Thomas james store life updates

November 2024 Update

The James Store foundation has been rebuilt and the building lowered back onto the new foundation. Storybound Construction was able to locate handmade bricks that were a good match for the original bricks.

Currently the new floors are being installed and the remaining items on the construction schedule are:
        1.  Attic timber repair
        2.  Replace rotted exterior boards with cedar boards
        3.  Repair rotted timbers in the attic area
        4.  Paint entire building
        5.  Construct new entry stoop and handicap access

Dominion Power reconnected the electrical service to the original pre-project location on the wall of the  adjacent
building which is the Mathews County Library. Mathews County building inspector did not approve the electrical inspection
after Dominion Power connected the electrical service. The inspection report cited the location of the service connection
as not existing at the physical service address and the proximity to another service connection on the same wall. After a three week delay, and negotiations with Mathews County Building inspector and Dominion Power, the electrical connection was approved as installed so we could move forward.

The location of this service had been in place since 1998 and ultimately the previous successful inspection was relied upon to come to a solution to this problem.  Moving the service connection would have created additional costs and placing the connection on the James Store might have compromised the historical integrity of the building. Since the footprint of the building effectively covers the entire land plot, we had no good options for locating the electrical service to the service address. The current location of the electrical connection is approximately six feet from the corner of the James Store. The electrical line is buried underground and comes into the James Store from under the foundation.

Storybound Construction and Marsha Carlton did an onsite inspection to locate historical features requested by Martha McCartney to update the signage in the building.  We located the slash mark numbering of the original beams, pinpointed the location of original rosehead nails, measured locations of window and door openings etc.

August 10, 2024 Update

​Mathews County Historical Society-owned Thomas James Store (ca. 1820) is in the process of being lifted, readjusted on the site, and having its foundation repaired. The project has been funded through the Emergency Supplemental Historical Preservation Funds provided by the U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources approved the lift and administers the project.
 
The team overseeing the project for the society is comprised of Marsha Carlton –Project Manager, John Hoffman – Building and Grounds Chairman and Roger Emig – Thomas James Store Curator. Storybound Construction is the contractor.
 
The following pictures show the progress to date. Completion of the work is difficult to determine , but plans are underway to reopen the store to visitors and resume society events this fall.