Benjamin H. Gorrell


Company Names, addresses, dates:
  B.H. Gorrell, "next to Bookstore", Lexington VA (1868-1879) 1,2
  B.H. Gorrell, Main St. "Opposite National Hotel", Lexington VA (1879-ca.1910 2,3
  Gorrell's Drug Store, 17 West Nelson St., Lexington VA (ca.1910-1926) 3,4
  Wayland-Gorrell Drug Co, Lexington VA (1920-ca.1935) 5,6

Notes:
Benjamin Harvey Gorrell Sr. (1841-1889)7 was born in Jefferson County WVa, and moved to Culpeper VA where he went into the drugstore business with his brother Joseph B. Gorrell . Then the civil war started, and he entered the Confederate Army. He was wounded in Petersburg in 1864. He came to Lexington VA in 1867. 8

He opened a drugstore in Lexington in 1868. The newspaper announcement said it was located "Next to the Bookstore". 1
The location changed in 1879, where the new location was described as "the old store-room of Antrim & Lafferty, on Main Street, opposite National Hotel". 2

Gorrell was at one time president of the Virginia Pharmaceutical Association. He passed away in 1898.8

His son, Benjamin Harvey Gorrell Jr. (1869-1950)9, took over the drug store.

In 1920, there was a split. Benjamin Jr. joined up with E.L. Wayland to form the Wayland-Gorrell Drug Co. 5
Also around 1920, Benjamin Jr. and the other heirs of Benjamin Sr. sold the Gorrell Drug store, but it continued to be called Gorrell's Drug Store until 1926, when it was renamed Rice's Drug Store, with Tom J. Rice as the proprietor. 4

In 1922, Benjamin Jr. moved to Philadelphia, but the Wayland-Gorrell drugstore name did not change, with Mr. Wayland being the sole proprietor. The Wayland-Gorrell drug company continued until on or about 1935, which was the last year I could find any ads for said store. 6


Bottles:
gorrell_01 This is a clear 3.7" bottle embossed:
vertical: B.H. GORRELL / LEXINGTON, VA.
gorrell_02 This is a clear 4.0" bottle embossed:
vertical: GORRELL DRUG CO INC. / THE NELSON ST. DRUG STORE / PHONE 41 LEXINGTON, VA.
gorrell_05 This is a clear shard from an embossed bottle that broke (clumsy post office!). It is embossed:
vertical: Gorrell's / DRUG / STORE / LEXINGTON, VA.
gorrell_08 This is the glued-back-together bottle from the shard shown above. It's 4.5" tall, and is embossed:
vertical: Gorrell's / DRUG / STORE / LEXINGTON, VA.
base: W T & CO / O / U. S. A.
gorrell_03 These are clear 6.8" (8 oz) and 5.5" (4 oz) bottles embossed:
horizontal (left bottle): 3 viii
horizontal (right bottle): 3 iv
vertical: Gorrell's / DRUG / STORE
base (left bottle): *** / WT&CO / C / USA
base (right bottle): *** / WT&CO / D / USA
They don't say "Lexington", but if you compare them to the shard above (which does say 'Lexington'), it's the same design. Further proof: the face of the bottle below is embossed the same as these, and it has a Lexington label.
gorrell_04 This is a clear 3.5" bottle. It is embossed the same as the bottle above, but it also has a label:
vertical embossing: Gorrell's / DRUG / STORE
label: GRADUATED / B.H. GORRELL. / PHARMACIST / LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA
base: WT&CO / C / USA



Other Items:
gorrell_06 This is a 1.8" x 1.8" cardboard box with a label from 1919 that says:
label: GORRELL's / DRUG STORE / PHONE No 41. / 17 WEST NELSON ST. / LEXINGTON, VA. No. 144480 Dr McClurg ... 4/12/1919


1 Gazette & Banner newspaper (Lexington VA), 02-Sep-1868, p.4 "New Drug Store"
2 Lexington Gazette, 18-Apr-1879, p.2 "Change of Stand"
3 Rockbridge County News, 6-Jan-1910, p.3 (earliest ad I found for B.H. Gorrell at 17 West Nelson St)
4 Lexington Gazette, 18-Aug-1926, p.5 "Change in Name"
5 Rockbridge County News, 19-Aug-1920, p.1 (Wayland-Gorrell announcement)
6 Rockbridge County News, 2-May-1935, p.7 (last ad I could find for Wayland-Gorrell)
7 Find-a-grave entry for BenjamiN Harvey Gorrel Sr.
8 Lexington Gazette, 8-Jun-1898, p.4 (obituary for B.H. Gorrell Sr.)
9 Find-a-grave entry for Benjamin Harvey Gorrell Jr.


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This page last updated on May 26, 2024.