208 Main Street

Wildenthaler Building   Built Between 1899-1909

Seraphin Wildenthaler constructed this building to replace an earlier wooden one dating to before 1870 and housing a grocery store and Lewiston’s first bakery. Lewiston Bakery and Confectionary at one time produced 240 loaves a day. The current building has been home to a sausage factory, cold storage, sign painting, Zuerstein’s Bakery (circa 1900), Boss Meat Market and the Orville Norberg’s Lewiston Grocery in 1907. 

Seraphin Wildenthaler, circa 1852

Seraphine Wildenthaler

Norberg was famous for customer service, making four deliveries a day in a black rig drawn by matched black horses.

By 1930, Ruth Sapp had located her grocery business here and specialized in selling provisions to mining camps and ranches upstream on the Snake River.

It is believed to been constructed in three sections between 1899 and 1909.

Circa 1916

The Historic Preservation Commission would like to recognize and thank Dr. Steven Branting and the Nez Perce County Historical Society and Museum for the access to and contributions from their extensive archives for this project. Special thanks go to Commissioner Leah Boots for her countless hours of work to make this project a reality.