Description of Historic Place

D.E. Clarke's General Store is designated according to the Prince Edward Island Heritage Places Protection Act and includes the footprint of the building. The one and one half storey gabled roof general store with attached dwelling house was built in 1864 and is a rare example of a well preserved rural country general store in PEI. It is located near a tree lined crossroads adjacent to other heritage buildings and is an integral part of the Orwell Corner Historic Village, one of PEI's Provincial Museums.

Heritage Value

The General Store is valued as a well preserved example of a 19th Century rural village store complete with many artifacts illustrating the various wares available to its clientele. It is also valued for its Commercial style architectural elements.

The store is a glimpse into the economic life of rural Prince Edward Island. It also features artifacts from a post office and dress making business. The Clarke family were immigrants from County Galway, Ireland, who settled at nearby Orwell Cove in 1856. Upon moving to Orwell Corner and opening their store, their business became a focal point of the emerging crossroads community. Soon, a church, school, and community hall were constructed nearby.

The interesting Commercial style storefront has prominent large multi-paned windows and a large central entrance door where goods could be conveyed to and from the store via horse drawn wagons. The facade is made more interesting with the addition of decorative pilasters, entabulature, and horizontal signage prominiently displaying the store's name.

Source: PEI Culture and Heritage Division, Community and Cultural Affairs - Heritage Places Designation Files # 4320-20/C1

Character-Defining Elements

The following Commercial style architectural elements contribute to the heritage value of the building:
- the wooden shingle and clapboard siding
- the foundation of Island sandstone
- the elevation of one and one half storeys
- the gabled roof with dormers
- the large multi-paned storefront windows
- the large front entrance door
- the multi-paned transom window above the entrance door
- the decorative pilasters and entabulature of the storefront
- the wood shingled roof
- the size and placement of the chimneys
- the horizontal signage near the roofline of the storefront
- the location of the store in the Orwell Corner Historic Village