Pettus' Drug Store


Company Names, addresses, dates:
  Hailey, Pettus & Priddy, corner King & Jeffries St., Keysville VA (1907-19??) 2
  Pettus Bros Supply Co, Keysville VA (19??-1919) 3
  Pettus' Drug Store, 110 King Street, Keysville VA (c.1919-1937) 3

Notes:
George Overton Pettus (1886-1937)1 teamed up with J.C. Priddy and opened a store in Keysville under the name Hailey, Pettus & Priddy in February of 1907. They were described as young men of energy and push2. It's not clear if this was a drug store, or just a "general store".
In April of 1919, George bought out his brother Hunter R. Pettus and assumed sole control of the store formerly called "Pettus Bros. Supply Co.". Sometime after that, the name changed to the "Pettus Drug Company".
George Pettus died on January 10, 1937, when he was fatally injured in an auto accident4.

Bottles:

pettus_01 Clear 3.5" bottle marked:
embossing on back: The Rexall Store
label on front: AROMATIC SPIRIT AMMONIA / ALCOHOL 68 PER CENT / DOSE: 30 to 60 dropps in a little water / PETTUS' DRUG STR/ PRESCRIPTIONS A SPECIALTY / KEYSVILLE, VIRGINIA



Other items:
pettus_02 This is a 5.5" x 6.5" receipt that says:
Pettus' Drug Store / R.E. PETTUS, Proprietor / Prescription Druggists / The Rexall Store / SODAS, CIGARS WHITMAN'S CANDIES / Keysvill, VA., Mar 28, 1935 / Sold To E.C. Wallace
pettus_03 This is a postcard depicting the Pettus Drug store. It is postmarked 1935. On the back, it says:
Published by Pettus Drug Store, Keysville, Va.
pettus_04 This is a modern photo from Google Earth, snipped in February of 2020. I beleive that the building on the far right with the "VABC" sign is the one that once housed the Pettus Drug Store, based on a comparison with the postcard above. The address of that building is 110 King Street.


1 VA death record 2118 for George O Pettus in Farmville VA, died 1-10-1937
2 Richmond Daily Dispatch newspaper, 1907-02-19, page 6
3 Richmond Times Dispatch newspaper, 1919-04-18, page 17
4 Richmond Times Dispatch newspaper, 1937-01-14, page 10 (obituary)


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This page last updated on February 28, 2020.