The now called Joseph A. Hendricks building, was erected in 1856 by Samuel Hager for use as a woolen mill. Apparently, it wasn’t used very long because in 1869, Joseph A. Hendricks purchased the mill property, a large two-story stone building with walls nearly two feet thick.

He converted it into a general store and added mailboxes when he was appointed post master, an office he held until 1885. The second floor was the railroad passenger office for several years. The rr-tracks are still out-back, behind the building.

The Hendricks Building c. 1910. A large brick addition was made to the building in 1889. In 1892 Hendricks transferred the business to his son-in-law and nephew, Bissey and Barringer. The second two-story addition of the railroad side was made in 1897. Mahlon Keller and Company purchased the business in 1910. Henricks died in 1921 and his daughter sold the property in 1922 to Nelson O. Fretz. At this time, the building was divided into three stores; Fretz’s Shoes, Sterner’s Pharmacy, and Benner’s Grocery and the second floor was converted into five apartments. Walter Herstine purchased the entire property in 1946 and operated a shoe store there until 1963.

The stone embedded in the front, upper wall shows original building date plus the restoration date after a fire raged through most of the businesses on Seventh St. for about two and a half block stretch, mostly east of Market St. The Redevelopment Authority acquired the property from Walter Herstine who had decided against renovating the building according to the stipulations of the Urban Renewal project.

The Redevelopment Authority sold it to Irving and Estelle Brager in 1975, who have since successfully restored the old landmark which is now included in the Pennsylvania Inventory of Historical Places. These are maintained by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. It has also been included in the Bucks County Conservancy in the County Register of Historic Places since January, 1977.All information and the 1910 photo taken from the 2nd edition of publication, Centennial Perkasie by the Perkasie Centennial Committee, Inc. and the Perkasie Historical Society, January 1979.