Baptist's Drug Store


Company Names, addresses, dates: 1
  Baptist's Drug Store, 5405 Main Street, Stephens City VA (1947-????)

Notes:
Maurice J. Baptist (1881-1967)2 opened this drugstore in 19471. The 1900 census lists Baptist as a student in Williamsburg - he would have been about 19 years old. In 1909, M.J. Baptist was secretary & treasurer of the newly formed Bowen Drug Company in Newport News3. The 1920 census lists Baptist as a druggist for Peoples Drug Store in Winchester VA. The 1930 Census lists Baptist as a pharmacist for a drug store in Washington, D.C. And the 1940 Census lists Baptist as the proprietor of a Peoples Drug Store in Middleburg, VA. So Baptist moved around alot before coming to Stephens City.
Based on the labels on the bottles below, his Stephens City store was part of the Rexall chain of drug stores.
Druggists that followed Baptist included Thomas Horn & Roger Sager1.

I have a bottle from the Boyce Pharmacy with a label that says "M.J. Baptist" was the proprietor, but I don't know what years he ran the store in Boyce. It may have been at the same time he ran the store in Stephens City, because those 2 towns are only about 6 miles apart.

The building at 5405 Main Street was built in 1920 to replace the old building that housed Steele & Dinges mercantile store from 1873 to 1906, and Nixon & Hinkle store from 1906 to 1919. This modern building was called the "J.A. Hinkle building".1

Bottles:

baptist_01 This is a clear 4.75" screw-top bottle with 1 1957 label:
label: Guy Conner / ... 12-9-57 / No. 43468 Dr. H.E.Melton / BAPTIST'S DRUG STORE / The Rexall Store / M.J. BAPTIST, PROPRIETOR / Phone 160 STEPHENS CITY, VIRGINIA
baptist_02 This is a clear 3.2" vial with a plastic stopper, and a label that says:
label: CARDOID & BILE SALTS / TABLETS / BAPTIST'S DRUG STORE / The Rexall Store / M.J. BAPTIST, PROPRIETOR / Phone 160 STEPHENS CITY, VIRGINIA



Other Items:
baptist_03 This photo, taken August 2019, shows the building that housed Baptists Drug Store at 5405 Main Street.
baptist_03 This is a 1.5" x 2.5" label from 1953 that says:
Mrs. Ritenour / ... 9-30-53 / ... / BAPTIST'S DRUG STORE / The Rexall Store / M.J. BAPTIST, PROPRIETOR / Phone 160 STEPHENS CITY, VIRGINIA


1 Book: "Images of America Stephens City" by Linden A Fravel & Byron C. Smith
2 Death Certificate for Maurice J. Baptist 67 019722
3 Richmond Times Dispatch, Jul 10, 1909, page 5




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This page last updated on Sept 2, 2019.