Trout Drug Co


Company Names, addresses, dates:
  Trout & Turner, Cloud & Main Streets, Front Royal VA (1901-1912) 1,2
  Trout & Turner, 201 E. Main Street, Front Royal VA (1912-1930) 2,3
  Trout Drug Co, 201 E Main Street, Front Royal VA (c.1930-c.1994) 3,4

Notes:
In 1901, Henry Trout, Marcus B. Turner, and Dr. D.J. Turner bought out the Schaarman & Co drug store. They called the new store "Trout & Turner".1

Isaac Henry Trout Sr. (1872-1946)5 was the senior member for Trout & Turner. He came to Front Royal in 1890, where he engaged in the drug store and theater businesses4.
His name is often listed in newspaper articles as "I. Henry Trout", so he presumably went by "Henry" rather than "Isaac".
He eventually became the sole owner of the business in 19304,6.

Mark Bird Turner (1880-1955)7 was one of Trout's partners in the Trout and Turner drug store1. He was listed as a registered assistant pharmacist in 19108.
I could not find evidence that he was related to the 3rd partner, Dr D. J. Turner (1871-1903)9, who had the same last name.

Location
The 1901 announcement for the new "Trout & Turner" drugstore said it was located at the corner of Cloud & Main Streets1. Newspaper ads for the store at that time said it was located "next to P.O.". The Front Royal Walking Tour pamphlet says that the Post Office was located inside the Amiss building2. That building is on the south-west corner of the intersection of Cloud & Main Streets, so presumably the drugstore was part of the Amiss building at that time.
A February 1910 newspaper ad said that Trout & Turner had moved to a new location .10 This may have been referring to the "Trout Building" at 201 E. Main Street, which is where the store eventually ended up. That building is depicted on a postcard shown below.

Name Confusion?
The Front Royal Walking Tour pamphlet2 referred to the firm as "Turner and Trout" instead of "Trout & Turner". I think maybe that was a misprint, because all of the newspaper ads I could find said "Trout & Turner".
For what it's worth, there was a firm called "Turner & Trout" in Front Royal at one time. It was located on the corner of Main & Chester Streets starting in 1872, but it was a different set of partners (James E. Turner and Wilbur A. Trout)11. I couldn't find references to that business after 1872, so it was likely short-lived.

Rexall
Starting about February of 1910, many of the newspaper ads referred to the store as a "Rexall Store", so apparently it joined the Rexall chain of drug stores about that time10.

Later Years
Some of the labeled bottles below say "W.E. Herr Pres.".
Winfred Eugene Herr (1908-1991)12 started working at the Trout Drug company in 193913. He is listed as a drugstore assitant manager in the 1940 US Census. The Census also indicates he was married to Trout's daughter, Laura Trout Herr, so he was Trout's son-in-law. I don't know what year he took over the Trout drug store, but it was likely on or before Henry Trout passed away in 1946.


Bottles:

trout_04 Clear 2.8" (1/2 ounce) bottle, embossed: front: TROUT & TURNER / THE Rexall STORE / FRONT ROYAL, VA.
rear: 1/2 OZ
trout_01 Amber 3" screw-top bottle with horizontal ridges, and a label that says:
label: GENTIAN VIOLET / ... / TROUT DRUG CO. INC. / W. H. HERR, PRES. / THE Rexall STORE / PHONE: ME 5-3115 FRONT ROYAL, VIRGINIA
trout_03 This is an amber 4" screw-top bottle with label that says:
label: THERMOTABS 100's / SALT TABLETS / ... / TROUT DRUG CO INC / W. E. HERR PRES. / THE Rexall STORE / PHONE: 635-3115 FRONT ROYAL, VIRGINIA
trout_07 This is an amber 4" screw-top art-deco bottle with label that says:
label: AROM. SPT. OF AMMONIA, U.S.P. / ... / TROUT DRUG CO / W. E. HERR OWNER / THE Rexall STORE / PHONE: 390 FRONT ROYAL, VIRGINIA
I think this is older than the labeled bottles above because the phone number is only 3 digits.



Other Items:
trout_09 This post card depicts the interior of the Trout Drug store. On the top is written:
    Trout Drug Co's. Store Front Royal, VA.
On the back side, it says:
    PUBLISHED BY TROUT & TURNER ... It looks like it had 3 tables set up. I don't know if that means they served food, or if they only served drinks (such as soda).
trout_08 This post card depicts the Trout & Turner Drug store. On the bottom is written:
TROUT & TURNER / DRUGGISTS / TROUT BUILDING, FRONT ROYAL. VA.
trout_02 This photo was taken June 2017. It depicts the building in the postcard above at 201 E. Main Street.
trout_05 This is a 6.2x3.5" cardboard advertisment for WAMPOLE'S PREPARATION, that says:
TROUT DRUG COMPANY / PHARMACISTS / FRONT ROYAL - VIRGINIA
It compares the product to other historic achievements such as the invention of the light bulb, the airplane, etc. It mentions the George Washington Bridge in 1931, so it dates to sometime after that.
trout_06a trout_06b This is a 24-page booklet for Dr. C.I.Shoop's products, copyrighted 1908. It describes various products from Dr Shoop including his Catarrh remedy, Lax-ets laxatives, Preventics (which claims to cure colds), Croup cure, Magic Ointment for Piles, etc. On the back is stamped:
TROUT & TURNER, DRUGGISTS, / FRONT ROYAL, VA.


1 Richmond Times Dispatch, 23-Jun-1901, page 11
2 Pamphlet: Walking Tour Front Royal VA published by Front Royal Visitor Center
3 Warren Sentinel, 01-Apr-1930, page 4 (Ad: "TROUT DRUG CO. Formerly Trout & Turner)
4 The Washington Post newspaper, 29-Sep-1946, page M3 (obituary for Henry Trout)
5 Find-a-grave for Isaac Henry Trout
6 Warren Sentinel, 23-May-1940, page 1 (article: Celebrates 40th Business Anniversary)
7 Virginia Death Certificate for Mark Bird Turner, b:18-Mar-1880, d:21-Jan-1955 in Front Royal VA
8 Mathews Journal, 5-May-1910, page 9
9 Find-a-grave for D. J. Turner
10 Warren Sentinel, 11-Feb-1910, page 3 (ad indicated Trout & Turner moved; mentions "Rexall")
11 Warren Sentinel, 30-Aug-1872, page 3 (ad for new firm "TURNER & TROUT")
12 Find-a-grave for Winfred E Herr Sr
13 Warren Sentinel, 26-Oct-1939, page 6 ("Herr brothers hardware is closing out its stock")


Back to my drugtstore bottle home page.


This page last updated on February 3, 2023.