Swansea’s Historic Luther Store Reopens for Public Sneak Peek

Get ready to step back in time as a historic Swansea property opens its doors once again to the public.

Visitors can get a sneak peek of the renovated Luther Store on December 13 and 14 before its big re-opening in Spring 2026.

"When you walk in the door, you're going to walk into the 1800 General Store," said Cheryl Bogle, President of the Swansea Historical Society.

"We are going to have it set up as Joseph Gardner Luther had it set up," she said. "We're going to have handmade ornaments that we would have found in the 1800s, all types of different Christmas ornaments, candies that were sold in 1800s that are still being made now are going to be available, and of course we're going to have our memorabilia."

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The History of Swansea's Luther Store

"We recently found out that they broke ground in 1799, the same time that the Luther Tavern was being built. It opened around 1803 and it closed in 1903," Bogle said.

From there, it was passed down to the Luther heirs. However, maintaining the property became a burden.

After more than three decades, the heirs could no longer take care of the property, so they gave it to the Town of Swansea.

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"Around 1936, the heirs handed it over to the Town of Swansea with the stipulation that it would either be a monument or a museum," Bogle said.

What Could You Find at the Luther Store?

"Everything and anything that the townspeople needed, you could get at the Luther store," Bodle said. "If he didn't have it in stock, he would order it. Farming equipment, fabric for clothing."

Farmers would sell fresh eggs and produce. The Luther Store really did it all.

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"They held funerals from the store on the second floor," Bogle said. "They weren't an official post office, but they were a rural post office for the town before the Postal Service came in."

Bogle said the Luther Store was incredible, from the variety of products it stocked to the impact it had on the community. "It was the second general store to be built in the town," she said.

In 1952, the deed to the building was signed over to the Swansea Historical Society, which has owned the property ever since. However, it had to close the doors about five years ago due to structural issues.

Now, after years of hard work and repairs, the Luther Store will once again open those doors to the public.