This small cottage with Gothic roofline at 225 South Main Street was probably built in the 1850's or before. During the late 1800's it was used as a millinery shop by Lovell Keatts, hat designer.
It has been suggested that the name “Lovell Keatts” may have come to be a local synonym for “high fashion,” thus possibly explaining an otherwise puzzling local feminine given name, “Lover Kate,” of an earlier generation.
The original builder of the house was probably William Linthicum. In addition to the Keatts family, subsequent owners of the house have included the Hubbard, Collie, McCormick, and Harris families.
For further information, see:
Fitzgerald: Pittsylvania: Homes and People of the Past
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Copyright © 2000–2006 Patricia B. Mitchell.