Two kerosene lamps were hung in John Martin's store on Center Street in Bangor -- 15 feet apart. The store also had "the best fashion stove to infuse heat over a large room that ever was invented."

Martin opened the store in 1862 after many years of working as an accountant and shopkeeper for other businesses. He hoped to avoid economic ups and downs by operating his own business.

Detail oriented and interested in architecture, business, gardening, dancing, and many other topics, Martin wrote and illustrated a journal and several scrapbooks recounting his life, family, and various experiences.

This is one of several illustrations of the store. It appears on page 572 of the journal and is accompanied by explanations of all of the items illustrated.