52 Nerepis Road

52 Nerepis Road is designated a Local Historic Place for its heritage value related to its former use as a community store. Built as a residence in 1897 by Armstrong Elliot, the building was sold at the turn of the 20th century to J. A. Gilliland. A growing need for an “all purpose” shop catering to the needs of the Saint John families who spent their summers in the area led Gilliland to open such a business in a small building in the back yard of 52 Nerepis. He enlarged the home shortly thereafter, creating room on the main level for the shop as well as a number of rooms for boarders. Gilliland’s daughter Annie and her husband Foster Kirkpatrick operated the store for a number of years; during this time it became known as “Gilliland’s” or “Annie’s.” Upon Annie’s retirement in the 1930s the business was rented to Bert Cosman, who found the space inconvenient and built a new structure next door to house the shop in 1937. 52 Nerepis has since been owned by a number of individuals who have returned the building to its original use as a residence.

Although altered over the years, certain architectural features remain, such as the projected entrance facing the road, that speak to the building’s historical use as a community store.