7. D.P. Peters' General Store

301 Ave. C

D.P. Peters' General Store, circa 1940s

Built in 1938 by Damon Peters, Sr., as a general merchandise store, it is now owned by nephew Nathan Peters, Jr. The store was remodeled in 2005. Nathan Peters, Jr., has been a county commissioner since 1986.

Lewis Benjamin Peters

Damon Peters, Sr., born January 18, 1900, in Carrabelle and came to Port St. Joe with his parents Lewis Benjamin “Uncle Pete” Peters and Sara Peters and his three brothers and four sisters. His father managed the seafood plant for Max Kilbourn and lived in Port St. Joe until his death at age 100.

Beginning in 1919, Damon Peters, Sr., became an early participant in the affairs of the community and the development of Port St Joe. He was a member of several lodges and civic organizations. For many years he was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the New Bethel AME church and is considered engineer and architect of what is now the New Bethel AME church. Damon Peters, Sr., died in 1982.

In 1951 Damon Peters, Sr., Damon Peters, Jr, Dr. Francis Michael Hall, Raymond Driesbach and Nathan Peters, Sr., purchased 30.88 acres of beachfront property from Ruby and Alfred Andreason. Known as Money Bayou, the property—complete with club and cottages—became a popular recreational spot for African Americans from far and near.

Store in 2006

The store in on the corner of Ave. C and Martin Luther King Blvd., the main commercial street in North Port St. Joe. Redevelopment plans call for the removal of the railroad tracks and connection of Martin Luther King Blvd. to Reid Ave.

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