Businesses and Organizations
Ashland, Virginia, is home to many businesses and organizations, past and present. The railroad has played a large role in commerce in this turn-of-the-century railroad town.
Ashland Theatre
The Ashland Theatre was not the first theater building in town. The first was built in 1931 by Douglas Halbert Covington at 301 S. Railroad Avenue. White patrons sat on the main floor and there was a balcony for African-Americans.
Post Office
The Ashland Post Office has had a long and storied history. An anonymous list found at the Ashland Post Office, shows that the Ashland area was originally served by Goodall’s Post Office, established in 1840, with Robert M. Carver as its first postmaster.
Hughes Drug
In 1899, pharmacist C.A. Barnes bought out a pharmacy owned by Woolfolk and Ellis. He established Barnes Drug Store just north of Thompson St on the west side of the railroad tracks.
Henry Clay Hotel (1906 - 1946)
In 1868, Randolph-Macon College relocated from Boydton, Virginia, and purchased the Ashland Hotel. That hotel was used for student housing as well as a site for school functions.
The Telephone Comes to Ashland
In 1903 the telephone came to Ashland. Julia Weisiger was the manager of the telephone exchange from that time until she retired 35 years later when the C&P Telephone Company installed a new automatic dialing system.
Hanover National Bank
On February 5, 1903, Hanover National Bank of Ashland was established in Ashland, VA
Cross Brothers Grocery
Brothers Herbert J. and Walter N. Cross opened their grocery store at 107 S. Railroad Ave. on May 12, 1912.
Business Section Early 20th Century
This photo shows the west side of the tracks, south of Thompson St. The Cox store is outside the photo frame to the right, at the corner of S. Railroad Ave. and Thompson St.
Meyberg’s Store
Before 1900, L.E.W. Meyberg, an immigrant to the United States from Germany, had been a clerk in various Ashland shops.
Barnes Drug Store
In 1899, pharmacist C.A. Barnes bought out a pharmacy owned by Woolfolk and Ellis. He established Barnes Drug Store just north of Thompson St on the west side of the railroad tracks.
Ella Cinders’ Tea Room
Ella Cinders’ Tea Room was located at the southwest corner of Myrtle Street and Route 1. In 1934, a customer wrote to a friend on this postcard, “The room is nice with steam heat and running water in the room.” The building was torn down, and AutoZone is now on the site.
D.B. Cox Department Store
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.