Town Council, Chatham, Virginia, 1900

Top row:
- W. M. Tredway, Jr. — Attorney at Law — Mayor.
Rear row, left to right:
- Dr. S. J. Turner — Councilman — Druggist — drug store was located in the building that is in 1965 owned by Lem Hall — Western Auto Store;
- James W. Collie, Councilman — was a U. S. Postal Clerk — later was active in Banking — First National Bank, and was builder of the Powell Hotel Apartments;
- J. Hunt Hargrave — Councilman — President of Planters Bank & Trust Co.; [see also his home].
Front row, left to right:
- W. K. Graves — Police Officer;
- Charles G. Sours — Councilman — Merchant — (1857-1907); [see also his home and extensive Sours family papers];
- Samuel S. Spruce — Councilman — Merchant — store was located at southern half of the Dr. Randall Reynolds' Building (used as a restaurant in 1965);
- J. Henry Bolanz — Councilman — Merchant — "On the Corner — Santa-Claus Head Quarters" — store was located at the northwestern [corner of the] intersection [of] Main and Depot Streets; [see also his home].

The iron fence, steps and porch railings at the Pittsylvania County, Virginia, Courthouse were made in the Jacob Sours (1823-1888) Foundry which was at one time located in connection with Flippins Mill in Dan River District of Pittsylvania County. The Sours Foundry was later located on the western side of Main Street of Chatham, on the lot now (in 1965) occupied by the hardware store of Roy Montgomery [see correction below]. The Sours Foundry lot was later occupied as the site of the C. G. Sours' store and one of the thirteen bar-rooms of the Town of Competition, later named the Town of Chatham, Virginia.

The goods' box in the left of the picture bears the name of H. D. Shepherd, who was a department store operator at the 1965 site of the Planters Bank & Trust Company. Mr. Shepherd was a Delegate to the Virginia General Assembly, representing Pittsylvania County.

Notes

The photograph is from the collection of Wayne Mayhew, Chatham, Virginia, and is used with permission.
The original photographer is unknown.
The author of the descriptive text above is the late W. B. “Buck” Sours (information provided by Mary Catherine Sours Plaster, 2006).
The Sours Foundry building has been replaced by the building now occupied (2006) by the optometrists' office at 32 North Main Street (information provided by Mary Catherine Sours Plaster, 2006).

This website is sponsored by Mitchells Publications and the Sims-Mitchell House, Chatham, Virginia.