These buildings are located in the hamlet of Hughsonville in Wappiner on Route 9D a little south of the intersection with Old Hopewell Road. I had been meaning to photograph these two buildings for years whenever I passed by, but I finally stopped and pulled out my camera when I saw that the tan building had already been demolished. Soon after taking these photos, the brown building was also demolished.
According to the demo permit, the tan building was the “old Abbott Hardware Store”. I inquired in a local Facebook group what people remember about the two buildings, and it was confirmed that the tan building was a hardware store owned by the Abbott sisters. Someone said “If I recall what Kathryn Abbott told me once, the hardware store was previously (many, many years ago) a post office, complete with drive up window for carriages.”
People remember the brown building to have been owned by a Dickie Leahy around the 1960s/70s/80s and in it he stored a collection of antique carriages, buggies, and/or horse-drawn sleighs. Mr. Leahy may have even shoed horses. The same person quoted above said that Kathryn Abbott told her the brown building “was at one time (late 1800s) a YMCA, but later used by the Abbotts for storage.”
I have not obtained any history on the gray building with blue trim.
Locations:
- Tan building- Google Maps (41.580622, -73.929611)
- Brown building- Google Maps (41.580564, -73.929691)
- Gray and blue building- Google Maps (41.580851, -73.929775)
