Wm. Phelps General Store & Home – Palmyra, New York

Built in 1826 along Palmyra’s busy Market Street, the Wm. Phelps General Store served travelers and canal workers during the height of the Erie Canal era. In 1868, merchant William Phelps purchased the building and ran a thriving general store that supplied goods to the growing community.

When the store finally closed in 1940, his son Julius Phelps simply locked the doors—leaving the merchandise, furnishings, and household items untouched. Upstairs, the Phelps family continued to live in the adjoining home, with Sibyl Phelps remaining there until 1976, preserving a remarkable time capsule of 19th- and early 20th-century life.

Today, visitors can explore both the storefront—still lined with original shelves and products—and the family residence, complete with Victorian furnishings and everyday artifacts. The building stands as one of the best-preserved examples of a small-town merchant’s home and store in America, offering a vivid glimpse into Palmyra’s canal-era past.