The General Store, popularly known as McCourtney's, is located at the east end of the Village. It is believed that part of this building was built about 1830 and an addition was added on the east side several years later. By 1844 the village had grown large enough to support its own post office and the Lee family probably used this structure to house it. Ralph Sackett Lee named his son-in-law, John Carroll Walsh, postmaster, and Lee operated the store. Lee's store and warehouse are cited in several newspaper articles of the time as being raided by Confederate Major Harry Gilmor's troops during their intrusion into Baltimore and Harford Counties in 1864. It is believed that the store mentioned was in this building, since it is labeled on the 1860 plat as "Store".

The General Store

Later, the building was leased to S. Oliver McCourtney. According to his obituary, McCourtney, who was born in Pennsylvania, had come to Jerusalem in 1906, having previously had a store in nearby Singer. He bought the building and business outright in 1921 and maintained the store until he died in 1939. In 1940 it was purchased and the former store space was converted to apartments. In 2006, the Friends of Jerusalem Mill restored the space to its previous floor plan, now interpreted as a 1930's general store.

Within the general store building is a 1930's era general store, a room dedicated to Samuel McCourtney (the store's 1906-1939 operator), a room with information of the events of Gilmor's 1864 Confederate raid on the village, and the village gift shop.

McCourtney's General Store/Gift Shop is OPEN:
1st Saturday and First Four Sundays of each month
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Also during Special Village Events
Free admission.

Education Office (for school groups) 410-877-0080