EGGLESTON, Va. – A century ago, a brick building went up in the small Appalachian village of Eggleston and never stopped serving the people around it. This year, the Palisades Restaurant — now housed inside that same building — wants the community to help celebrate 100 years of history.
The three-story structure, originally built in 1926 as Q.M. Pyne’s General Store, is listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register. The Palisades Restaurant will mark the milestone with a community celebration on June 20, 2026.
A building that has worn many hats
The building started as a general store offering goods to the rural Giles County community. By 1929, a two-story addition had been built to house a Chevrolet dealership and auto repair shop. Over the decades, the structure also served as an auto repair shop and a post office before becoming home to the Palisades Restaurant 17 years ago.
Today, along with a nearby former bank, it stands as one of only two surviving structures from what was once a thriving commercial center in Eggleston.
Owner Shaena Muldoon said she saw the building’s potential the moment she took it on.
“Eggleston at one time was the hub of the whole county,” Muldoon said. “And so you could just sort of see what it used to be. And so I just thought it was important to bring the building back to life, as something new, and keep that history alive.”
A living archive of local history
Since the Palisades opened, patrons and neighbors have donated antiques, photographs, vintage canned goods, antique tools, soda bottles, toys and even a classic red wagon. The items now line the shelves of the main dining room, turning the restaurant into a living archive.
“It’s an important part of making the Palisades also what it is,” Muldoon said. “That history — it starts with the history and the love of the area and the love of things that are different, and beautiful, and bringing things back to life.”
How you can get involved
For the centennial celebration, Muldoon is asking community members — including those who have long since moved away — to dig through attics, scrapbooks and storage boxes for anything tied to Eggleston’s past.
“I would love newspaper articles that maybe I don’t have, any kind of photos throughout the years,” she said. “I know in the past people have sent me ones with the gas tanks out there, someone getting gas in the old convertible. Those are the fun things — you see how the landscape has changed on the block.”
Submissions can be mailed to Shaena Muldoon at 168 Village Street, Eggleston, VA 24086. All items will be carefully returned unless donors choose to contribute them permanently to the restaurant’s collection.
The June 20 event will feature displays of historical items and storytelling from local historians.
“A lot of people grew up here, and they may have moved away, but they always have fond memories of Eggleston and this general store in particular,” Muldoon said. “It was a highlight of many people’s lives and a centerpiece.”