Located on the site of the Raleigh Tavern, the L.W. Lane Store offered a variety of goods ranging from groceries to clothing. A small building housing Pender’s Grocery Store stood to the left. Both businesses stood on the portion of Duke of Gloucester Street known by residents as “uptown,” or towards the Capitol site. They served residents who lived on the west side of Williamsburg.

After the Raleigh Tavern burned in 1859, this large brick store was erected by William W. Vest, who lived in what is today known as the Palmer House. Like his residence, which became a headquarters for Union soldiers after the Battle of Williamsburg in 1862, the shop building played an important role in the Civil War. It was converted into a hospital where town residents cared for wounded Confederate soldiers.

Mr. Levin Winder Lane, Jr., the proprietor of the mercantile store, held positions with both the College of William & Mary and the state government. His large 19th-century brick building became one of the one hundred buildings slated for destruction or relocation because their architecture dated to a later time period. The Merchant’s Square area was envisioned as a way to move businesses to a localized commercial district apart from the historic area.]]>