When Andrew Mullarky came to Cedar Falls in 1850, he established the Black Hawk Store on this site, starting with a small stock of goods he had brought with him from Freeport, Illinois. When Mullarky settled in Cedar Falls, it was a town of only 135 people, and his was the only retail store in the county.

Provisions for the Black Hawk Store were hauled from Dubuque by oxen, a journey that sometimes required two weeks. One of the teamsters engaged by Mullarky was James Streeter, father of author Bess Streeter Aldrich.

For a time, the Black Hawk Store served a second purpose. Mullarky was custodian of county records when the Black Hawk County Seat was established at Cedar Falls. He kept the county's official papers in the loft of his store from 1853 to 1855, making it the first "courthouse" in the county.