J. B. Davies Dry Goods Store

Photo of J. B. Davies Store, taken by Mrs. Coleman Parker (Lelia Payne Turner) on July 12, 1927, the day of the fire.



This red brick building was the site of the J. B. Davies Dry Goods Store, where Jerry's brother Aubrey worked as a boy after he had to stop working at the Manring Hotel after he burned his leg badly while starting one the morning fires in the wood stove in a guest room of the hotel. He made the childish mistake of pouring kerosene on the fire to get it going faster.

Near the dry goods store, and probably next to the vacant lot in the photo, was Mrs. Allen's Furniture Store. After the fire, Jerry and Aubrey got jobs gathering, cleaning and stacking burned and damaged bricks. They were paid the grand sum of $ .01 per brick, but they worked hard at one of the few available sources of money after the fire. They were grateful to have any work at all.