The Tea Room may have been named for the syndicated comic strip, Ella Cinders, which ran in newspapers from 1925 to 1961. A silent film adaptation was also released in 1926.

Full-size image

Image submitted by Susan and Woody Tucker

Start at the Ashland/Hanover Visitors Center which resides in Ashland’s classic train station building.

Enjoy a picnic lunch (bring your own or purchase from a local restaurant) and watch the trains up close from a bench or picnic table. Amtrak trains stop here or pass by. CSX freight trains rumble through all day long.

Talk to the Visitors Center staff about the history of trains in Ashland. Most are long-time residents and they have many stories to tell.

Visit the Ashland Museum for more Ashland history. See our exhibit, “Antebellum Resort to Civil War Town: Ashland Virginia from 1836 to 1865”. Pick up a copy of our new DVD, “A Railroad Runs Through It: The Unique History of a Virginia Train Town”. Take a tour of our Red Caboose.

For the young and young-at-heart, be sure to visit our Library and Train Town Toy & Hobby to get get your fill of model and toy trains.

The D.B. Cox Department Store was the anchor of the Ashland downtown area from 1867 to 1955. When it was sold, it was the oldest business in Ashland and was the oldest in Hanover County in continuous ownership by one  family. It was begun after the Civil War by Duncan Balfour Cox.

D.B. Cox original store (behind the buggy) at the corner of Robinson St. and the railroad tracks, next to the Cox home. This building no longer exists.

The first D.B. Cox store was begun as an addition to the family dwelling fronting the east side of the RF&P railroad, on the site of the present Ashland library.  According to the Ashland Sentinel of March 9,1872, D.B. Cox, General Merchant sold:  hats and shoes, dry goods and notions, confectionery, hardware, stationery, and fancy articles.

In 1869 , a second wooden building was constructed on the west side of the railroad tracks. This was a general store established by D.B. Cox, J.M. Leake and C.M. Woolfolk. .The wooden structure was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1893.

A third building was erected of brick on the west side of the tracks before 1899. The Hanover Weekly Herald mentioned that Mr. Cox had two places of business. D.B. Cox General Merchant carried groceries, hardware, feed and fertilizer. D.B. Cox and Co., a partnership formed with J.M. Stone and his nephew, James M. Cox, sold dry goods, shoes and clothing. That building today is the Caboose Wine and Cheese at 108 S.Railroad Avenue.

By 1913, D.B. Cox and his nephew, J.M. Cox, had purchased two lots at the southwest corner of Thompson and Railroad Avenue , where they built a two-story department store  that year.  The building is the present Iron Horse restaurant building. It is owned by McKinney & Co., an engineering firm with offices on the second floor. It was the fourth Cox structure to be built in the downtown area.

According to Dorothy Jones of Ashland, “the new store was the most impressive structure in Ashland at the time. It was so elegant  that it was widely referred to as the ‘Miller and Rhoads’ of Ashland. On the first floor were departments for clothing and shoes for men, women,and children, piece goods and patterns, jewelry, cosmetics, kitchen utensils and appliances. On the mezzanine, reached by a wide, handsome stairway, was the millinery department presided over by Miss Dessie Carter and Miss Fannie Hutcheson.” Many townspeople recall gathering at the store about 1948 to watch the first television broadcast on the first set for sale in Ashland at Cox’s in the television and appliance department.

D.B. Cox and his son, C. Edwin Cox

In 1914, D.B. and J.M. Cox formally incorporated as the D.B. Cox and Co. Department Store.  D.B. Cox’s son, Edwin, began working for the store as a young boy and  continued until his retirement as part of management in 1955. The grocery, hardware and feed part of the business at the smaller brick building (108 S. Railroad Avenue) was sold to Puryear and Napier in 1920.

When D.B. Cox died in 1925, his nephew and partner James M. Cox bought the department store and became its President. He continued to offer exemplary service to his customers .

James Marcellus Cox standing in the display window of the D.B. Cox Department Store.

“Jim” was well known and loved throughout the county and to many he was “Mr.Cox’s Store”. During World War II , Alice Lee Taylor of Hanover recalls that, “James M Cox did his best to keep rationed items, such as silk stockings, on hand. He was a fine person to work for and always made jobs available to ‘Ashland Girls’ at Christmas  time.”

Interior of D.B. Cox Department Store.

James M. Cox died in 1951 and in 1955 the department store  was sold to Joseph Andrews and Fairfax Davis.  They continued under the name Cox, Inc. until about 1960.

D.B. Cox’s granddaughter, Fan Cox Etienne was an Ashland resident who now lives in Richmond. James M. Cox’s grandchildren who live in Ashland today are Jim Cox, Betsy Cox, Jack Stevenson and Pen Stevenson. Jack Stevenson reminisced about the store and his ancestors in a short video produced by Tom Wulf.

Portions of this were taken from an article written by Judy Lowry for the Hanover County Historical Society Bulletin, No.3, Winter 2005, and portions were added by Cox family members.

Historical photos and memorabilia will be on display. Several members of the Cox family will be in attendance. Come celebrate the 100th anniversary of this landmark building, share memories, learn about Ashland’s history and have a piece of cake! This is a joint project of the Museum and Ashland Main Street Association.

Did  you know that the pilot of one of first planes hijacked by the PLO is interred in Woodland?  Secretariat’s owner is there too. Have you heard about Ashland’s connection with abolitionist John Brown?

Cost:  $15 each, $10 for members. Registration and payment in advance is required. Tour is limited to 20 participants.

Register now for the tour on Saturday, May 18, 5:00 pm.

Save time – Register online – use our event registration form and pay for your tickets via PayPal.

Or, send in a check with your name, address, telephone number and/or email address to: Ashland Museum, P.O. Box 633, Ashland, VA 23005.

Tour will be held rain or shine. No refunds. Dress for the weather and wear sturdy walking shoes since we’ll be walking on uneven ground and paths.

Woodland Cemetery is at 11310 Hanover Ave., Ashland, VA 23005. Google Map. Park along the side roads inside the cemetery. We’ll meet by the flag poles that are midway on the main cemetery road.  Tour should last about 1 hour.

The cost is $150 per child, and $125 for members with an Ashland Museum Family Membership or higher. A $50 deposit is due by July 29, 2013, and balance of tuition ($100/$75) and all paperwork are due by August 5, 2013. Parents will also want to supply a small amount of spending money for occasional trips to Cross Brothers for snacks or lunch at the Smithsonian on Friday.

If you are unable to download the History Camp information and registration form (PDF) or have questions, please fill out our “Tell-Me-More” form, or call or email Rosanne Shalf, 798-3783, jrshalf@gmail.com.

In 1919, the bank built an impressive brick building at 103 North Railroad Avenue in the latest Beaux Arts fashion, complete with paired columns and a classical arched window.

The bank was so proud of their new building that a fine pen and ink drawing was printed on their checks during the 1920′s (below).

The bank was acquired by First Virginia Bank in 1985, which was then acquired by Branch Banking and Trust Company of Virginia (BB&T) in 2003. No longer home to a bank, the distinctive Hanover Bank building is still a landmark on the tracks in downtown Ashland, providing unique commercial office space.

Lapel pins will be available at the Ashland Museum and Cross Brothers Grocery store for a $1 suggested donation, beginning Saturday, Feb. 9.

At 1 pm, Faye Prichard, Ashland’s Mayor, will cut the birthday cake and all are invited for cake and hot chocolate.  At 1:45 pm, we will show the documentary, A Railroad Runs Through It: The Unique History of a Virginia Train Town.  Other activities for the day include the museum exhibit, “From Antebellum Resort to Civil War Town: Ashland, Virginia from 1836 to 1865,” Mr. Meyberg’s penny candy for sale, a model train display, and tours of the 1926 renovated caboose. The “Faces” birthday cake sculpture from Ashland’s 150th anniversary celebration in 2008 is also on display.  In the evening at 4 pm, we will have a tour of Ashland’s Historic Downtown by Susan Tucker and Rosanne Shalf.  (Tickets are required for walking tour.)

In addition to the celebration on February 16, Ashland residents are asked to demonstrate pride in their town by joining in the “Tie a Ribbon for Ashland” effort.  Hang a flag or put a red, white, and blue ribbon on the outside of your home – around a tree, on a lamp post or column, or on a wreath – as well as on your lapel throughout Founders Day week,  February 16^th through February 23rd. Lapel pins will be available at the Ashland Museum and at Cross Brothers Grocery store for a $1 suggested donation,  beginning Saturday, Feb 9.

Times:  10 am to 4 pm, Ashland Museum and Ashland’s Red Caboose are open

1 pm, Mayor Prichard cuts the birthday cake

1:45 pm, Documentary: “A Railroad Runs Through It: The Unique History of a Virginia Train Town”

4 pm to 6 pm, Walking tour of historic downtown Ashland (reservations required, $10-$15)

Cost:  Free admission to museum, Red Caboose and movie. Walking tour – $10/members, $15/non-members.

Read about this event in the Mechanicsville Local.

 Twelve photographs of architectural details or sections of items located within a one block radius of The Ashland Museum have been compiled.  Using the photo sheet for Adults or Kids, walk about and  locate or identify each item. Pick up an photo sheet at the Ashland Museum or print a copy from the PDF posted here.

            Happy hunting!!

Ashland in Detail Scavenger Hunt

• - Entry Form (pdf)
• - Photo Sheet for Adults (pdf)
• - Photo Sheet for Kids (pdf)