Morris Drug Store


Company Names, addresses, dates: 1,2
  Morris Drug Store, 126 E. Davis Street, Culpeper VA (1922-ca.1940s)

Notes:
 The Morris brothers were Fred Dewitt Morris (1895-1960)3 and William Gaines Morris Jr. (1900-1972)4. They started the Morris drug store in December 1922 in the Morris Building on Davis Street1.
I don't know where the "Morris Building" is, but a 1937 receipt below lists the Morris drug store at 126 E Davis Street. A map of modern day Culpeper shows two connected buildings at 122 and 128 E Davis Street, but no 126 E Davis Street.

I don't know when the Morris drug store stopped operation, but both Fred and Willie Morris show up in the US Census from both 1930 and 1940 as owning a drug store, but Willie shows up in the 1950 Census as working in a store for Tombstones, so I presume the drug store ceased by 1950. I haven't found a 1950 Census entry for Fred.2


Bottles:
morris_01 This is my largest Drug store bottle - it's 10.6" tall, and held 32 ounces. It's clear, machine-made, embossed with the size (3xxxii) and gradation marks for ounces & CCs, and it has a white applied colored label (ACL) that says:
white ACL: MORRIS / DRUG STORE / (mortar & pestle with 'Rx') / DIAL ~ 2751 / CULPEPER / VA.



Other Items:
morris_04 This is a receipt from 1937. It says:
Header: F.D.MORRIS             W.G.MORRIS, JR. / CULPEPER, VA. NOV. 19 1937 / Mrs. M.J.Redd / AGENCY / WHITMAN'S / CHOCOLATES / IN ACCOUNT WITH / MORRIS DRUG STORE / DRUGS, SODAS, TOBACCOs / SHAEFFER / PENS, PENCILS / 126 E. DAVIS ST. TERMS 30 DAYS PHONES 57 and 419
handwritten: RxN6413 Rx148965 Rx148966 / PAID 11-26-37 / This statement enclosed as requested by Dr. Eastham / Please accept our thanks for opening account with us.
morris_05 This is a receipt from 1941. It says:
Header: F.D.MORRIS             W.G.MORRIS, JR. / CULPEPER, VA. FEB 23 1941 / M Mary J Finks / AGENCY / WHITMAN'S / CHOCOLATES / IN ACCOUNT WITH / MORRIS DRUG STORE / DRUGS, SODAS, TOBACCOs / SHAEFFER / PENS, PENCILS / 126 E. DAVIS ST. TERMS 30 DAYS DIAL 2751 and 2331
handwritten: RxN6413 Rx148965 Rx148966 / PAID 11-26-37 / This statement enclosed as requested by Dr. Eastham / Please accept our thanks for opening account with us.

Note that the heading on this receipt differs from the one on the 1937 receipt above in that the phone numbers are longer (4-digits).
morris_06 This is presumably the envelope that the above receipt came in. It says:
return address: MORRIS DRUG STORE / 126 E Davis St. / Culpeper, Virginia
Post Office Cancel: CULPEPER / MAR 1 / 1941 / 5 AM / VA.
Address: Miss Mary J. Finn / RFD / Culpepper, Va
morris_07a morris_07b This is a circa 1936 coupon for 1 cent (front and rear shown). It says:
front: ... / MORRIS DRUG STORE / QUALITY DRUGS / 126 E. Davis St. Culpeper Va. /...
rear: ... Penny / Bond / ... / Copyright 1936, Penny Bond Company, Pittsburg, Pa.
morris_02 morris_03 This is a cardboard fan with a picture of a windmill on the front. On the back, it says:
Black letters: Compliments of / Morris Drug Store / Culpeper, Va. / "THE HOME OF GOOD DRINKS"
In small print: THE KEMPER-THOMAS CO. CINCINNATI, OHIO


1 Richmond Times Dispatch, December 17, 1922, page 28
2 US Census entries for Willie G. Morris (see discussion in text above)
3 Find-a-grave entry for Fred Dewitt Morris
4 Find-a-grave entry for William G. Morris


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This page last updated on May 11, 2024.