Monticello Store and Post Office, also known as the Monticello Mercantile, is a historic landmark located in Monticello, Fairfield County, South Carolina. Believed to have been constructed as early as 1820, it stands as a remarkably intact example of an antebellum rural store.

Architectural Features

This one-story, T-shaped frame building is characterized by:

A gable roof on the front section, with the gable end facing the road.

A transverse gable roof on the rear portion.

An undercut gallery with a pedimented gable supported by octagonal wooden columns.

Flushboard siding with a chair rail on the façade.

A central double-leaf entrance flanked by windows with paneled wooden shutters.

The building’s design reflects mid-19th-century architectural styles, though local tradition suggests it may have been built earlier.

According to local accounts, the rear section of the store served as a dormitory for the Jefferson-Monticello Academy in the 1820s. The academy was reportedly founded with financial assistance from Thomas Jefferson around 1791.

After the Civil War, the building functioned as both a general store and post office until the mid-1960s. Its preservation offers valuable insights into rural commerce and community life in 19th-century South Carolina.

The Monticello Store and Post Office is situated off South Carolina Highway 215 in Monticello, SC. Its exact coordinates are 34°21′11″N 81°17′58″W.

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 6, 1984, recognizing its architectural and historical importance.