History
G. A. Burnham & Sons’ Store
George Burnham opened the Burnham General Store in Temecula in the early
1900s. (It is known today as the Merc).
In 1922, Albert K. Small sold his Murrieta store to George Burnham and his son
Frank. The store was renamed the G. A. Burnham & Sons’ Store. The Burnham store operated in two-thirds of the building. George continued to operate his Temecula store and Frank operated the Murrieta store.
F. A. Burnham General Store
In 1931, Frank bought out his father’s interests and renamed it the F. A. Burnham
General Store. Frank operated the store for twenty-five years. Frank and his wife,
Elsie, had no children of their own. Frank was very kind to the children of Murrieta.
The children created cards and thanked Frank for his kindness and service to the
community.
Burnham General Merchandise Store (Location #1)
In July 1956, Frank Burnham retired and sold the store to Mel Miller.
Mel Miller was a naval aviator and served from 1942 to 1956. Mel and his wife
had three daughters, Mellany, Patricia, and Martha. Mel Miller was known as, “The
Singing Grocer”. He often sang at concerts and for theater productions.
In 1962, the Burnham Store was moved to the former Tarwater Store located at
24741 Washington Ave.
