, the first store at this location was opened long before the Civil War. She wrote:

A Mr. Venable from Cumberland County moved to near here and opened a store in this old building. As he had a store in Cumberland he named this last one New Store, which name it still remains, though it is one of the oldest places in the county. Records show that this was New Store Voting Precinct as early as 1837.

Due to the burning of Buckingham County Courthouse, Mrs. McCraw lacked access to deeds for the property. She believed the dwelling house was built in about 1830 by Dr. Peter Hales, who lived there only a few years. William D. Jones was the next owner and the Jones family had occupied it ever since. It’s possible that Jones bought out Venable’s store and, following William D. Jones’ death, his oldest son took over the business. The last and present owner in 1937, C. L. Jones, moved the business to Sheppards.

Click here to learn the history of Jones Store: Buckingham County: Jones Store: Part I

For much more about the Jones family of New Store, follow this link:

Buckingham Notables: The Jones Family of New Store, Part I

Many thanks, as always, to the Library of Virginia for making the Virginia Historical Inventory available online. You can search this digital archive at the Library’s online catalog: Virginia Historical Inventory.