Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Nelson & Myers Hardware Store |
Description |
Nelson & Myers Hardware opened their new store on the south side of East Campbell Avenue at 17 East Campbell on January 28, 1898, in this building constructed in 1897. In 1902, the firm reorganized as Nelson Hardware Company when Henry Myers died. A portion of the Marsteller Marble Works building is shown on the left side of the photograph. The following information was taken from the book "History of Roanoke County" by George S. Jack and Edward Boyle Jacobs, page 197: Alexander M. Nelson was born near Staunton in Augusta County, Virginia, on August 25, 1859. He began his business career in 1875 as a clerk in a hardware store conducted by his uncle Henry H. Myers in Lexington, Virginia. He was associated with this business for a period of eight years until the fall 1883,when he entered into a co-partnership with Mr. Myers and established a hardware business in Culpeper,Virginia under the firm name of Alexander M. Nelson & Company. This business was conducted successfully for four and one half years, but wishing to handle merchandise on a larger scale and regarding the opportunities presented by the growing city of Roanoke as ideal, Mr. Nelson moved to Roanoke in the spring of 1888. He named his new firm Nelson & Myers and the business was first conducted on Commerce Street (the Roanoke City Directory for 1896-1897 states the address as 207 Commerce Street, SW), at that time the most prominent street in the city. The business immediately sprang into prominence in its line of trade and continued at that location until 1897, when the business was removed to Number 17 East Campbell Avenue. The firm name remained the same until the death of Mr. Myers in August 1901 when a stock company was formed under the name of the Nelson Hardware Company. The business of the Nelson Hardware Company has expanded with the city's growth until it is now one of the leading wholesale and retail hardware houses in the State. The building located at 207 Bullitt Avenue in downtown Roanoke (most recently occupied by Mostly Sofas) was also known as the Nelson Hardware Company Warehouse #2. After a fire in the Nelson Hardware building, it was torn down. The new Nelson Hardware building was constructed on the adjacent lot to the east and this lot. |
Object ID |
1990.69.470 |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Date |
circa 1900 |
Year Range from |
1898 |
Year Range to |
1903 |
Subjects |
Building Buildings Street railroad tracks Street scenes Streetcar tracks Shovels Utility poles Hammocks Fencing Storefronts Store windows Signs Streets, brick Sidewalks, brick Hardware stores |
Search Terms |
Bullitt Avenue SE Campbell Avenue Campbell Avenue, Southeast Commerce Street Marsteller Marble Works Nelson & Meyers Hardware Nelson Hardware Company |
People |
Meyers, Henry H. Nelson, Alexander M. |
Collection |
History Museum Photograph Collection |
Imagefile |
011\199069470.JPG |
Number of images |
1 |