Savage Post Office (Garvey Store), 12385 Ottawa Avenue, Savage, Minnesota

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Garvey Store
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Garvey Store and Post Office, 1903
Garvey Store and Post Office on the Left, 1920s
Address:	12385 Ottawa Avenue
City/locality- State/province	Savage, Minnesota
County- State/province:	Scott County, Minnesota
State/province:	Minnesota
Country:	United States
Year built:	1872
Major Alterations:	Altered
Moved from Location:	Intersection of Judicial Road and County Rd 34, Burnsville, MN
Historic Function:	Post office
Historic Function:	General Store
Other Historic Function:	General Store
Current Function:	Business
Current Function:	Barber Shop
Other Current Function:	Barber Shop
First Owner:	John Berrisford

Savage Scott County

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Savage Post Office (Garvey Store), 12385 Ottawa Avenue, Savage, Minnesota
(44.777473° N, 93.339761° W)

History

In 1872 John Berrisford who was originally from Uttoxeter, England erected his mercantile store, 20x82 feet, with a wing 24x24 feet, at the crossroads of Judicial Road and the old St. Paul-Shakopee Road, now County Road 34 in Burnsville, MN. He kept a general stock of goods, and also dealt largely in cattle so during the summer months he supplied the surrounding country with fresh meats.

The Berrisford store was located near where St. John the Baptist Catholic Church was located. The frame structure church burned to the ground on April 13, 1883 and a new frame structure was built and dedicated in 1885 by Archbishop John Ireland. In 1902 on Candlemas (the Christian Festival of Lights or mass of the candles on February 2nd), a wood burning stove caused a fire in this church and for the second time, the church was burned to the ground within a period of 20 years. At this time, the Archbishop decreed that the new church should be built in Hamilton, a town that was beginning to experience new growth and among its amenities; the town boasted an organized fire department.

Because the church had moved to Hamilton (now known as Savage), the store began to suffer from the loss of business. John Berrisford decided it was futile to continue his mercantile business and sold the store to Mr. Ed Garvey, a local school teacher who moved the building to Hamilton to the corner of what is now 124th Street and Ottawa Avenue South in Savage, MN. For several years it housed Garvey’s Store, which also included a post office for a time. In April 1908, Edward A. Garvey was appointed Postmaster of Savage.

In subsequent years, this building housed an antique shop, upholstery shop, Western tack shop, a donut shop, Family Carpets, the Lavendar Lady Beauty Salon, and for a time served the drafting department of Continental Machines. In September 1967 it became the Razor’s Edge Barber shop. In March 1980 the Razor’s Edge Beauty Salon was added as an adjunct to the barber shop. It is now the Razor’s Edge Barber Shop and Hair Salon. This is the oldest commercial building in the community of Savage.

Badges

This place is part of Endangered Post Offices

Photo Gallery

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  St. Johns Church Exterior

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  St. Johns Church Interior

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  Razors Edge, formerly the Garvey Store & Post Office

Notes

Stelling, Del (May 1985). In this Corner. Savage REVIEW, p. 2.

History of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. (n.d) retrieved November 14, 2013, from St. John the Baptist Catholic Church Web Site: Parish History

Huddleston, Nancy (2012). Images of America Savage. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing.

Special thanks to members of the Dan Patch Historical Society: Jens Bohn, President and owner of the Garvey Store (Razors Edge); Mayor Janet Williams, Secretary; and Will Williams, Board member.