The Nickerson and Damn store and post office, now known as Swan Lake Grocery, is located at the foot of Swan Lake. The brick used to build it was made at the Nickerson Brickyard located just south of the store, one of a number of brickyards in Swanville in the 1800s. The brickyards were the largest industry in Swanville until the Oak Hill granite business was established.
The early owners and/or operators of the store were Nickersons and Damns. More recently these included Robert and Marian Clark, Robert and Annie Osborn, Ronald Nickerson, Wayne and Francis Clark, and now, Robert Newcomb. As is obvious from the photo, there were living quarters upstairs. The woodpile on the left may have been for sale but more likely was used to heat the store and upstairs.
The long brown building in back and to the right of the store is the saw and grist mill. The original mill was built by Aaron and Reuben Nickerson, two of the first settlers. It was succeeded by another mill operated by Tully Nickerson and others. The last mill was owned by Charles Nickerson and was last operated in the late 1930s or early 1940s.
The white building peeking through the trees on the right was a blacksmith and carriage shop. It was last run by Sewell and Frank Harriman. The mill and carriage and blacksmith shop are no longer there; however, even with the additions and changes made to the store, one can still identify the original building. The same view of the building is no longer available as the terraced hill across the road which the Eastern photographer perched on to take the photo has been removed, possibly to be used to build the road that goes along the lake.
Contributed by: Rita Stone, Swanville Historian
Catalog Number LB2007.1.102743