On this strategic site, J.W. Boardman built a rock building and established a mercantile business. McLane Road, running north along the property, led to Pine and points north and west. The store was gutted by fire in 1938. In the early 1970s, refrigerator boxcars were placed on the site to warehouse groceries for local distribution. In 2001, the Town of Payson purchased the property for this historic park.