Metamora Indiana Aquaduct
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History of the Mill Street Gallery

 
General Store The General Store was built by Alfred Blacklidge in 1885 and was used by the Blacklidge family as a mercantile store. During the early 1900s, Blacklidge was extending credit to surrounding sharecroppers when bad times came, forcing many of the farmers to default on thier debts.

This economic blow forced Blacklidge out of business and he sold the building to Ellsworth Martindale and Stephen Jenks in 1910.  They operated as Martindale and Jenks General Mercantile until Jenks sold out to Martindale in 1920.

Ellsworth Martindale was the son of the Martindale House (Hotel) family.  He operated the General Store as sole owner until 1941, at which time he sold it to Mr. Hillenbrand.

Until he closed the store in 1969, Mr. Hillenbrand operated his grocery store in the General Store building first as a Clover Farm Store and finally a DOT store out of Cincinnati.