Introduction
Stephen and Sarah Miller of BV Colonial Crafts have a delightful country store with a muzzleloader gunsmith shop in the village of Roxbury in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Their store, which is known as "The Olde Roxbury Store", is located in a historic building (39.94770560740464, -78.90460311298756) at the intersection of Route 31 (the Glades Pike) and Route 160. This page features some old photos of the building that were provided by Stephen, who has been a regular contributor to the regional gunsmithing history portion of this website. In the past, the building has served as a tavern stand/hotel, a general store, and an apartment building.
Stephen reports that the building has hewn timber frame construction with stone in the exterior walls, between the beams. See farther below for a photo of the rock filled walls. Stephen also reports that the rafters of the Roxbury store are secured with wooden pegs.
L. Dietle
Photos of the building
The following photo is oriented to show the west end of the building, and reveals a one-story extension on the rear of the building. The seam between the east and west portions of the building is visible in the roof, the siding, and the fascia. A horse-drawn buggy is stopped near the west end of the house, and two hitching posts are located in front of the wooden sidewalk. A small wooden sign is fastened to a porch post near the middle of long front porch. I suspect that the sign states, "Post Office". Many of the windows are open for ventilation, and the windows on the front of the building still appear to be of the six-pane variety. Click here to read the notations on the back of the photo. (Photos provided by Stephen Miller.)
In the following photo, a sign attached to the center two porch posts identifies the building as a general store, and appears to read "E.F. Musser General Merchant". The shakes on the east end of the roof appear to be in much worse condition, compared to the shakes on the west end of the roof. A hitching rail is visible near the left-hand edge of the photo. At least some of the windows on the front of the building still appear to be of the six-pane variety. Most of the men in the photo are wearing ties. The seated individuals in front are reported to be Susan (Stull) Musser and her husband Edmund F. Musser. According to their shared tombstone at the Downey Cemetery, Edmund and Susan were both born in 1855. Susan died in 1909 and Edmund died in 1910. (Photo provided by Stephen Miller.)
In the following photo, a "L.H. Musser General Merchant" sign is located on the roof of the porch. Lewis Henry Musser was born in 1878 and died in 1950, and his parents were Edmund and Susan Musser. The porch has a dilapidated wooden shake roof, but the main structure has a "tin" (i.e., sheet metal) roof. The windows on the front of the building have been replaced and are no longer the six-pane variety, and a huge store window has been installed to the right of the right-hand door. The left-hand door has paneled construction. (Photo provided by Stephen Miller.)
The following image is an enlargement from the preceding photograph. Various advertising signs are present, including a Beech-Nut chewing tobacco sign, two Goodrich Tire signs, a Cherry Blossom soda sign, a Whistle (orange) soda sign, and a sign that seems to be advertising the availability of gasoline. The Whistle sign means that the picture was taken no earlier than 1916. (Photo provided by Stephen Miller.)
The little girl in the following photo of the store is reported to be Pauline "Polly" Musser. In addition to the Cherry Blossom, Whistle, and Goodrich signs, there is also a sign for aluminum ware. (Photo provided by Stephen Miller.)
The following picture is dated May 9, 1923. An automobile is shown at the lower right, and the Glades Pike passes very near the building. The windows on the front of the building no longer appear to be of the six-pane variety, and a telephone pole appears in front of the building. (Photo provided by Stephen Miller.)
The following photo, which was taken at the store in 1930, was provided by Ron Musser, who is a great-grandson of Lewis Musser. He reports that the individuals in the photo are Enid (Musser) Kennedy, Lois (Musser) Stutzman, and Jr. Engle.
The following store photo was provided by Ron Musser, who reports that one of the individuals is Lester Engle (who eventually owned and operated the store). The photo was taken after the large front window was installed, and before the porch was extended and closed in. Above the porch, the seam between the old and new parts of the building is covered with a narrow vertical board. A Walker's Ice Cream sign is visible on the porch, and a gas pump is visible near the left-hand edge of the photo.
The following vintage photo of Roxbury was provided by Ron Musser. The photo was taken looking west on the Glades Pike, and the intersection with Route 160 is visible in the distance. The Musser store is located just before that intersection on the right, but is largely hidden by the farmhouse on the right, which still exists in 2026. Ron remembers going to the store when he was younger, and reports that the building was used for apartments after the store closed.
An article titled "The Village of Roxbury" in the March 10, 2015 "Curator's Report" newsletter of the Berlin Area Historical Society indicates that after Lewis Musser owned and operated the Roxbury store, it was owned and operated by his son-in-law Lester Engle and Lester's wife Mabel (Musser) Engle, and then was owned and operated by Jay and Ruth Ann (Kimmel) Kimmel. The article includes photos of the town and store. Guy Lester Engle was born July 2, 1896, owned and operated the Roxbury store for 46 years, and died May 8, 1977, according to his obituary. Jay Kimmel died September 28, 2014 at the age of 77, and was survived by his wife Ruth, according to his obituary.
The following photo of the Roxbury store was taken in 1982. Both the porch and the main structure have a "tin" roof. The eastern end of the porch has been extended and closed in, and petrol pumps, a tall parking lot light, and a Coca-Cola-brand soda machine are located out front. The sign at the western end of the porch advertises Sunbeam Bread. The sign at the eastern end of the building appears to advertise cigarettes at 85 cents a pack. A kerosene tank is mounted on the porch to fire an oil furnace. (Photo provided by Stephen Miller.) Click here to see a photo of the scale that was used at the store. Click here to see vintage promotional items from the Roxbury store.
The following photo, which was taken in 1985, shows the back side of the structure, and reveals that the walls are filled with rock. The photo also shows the stone foundation of the house, and a small addition to the rear of the house. The photo shows several different styles of windows. At least one of the windows appears to be covered with clear plastic — a 1980s technique for reducing wintertime drafts in old houses. Some of the siding is narrow, and some is wide. The photo also shows the remains of a collapsed back porch. (Photo provided by Stephen Miller.)
The following photo provides a frontal view of how the building appears in the 2020s, as "The Olde Roxbury Store". (Click here for an angled view.) The building is sheathed in natural-edged clapboard, and the old windows have been replaced with modern six pane windows. Snow birds have been added to the edges of the replacement "tin" roofs, and a weather vane and lightning rod are mounted on the peak of the roof. (Photos provided by Stephen Miller.)
Photos of past store owners
The following photo shows Edmund Musser in old age. According to the February, 1964 issue of the "Laurel Messenger", Edmund Musser was the last postmaster of the Stonycreek Post Office at Roxbury, which closed May 15, 1907. (Photo provided by Stephen Miller.)
The following photo, which was taken in 1940, shows Roxbury store owners Lewis H. & Sadie Musser. (Photo provided by their descendant Ron Musser.) Click here to see a 1934 photo of Lewis H. Musser when he was a CCC Superintendant.
The following color photo also shows Lewis H. Musser and his wife Sadie. They are seated on mid-century modern-style chairs. (Photo provided by Stephen Miller.)
Tracing the building back to Henry Landis
As shown by the following image, the building is identified as the "A. Landies Hotel" on the 1860 Walker map of Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Since Henry Landis only had one son, I believe the 1860 proprietor was Henry's son Abraham Landis, Sr. who (according to his obituary in the April 15, 1885 issue of the "Somerset Herald" newspaper) died at Roxbury on March 27, 1885. A death notice in the April 1, 1885 issue of the same newspaper indicates that "Mr. Landis lived in Roxbury and vicinity during his entire lifetime..." Abraham Landis, Sr. is listed as a 60-year-old farmer in the 1860 census records of Stonycreek Township.
The building is also identified as a hotel on the Stony Creek Township map in the 1876 "County Atlas of Somerset Pennsylvania". Click here to see a May 4, 1939 aerial photo of Roxbury.
How early did the building exist?
Title search
Since this title search doesn't include Edmund Musser, it suggests that he leased the building when he was the proprietor of the Roxbury store.
In the title search, I wonder if the second instance of Deed 102/522 is a typographical error. In the title search, I also wonder if the December 22, 1773 warrant date should really be December 2, 1773. In the Bedford County warrant register, the only 1773 warrant to Benedict Leman was made on December 2, and that property was returned to Jacob Leman on September 26, 1786 — which matches the title search. Click here to see an excerpt from the WPA warrant survey map of Brothersvalley township that appears to show the relevant Benedict Leman property. The property seems to be in the right location, even though its shape doesn't match the the July 27, 1905 copy of the May 24, 1775 C-109-210 survey that is listed in the warrant register. Back in May of 1775, the property was part of Bedford County, and what is now Stonycreek Township was then part of Quemahoning Township, which was formed from Brothersvalley Township in April of 1775.
The following photo is oriented to show the east end of the building, and the people in the photo are standing on a wooden sidewalk. The building is sheathed in wide clapboard siding, and a doorway appears to be covered over on the east end of the building. Log structures are visible west of the building, and a horse-drawn wagon is parked just west of the building. The roofing material appears to be wooden shakes, and horse hitching rails are located along the edge of the wooden sidewalk. The items in front of the picket fence are a hand pump and a water trough. A small sign appears to be hanging from the right-hand end of the full-length porch. Judging from the seam that is visible in the roof and the front siding, one part of the building may be an addition. A back porch is visible near the right-hand end of the photo. Some of the six-pane windows on the front of the house are open for ventilation. Based on the relatively good condition of the roof on the eastern end of the building (compared to photos below), I think this may be the earliest photo of the building that appears on this web page. I suspect that the building was serving as a hotel when the photo was taken. (Photo provided by Stephen Miller.)
The following photo shows Edmund Musser, his wife Susan (Stull) Musser, and their son Lewis H. Musser. (Photo provided by Stephen Miller.)
The 1935 book "The Landis Genealogy" by Norman A. Landis & Dr. H. K. Stoner states, "Henry Landis, son of John Landis, Sr., settled along the Glade Road in the vicinity of Roxbury. He operated a farm and an oil mill and for a time owned the old Tavern Stand at Roxbury. He married into a pioneer family, his wife being Magdalena Stoner a descendant of one of the first settlers. His son Abraham was the father of eleven children most of whose numerous descendants reside in Stonycreek Valley. Abraham operated a mill on the farm now owned (1935) by Irvin E. Brant, near Roxbury. The old Tavern site is now Engle's Store in Roxbury." Click here for more information about Henry Landis and his son Abraham Landis from the 1935 Landis book.
Citing Dr. E. C. Saylor's 1952 notes as the source, pages 179-180 of H. Austin Cooper's 1962 book "Two Centuries of Brothersvalley Church of the Brethren" claim that part of the old inn that was serving as as Engle's store in Roxbury had been built in 1815 when the Glades Road survey was performed. The referenced 1952 notes may be on file at the Berlin Area Historical Society. It would be nice to visit the Pennsylvania State Archives to see the road survey and review any building construction references it contains.
Here is a summary of a July, 1977 title search for the "Roxbury Tavern" property that was published in the April 14, 2015 issue of the "Curator's Report" newsletter of the Berlin Area Historical Society:
