History
The Hogshead Building, at 1 East Beverley Street, has been a significant location in Staunton, Virginia since its construction circa 1877. Centered in the Beverley Historic District, it has served as the location of the Allen & Hogshead grocery and drug store from the 1870's until 1972.
Known as the "Corner Drug Store," it provided staples, medication, general supplies, paint, and bottled their own soda. Its numerous owners and partners,included William Allen, J.B. Shaw, and most notably Thomas Hogshead. The second and third floors served as physician offices, a photography studio and lab, a tailor, as well as many other small businesses over its more than a century of service.
Most recently, it housed The Bookstack bookstore from 1990 to 2010. Many of Staunton’s long-time residents have memories of parents or themselvesworking at Hogshead's, shopping there, or simply enjoying a malt at the ice cream counter. The renovation of this property is restoring an important and widely known building situated at the heart of this vibrant historic district.
The Beverley Historic District in Staunton, Virginia is roughly bounded by Lewis, Frederick and Market streets and the Wharf Area Historic District to the South. During the 1830's, Staunton was hardly more than a village with a population of about 2,000. The Virginia Central Railroad arrived in 1852, bringing Staunton unprecendented economic growth and development. Modern Staunton, with about 24,000 residents today, continues to be a transportation hub in the heart of Virginia’s education and technology corridor.
Staunton's Beverley Historic District, begun as part of a mid-18th-century settlement founded on the land of William Beverley, includes approximately 150 buildings in some 11 blocks of downtown Staunton. Its principal business artery, Beverley Street, is a classic Victorian main street.
This and the district's secondary streets have few detracting modern intrusions. The dome of the Augusta County Courthouse, the old YMCA clock tower, the observation tower of the Masonic building and several church spires enliven its skyline. Remarkably untouched by the Civil War, nearly every phase of the region's 19th- and early 20th-century architectural development is to be found on the narrow streets, from Federal-period shops to a Beaux Arts bank. The buildings reflect Staunton's growth from an early mill settlement to one of the Shenandoah Valley's most prosperous communities.
