Panaca Historical Center (Wadsworth General Store)

A general store built by one of the town's early settlers has been converted to Panaca's local museum. The adobe brick walls are in remarkably good condition, saved by Nevada's dry climate and diligent maintenance over the years. Like many other early settlers in Nevada, the Mormons frequently used adobe as a building material in the more arid parts of the state, where lumber was scarce. The front porch is a replica of the original. The interior is one large room with a ceiling covered by narrow tongue-and-groove wood boards. The store's central location made it a popular place for residents to share news when they came to purchase goods. After Wadsworth's death, his half-brother, Nephi J. Wadsworth, took over the business. In the early twentieth century he sold the building to the school district for use as an annex to the town's grammar school, but he bought back the structure in 1909 and reopened the general store. The store eventually closed again, and the building stood vacant until its conversion to a museum in the late 1990s.