Buck&rsquo;s Store Museum

Buck’s Store Museum

Buck’s Store Museum is a historic general store museum located in the unincorporated community of Bena in lower Gloucester County, Virginia. Formerly known as C.B. Rowe & Son, the general store business that occupied its building closed in 2005. Its conversion to a museum began in 2017 and remains incomplete, but the store has been open to the public as of January 2020. It is operated and maintained by the Guinea Heritage Association, a nonprofit association focused upon preserving the history and culture of the Guinea community.
History
In the 1880s the general store was first constructed and operated by Joseph Hall as the Hall Brothers’ Store. The building was rented out to Clarence Rowe Sr. in 1920 and was operated as a new general store by the name of C.B. Rowe & Son. The general store building and the land it sat on was purchased by Rowe from the Hall family in 1933. In 1947, Rowe was joined by his son, Clarence “Buck” Rowe Jr. as a legal partner of his business.
Following Rowe Sr.’s death in 1960, full ownership of the store passed to his son. Buck would continue to operate the store until his death in 2005. Under the ownership of Buck and his father, the general store served as an important community hub for the residents of Bena and the greater Guinea area. C.B. Rowe & Son also served as Bena's official post office from 1947-1977.
Buck Rowe himself was an important figure in the Guinea community during his lifetime, recognized as the "unofficial mayor of Guinea" for his numerous leadership roles, which included his services as owner of C.B. Rowe & Son, Chief of the Abingdon Fire Department, Postmaster of Bena, Financial Secretary of Union Baptist Church, and the 1981 Grand Marshal of the first Annual Guinea Jubilee. Buck and his store were prominently featured in the 1996 documentary They Live in Guinea, which he also narrated.
Buck made provisions for the store to be converted to a museum following his death and C.B. Rowe & Son's closure in 2005. In 2017, the Guinea Heritage Association and his handpicked trust, the C.B. Rowe, Jr. Memorial & Guinea Museum Foundation began restoring the store.<ref name=":0" /> In 2020, the store was opened as a museum commemorating the Guinea community and the history of the southern general store.

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