D.B. Cox Department Store of Ashland, A Nutshell History 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. [...]
On February 5, 1903, Hanover National Bank of Ashland was established in Ashland, VA (according to bank history records maintained by the FFIEC). Hanover Bank's first home was a little frame building erected north of Thompson St., near the post office. It was Hanover County's first bank. 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 [...]
At the end of the Civil War, Ashland, Hanover County and much of the South were bankrupt. But, when Randolph-Macon College came to town, the town of Ashland experience a building boom. New businesses were established to serve the residents, college students, faculty and staff. When it became evident that the college would remain on the hotel property, the railroad company asked the college to build a replacement hotel. So college trustee A. G. Brown [...]
Since the 1860's Ashland enjoyed popularity as a 'resort community serving those weary of city life. 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 Ashland Hotel burned down in 1905 and was rebuilt as the Henry Clay Hotel in 1906. This second hotel was located just north of today's location on Center Street. The [...]
Photo shows the "new" Ashland Post Office building on December 1, 1940. Today, this building houses private offices. The current post office, built in 1992, is on the next block just across Maple Street. 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 [...]
This is how the house at 805 South Center St. looked in the late 1920's.
Edwin Robinson amd the Richmond Fredericksburg & Potomac Railway Company developed Slash Cottage as a mineral springs resort on land that is now occupied by Randolph-Macon College. This 1854 lithograph of Slash Cottage mineral springs resort shows the hotel, ballroom, cottages, bathhouses, bowling alley, well, bar, kitchen and an octagonal gas house for lighting the buildings and grounds with acetylene gas. What was called by many “The Hotel,” or “The Cottage,” was actually about 17 [...]
The Hanover Arts & Activities Center is housed in the original Ashland Baptist Church at 500 South Center Street. History: When the Ashland Baptist Church moved west of town, the big question was, "What to do with the first church?" No one wanted to see it deteriorate from non-use and become an eyesore to the community. Some parishioners recommended selling the building and others simply wanted to destroy it. Little did they know that a [...]
This is the 1890s depot that was later replaced by the 1922-23 brick station on the west side of the tracks.