One of state’s oldest stores burns in Wellington

Thursday, Sept. 14, 2000 | 9:31 a.m.

Flames swept through the 127-year-old Wellington Mercantile Wednesday in the tiny Lyon County town southwest of Yerington, Nev.

Flames had engulfed the building before firefighters arrived just after 9 a.m., said Charlie Mann, Smith Valley Volunteer Fire Department's assistant chief.

They were able to keep the fire from spreading next door to the Hoye Mansion Bed and Breakfast, he said.

Two people were inside the store when the fire broke out but they escaped unharmed. An investigation into the cause was continuing Thursday.

Local historical documents show the Wellington Mercantile dated to 1873.

First known as the Hoye Store, named after owners John and Mary Hoye, the building was moved from Hoye Canyon in either the late 1870s or early 1880s to its present location on Nevada 208.

After her husband died, Mary Hoye continued to run the store until failing health forced her to lease the mercantile property to William Sinclair sometime around 1907.

After Mary Hoyes death in 1915, the store became known as the Wellington Co-op and had several owners and operators.

For firefighters with the Smith Valley Volunteer Fire Department, the fire was almost a case of deja vu.

The department's Tuesday night training scenario was the Wellington Mercantile.

"It's spooky," Mann said. "The training helped. You always train for your worst-case scenario."