Burke Archer


Company Names, addresses, dates:
  Archer & Co, 153 Main Street, Norfolk VA (1870-1877) 1,2
  Archer & Co, 132 Main Street corner Bank Street, Norfolk VA (1879-1880) 1,2
  Burke Archer, 6 Bank Street, Norfolk VA (1880-1895) 1,2

Notes:
Burke Archer (1837-1897) 3 is listed in the 1869 Norfolk city directory as a chemist, working for Seal & Newton. Starting in the 1870 city directories, he had his own drug store called "Archer & Co".1
I'm not sure who his partner was, but the 1870 residential section of the Norfolk directory listed him with "Archer, Smith & Co.", so he may have had a partner named Smith. 1

In 1879, there was an announcement that "Archer & Co" at the corner of Main and Bank Streets was being dissolved by mutual consent, and that Burke Archer was to continue the business at the same location and name. But in subsequent years that Norfolk directories list the name as "Burke Archer" without the "& Co". 1,2

The last year Archer's drug store appears in the Norfolk directories is 18951. Archer passed away in 18973.

Bottles:
archer_01 Clear 6.4" bottle embossed:
fancy oval slugplate: ARCHER / NORFOLK, VA.
base: W.T. & CO. / C / U.S.A.
archer_02 This bottle does not say Norfolk on it, but I suspect it's from Archer's apothocary in Norfolk. It's a clear 4.6" bottle embossed:
vertical in block letters: ARCHER
base: W.T. & CO. / A / U.S.A.


1 Norfolk City directories, 1851,66,70,72,74,75,77,80,82,83,85,86,88,89,91,92,94,95,97-99,1900-10,12-14-16,19,20,22-25,27,28,30,33-35,38-40,49,51-54,60
2 Norfolk Landmark, 9-Feb-1879, p.2 (notice that begins "DISSOLUTION")
3 Find-a-grave entry for Burke Archer


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This page last updated on July 11, 2025.