Lured by the railroad, John W. Paine moved from the nearby Rochester Colony to St. Johns. In 1860 he built the town's first brick store and this house, and an office was later added on the site. Dr. Samuel Gillam remodeled the house in 1883. In 1904 he was joined by Dr. Walter M. Scott, who practiced here until his death. The Clinton County Historical Society restored the house in 1978 and the office in 1986.