Early Charlottesville recollections of James Alexander, 1828-1874. Reprinted from the Jeffersonian republican |
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April 29, 1874 |
 | Early Charlottesville |  |
April 29, 1874
Main Street.—In the paper of the 15th inst. we
gave account of Main street from School [East 3rd]
to Green [First] streets; we will in this number begin
at the corner of Green street on the south-side of Main
street, with lots 37 and 38 [actually lots 39 and 40].
The large brick dwelling and store[127]
now occupied by
James Perley for a furniture wareroom, was for many
years, one of the principal dry goods stores in the place.
Mr. Isaac Raphael, we have been informed, built it, and
carried on a large business up to 1836, when he removed
to Louisville, Ky. He was a Hebrew, and his wife was
a lady of very refined taste and culture, and one of the
best performers on the piano and organ in this part of
the State. Her brother, Nathaniel Wolfe, practised
law here, afterwards became one of the most distinguished
Mr. Raphael, the store was occupied by the late Th. J.
Valentine and others. The next store was built by J. J.
Fry, of Richmond, and was at first occupied by the firm
of Abell, Bibb & Fry, for dry goods, and afterwards by
Jno. H. Bibb. The next house was built and occupied
by the late Elijah Dunkum, for dry goods, and at one
time, the Monticello Bank occupied it. All of the above
stores are brick and have family residences over them.
The next house is brick for the basement, and the upper
part is wood. It formerly had a small platform in front,
without the basement. Mr. Marshall, a native of Connecticut,
a boot and shoe maker was its occupant; in
after years Marshall & Bailey (late Th. R. B.), carried
on the same business here, and then Mr. Bailey himself.
The late John B. Dodd, purchased the property and to
the time of his death carried on the business of cabinet
making. James Perley now occupies the house for his
family residence, and manufactures and repairs furniture
in the lower part. The next two buildings were
here in 1828, the one of wood has been elevated by having
a brick basement beneath it, and adjoins the two
story brick house[128] and store on the corner of Hill [West
2nd] street. The brick store in the lower story was once
used for a blacksmith shop, and afterwards by William
Summerson for a carpenter shop. Mr. S. still resides
among us, verging on to his 90th year. E. M. Wolfe,
afterwards had the store for many years and sold groceries
and dry goods. It is now a butcher's stall. This
the town. Mr. I. Raphael, previous to the erection of his
store on the corner of Green [First] street kept a dry
goods store here. Crossing Main St. [to north side], the
lots 25 and 26, were owned by Nancy West, and a brick
store and house, part of the property now owned by J.
Bachrach, and a small blacksmith shop, were the only
buildings standing upon them when we first knew the
town. A dry goods store was kept in the brick building
by Grinstead & Binford, and afterwards a furniture
warehouse was kept here by John B. Dodd, and also by
Joseph Bishop, and while occupied by the latter, a fire
destroyed the wood work, leaving the walls standing.
The house and store have been remodelled. Solomon[129]
Leterman owns and occupies one of the stores for dry
goods, and his son the other for clothing, boots, shoes,
&c. the next large three story building with its deep store
room was built by the late Sophia Leschot, who was a
partner with B. C. Flannagan and A. P. Abell, under
did a very great and lucrative business in the dry goods
and grocery line. The room west of this was once used by
the Monticello Bank. The Brick store[130] and house on the
corner of Hill [West 2nd] street, now occupied by Theo.
Hoppe, Grocer, were built by Raphe Dudley, who sold
to William Tompkins, and he sold to John C. Patterson,
who built the store and house adjoining occupying the
house for his residence, and the store for the sale of Dry
Goods. These stores and houses are now the property
of Mrs. Thompson Brown. The corner store on Hill
street is at present a grocery store and occupied by Theo.
Hoppe. It was on this lot Joshua Grady had, till after
1836, a blacksmith shop. On the lot, which was low, were
quite a number of springs, that always kept the place wet
and sluggish. On the upper end of the lot from Leterman's
store and house, the Disciples' church, which separated
from the Baptist, was built in 1836. Crossing Hill
[W. 2nd] street [still on north side] the lots No. 27 and
28, were in earlier days almost a bog and swamp. There
was a small brick house on the corner, and west of it a
double one-and-half wooden tenement. They were the
property of Mathew Casey, an Irishman, whose family
afterwards removed to St. Louis, Missouri; one of the
sons of Casey carried on the cabinet making business,
and was a skillful and neat workman. The large three
story house and drug store of C. P. Benson[131] occupies
the place of Casey's one-story brick house. C. T. Paterson,
on the drug business and was also telegraph operator;
his lady, Mrs. Lizzie Paterson, was an accomplished
singer, and taught vocal and instrumental music. The
next house, kept as a bakery by Voight, with modern
front, is the old Casey building. The next house, brick,
is a modern structure, and occupied by W. B. Franks,
boot and shoemaker. The next house and store is occupied
by J. W. B. McAllister, grocer, was built by J.
and W. Perry, who were butchers, and afterwards kept
here a grocery store; the adjacent buildings are all of
recent date, and are occupied by small dealers. This lot
was the western boundary of the town as laid off
in 1761-'62.
Crossing over Main street, on the corner of Hill
[West 2nd] street, once stood a small wooden tenement,
in which David Wolfe had a small grocery store, where
now is the brick store and house occupied for the office
of the gas company, and T. J. Williams gas fitter[132]
and
repairer. The other brick building erected on these lots
was built by the father of the late Wm. B. Thomas, and
afterwards owned by John Lee, the butcher. Some
thirty years ago it was set on fire, and the wooden work
destroyed. Julius Munday for several years carried on
the cabinet making business in this house. The two
wooden buildings next were put up since 1865, one of
them R. L. Dobbins occupies for shoe making, and the
other by J. Smith, grocer. The next two wooden tenements
were built in 1865, and the next one-and-halfstory
wooden building was owned by the late Mrs.
town ended at the upper end of these lots. Opposite the
Methodist church,[133] on Hill street, Geo. W. Sinclair has
recently erected a brick dwelling[134] and is also constructing
a wooden dwelling. Opposite the Methodist church,
on the corner of Water and Hill streets, the two story
brick building, painted white was built by James M.
Word for the late Mrs. Nancy Price, now occupied by
Mrs. Purvis.[135] The brick residence[136] south of it, on the
M. Word, and is now owned by Jesse W. Jones. The
fine and stately mansion[137] on South street at the head of
Hill street was built by James M. Word, who resided
in it for several years, now it is the property of T. J.
Wertenbaker.
Random Row[138]
commences at the end of the old town
boundary, and once was a part of the farm of Joseph
Bishop, who built the brick house now occupied by J. J.
Utz, which house is said to be the oldest brick structure
in the town; there were in 1828 several fine brick edifices
in this row or street, and are standing at this day. This
portion of our town was not added to the corporation till
after 1835. The house on the south-side of this, (which
is a continuation of Main street to the University), is
the property of C. L. Fowler, and was built by Charles
Spencer, afterwards occupied by a Mr. Patton; in 1836
Henry Benson had a store in this house. Charles Spencer
also built the house on the street known since as
the Farmer's Hotel, which his widow occupied as a house
of private entertainment. Mr. Spencer, in his lifetime
kept a coach or carriage for hire, and had one of his
slaves to manage the business for him; Mr. Spencer
suspecting that his servant did not make full and fair returns
of receipts concluded to watch him; on one occasion
concealing himself in the stable where the negro
fellow put up his horses, he saw him take out the money
him, he began to divide it as follows: One quarter
for master, one quarter for me, and continued till all the
quarters but one were assigned to their respective piles.
The odd quarter of a dollar he decided the ownership by
the following method: Throwing it up, and saying,
"head for master, tail for me;" it turned up head, but the
negro said that wasn't a fair throw, so again the quarter
went up, head for master, tail for me, again head won,
but the "nig" decided that throw to be unfair, and again
it went up head for master, tail for me, this time tail
won, and the quarter went into the negro's pile.
This building, with changed front, is now the Spotless Company,
100 West Main Street. The chairs on the sidewalk in front
of Perley's were for long the daily gathering place of some of the
older men of the town, who here re-fought the campaigns of the
War between the States.
This was long kept by Mr. Jim Gleason. The brick house
may be located in the illustration of early Main Street, p. 80.
This first name should be Simon. Mr. Leterman entered business
in Charlottesville about 1850, at this site, 101 West Main Street,
from which his store was never moved. Later, he associated his
sons with him. In 1905, following Mr. Leterman's death in 1904,
the firm became the Leterman Company's Department Store and
continued for about a decade. Mrs. S. Leterman was largely associated
with the earlier charities of the town. With Mrs. Charles
S. Venable, Miss H. Hay Watson, and others she was one of
the founders of the Ladies Aid Society of Charlottesville, and one
of its most active officers. It was said of her that her interests
knew no difference of race, creed, or color, and in her old age she
was generally called Mother Leterman by the poor of the town.
With Mrs. Judge John L. Cochran, Mrs. J. Tyler Jackson, and
Mrs. T. Wood she was one of the founders of the local White Ribbon
Temperance Society.
The first Methodist Church of Charlottesville has occupied
three buildings. The earliest, built 1834-35, was situated on a
half-acre lot bounded by Water, First, and South Streets. The
second, begun in 1859, but due to war conditions not completed
until 1866-67, is the one mentioned in the text. It was situated
on a lot a block to the west, on the corner of West 2nd and Water
Streets. Upon the erection of the third building on East Jefferson
Street in 1924, the second building was converted to commercial
use, and has recently been razed.
No longer standing. The late Mrs. Emma W. Williams, a
daughter of Mr. Jones, told that as a child of ten she witnessed the
searching of this house by a northern soldier. Her mother was
wearing beneath her skirts two bags containing silver, and she,
child-like, wore in imitation two small ones holding salt-cellars
and their spoons. This concealment was successful. The searcher
was rough and abusive, threatened Mr. Jones's life, and caused
considerable alarm until the arrival of another Union soldier who
ordered him from the premises and remained in the home as protector.
He advised Mr. Jones not to allow his daughters upon
the streets next day, even to attend church. When the troops
left, two maids belonging to this household were carried off, each
behind a soldier's saddle. By the passage of cannon and other
heavy transport the mud of Main Street was churned to the depth
of the wagon-hubs, so that it was soon dragged into holes and
high ridges which remained for many days.
| Early Charlottesville | |