The Avon Store was once the center of commerce upvalley and it now serves as a living reminder of what pioneer life was like in Eagle County.

But the historic building that was dismantled at its original location and painstakingly reassembled at Eagle's Chambers Park is in need of some TLC. The log structure needs to be re-chinked to continue its service as a restored historic replica of one of the area's first commercial operations.

“The Eagle County Historical Society (which operates the Chambers Park historical complex, which includes the Avon Store) is a non-profit organization with a modest budget of about $20,000 a year,” said ECHS board member Marion Laughlin. “Big projects such as this are hard for us to absorb in our budget.”

The Eagle River Foundation has awarded a grant of $2,340 for the project, which will cover approximately half of the total cost for re-chinking. The historical society is looking to community members and service organizations to help fill the remaining funding void.

History

Steven A. Bivans, a Welshman who pedaled his bicycle across the Kansas prairie for a job that would supplement his farming income, brought his new bride Effa Litton to Colorado in 1904. He purchased a log structure in what is now Avon and turned it into the community's first general store.

The store doubled as Avon's Post Office and Bivans served as the second-ever Avon Postmaster. Postal boxes on display in the restored Avon Store are original.

The Bivanses lived in a primitive log house located just across the road from the store. Their first child, daughter Earlene, was born there. Bivans was an active member of the community and played for the town's baseball team.

In 1908, the family decided to relocate to Utah and numerous Avon Store owners followed. At one point, part of the building was converted into living quarters.

Over several decades, the store was a gathering place for people in eastern Eagle County. Stock was delivered by rail. The store continued operation until the 1940s and at some point, the building was divided into sections and each section was rented out.

By the time Vail Resorts purchased the property that would become Beaver Creek Resort, the building was in disrepair. As part of the terms for the sales agreement, the company agreed to preserve the historic building located in the Beaver Creek development. Originally, the structure was located at the Beaver Creek Golf Course, but eventually it was dismantled and placed in storage.

At the urging of Eagle County Historical Society members Don Simonton and Frank Doll, in 1990 Vail Resorts agreed to donate the dismantled structure. The society arranged to have it reassembled at Chambers Park, which was already home to the ECHS museum (housed in a relocated dairy barn) and a Denver and Rio Grande caboose.

Doll and fellow ECHS member Allan Nottingham laid a cement slab at the Eagle location and tackled the reassembly. It was a painstaking process. Nottingham noted there was a jumble of half-rotted logs, some labeled with paper tags describing their intended placement. However, many of the markings did not survive either the winter snows in storage or the subsequent move to Eagle.

Vail Resorts did provide a number of photographs of the store in its original location and Doll and Nottingham pieced the structure together with help from inmates from the county jail. The crew also built a new roof for the store and installed new doors and windows. The log building was chinked to seal it from the elements. Inside, a wall was constructed so visitors could view the display without a museum staff member being present. The call went out for vintage display items, such as empty coffee cans or spice jars — anything appropriate to the store's historical period. Additionally, the living quarters at the store were furnished with period antiques.

The result is a three-dimensional replica of one of the county's pioneer commercial operations. It opened to the public in 1995.

Hoping for some help

“One of the goals of the Eagle County Historical Society is to help preserve not only the oral history, but also historic buildings,” said Laughlin. In that respect, the Avon Store is one of the group's success stories.

“Currently the Avon Store is a popular stop for people passing through Eagle and visiting the rest area,” Laughlin said.

According to Margaret Jones, who coordinates the docent program at the ECHS museum at Chambers Park, the store saw more than 9,000 visitors last summer.

Laughlin noted the restored Avon Store has held up well at its new location, but like all log buildings it needs periodic maintenance.

“Big projects such as this are hard for the ECHS to absorb, so we are grateful for any help we can get,” said Laughlin.

Any organizations or individuals who would like to contribute to the preservation of this historic building can contact museum curator John Bronn at 328-2126 or via e-mail at jbronn@vail.net. Donations also can be sent directly to the Eagle County Historical Society at P.O. Box 192, Eagle, CO 81631.