HUNTINGTON — A one-time tavern that is believed to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad, the landmark 1790s building that houses the Huntington Country Store is for sale.

Store owners Becky Butler and her husband, Randy, have operated the Country Store since 1991. While they love living and working in the community, the Butlers said they will eventually relocate to Florida after the building is sold. It’s been on the market since last June and is currently listed at $419,000.

“We are in no hurry. We will be here as long as it takes to sell,” Becky Butler said.

Situated at 70 Worthington Road, the 5,320-square-foot building’s first floor of retail space includes five rooms, a bakery, and a wraparound porch. The second floor includes a three-bedroom apartment.

“A lot of people have shown interest, but we have had no serious offers yet, though we did have two more calls about it last week,” Becky Butler said.

The Huntington Country Store is the sister store to the Williamsburg General Store, which is owned and operated by Becky Butler’s parents, Carol and David Majercik. The Williamsburg store will be unaffected by the sale.

While the Butlers intend to close the business after the building sells, Becky Butler notes that the sale will include “all of the shelving, so whoever buys it can move right in. We will have a big sale to sell off the inventory.”

According to Butler, the Georgian style building — with its 15 combined rooms, eight nonworking fireplaces, and 18-inch-wide plank floors — has been a center of activity in Huntington since it was built, serving as a home and a variety of businesses, including tavern, dairy farm, restaurant, dance hall, bed and breakfast and notably a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Active in the early to mid-19th century, the Underground Railroad was a network of people who provided shelter and aid to escaped slaves from the South.

Butler said one can still see where whiskey was stored, and where dances were held.

“They say that there also used to be an old barn on the property with a false floor to sneak in slaves,” Butler said.

Butler said that leaving will be tough because she enjoys seeing regular customers and new faces, particularly when big events like motorcycle rides, bike races and antique car shows come to town.

“We get a lot of people coming here,” she said. “What is really nice is seeing people who grew up in town come back to the store and reminisce about coming here as children.”

For the Butlers it is not just selling the building that houses their store, it is also their home.

“We live right upstairs,” Becky Butler said. “Leaving will be bittersweet because we have been here for a long time and it is a very friendly area.”

Butler said she would miss living and working in a rural area, joking that it has almost been like being on a year-round vacation.

“It’s beautiful. That’s why some people buy summer homes here, but I get to live here all the time,” she said. “It has been such a good life, and running the country store has been fun, so I am really going to miss it.”

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