Lovell & Grainger Building ca 1876
At the south west corner of Main and Cedar Street is the Lovell and Grainger Building. In 1874, R.M. Hester sold his saloon to Pleasant Mayes and J. Hunt. There was a stairway on the exterior of the east side of the building which led to the game rooms in the basement. Mayes and Plummer Hardware was in the building as early as 1883. In 1886 Franklin Hardware was located here and had three original partners. J. T. Lovell from Robertson County had purchased a 640-acre farm on Red River in 1892. J. A. Clark was born in 1867 in Logan county and had moved to Franklin. W. E. Grainger was farmer and got into this business in 1896. It was later advertised as Lovell and Huffines and then in 1910 Joel Lucas and Henry Conn bought it. In 1926 it became Hughes and Tiffany Hardware Company. Later it became Hughes Hardware and moved to the west side of the square.
In 1931 the building was leased to Lerman Bros., a department store chain out of Louisville, Ky. The store was remodeled at this time and the store front was changed. Lerman Bros. operated the store until 1974. When Kentucky Finance move out in 1990, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Jernigan opened Classic Image Antiques. After that business closed in 2018, it was remodeled and became home to Cozy Corner.
Childress Building ca 1915
In 1886 there were two buildings on this location. The building on the east is masonry while the building on the west mostly a wood framed building. At that time there was a saloon and a store at this location. Over the next twenty years the building a variety of businesses operating in the two buildings such as a harness shop, grocery store, hardware store, and dry goods store. In 1913 a single building was on the lot of masonry construction hardware and buggies business at this location. G.C. Childress built the building currently located there and from 1915 to 1926. H.A. McElroy operated a 5&10 cent store here. In 1926, Kuhns opened their 24th store here.
By 1948, Chandlers Department Store operated here. Chandlers closed in 1958 and Franklin Bank and Trust Company leased the building. It was remodeled and the store front covered with marble and new windows and doors installed. The second-floor exterior was left intact until 1974 when as part of the “Town Lift” beautification project, the second-floor exterior was covered with grey steel. In 1991 the county purchased the building for use as a courthouse annex.
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W.R. Jackson Building 1892
This location is one of the few buildings on the square that looks the same as it did when it was built. There had been a small store located here previously but in 1892 the present building was built, and W.R. Jackson moved his jewelry operations from the R.H. Moore Drug Store, where he had operated since 1875, to this building. Mr. Jackson stocked precious stones, gold and silver jewelry, watches and clocks and optical goods. C.E. Biggs took care of the watch and clock repair while Mr. Jackson took care of the optical business.
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In 1916 he hired an apprentice, Jesse T. Mallory and in 1925 when Jackson’s health began to fail, Mallory bought the business. Mr. Mallory hired a sixteen-year-old apprentice, Frank Shannon, who worked in the jewelry business for sixty-one years in Franklin. Mallory operated the business until 1975.
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Patterson and Knapp Building 1890
This site was the home and office of one of the real pioneers of Franklin, Dr. John Arnold Crowdus, born in Marion County, KY in 1785 and graduated Jefferson College in Philadelphia in 1815. He then moved to Franklin before it was officially a city in 1819. His father fought in the Revolutionary War and his mother was a sister to Benedict Arnold. He died in 1847and is buried in Greenlawn Cemetery.
In 1880 this location housed Fox’s Bakery and Confectionary. It was operated by Joseph Fox who was a native of Bavaria. Mr. Fox eventually moved to Nashville but when he died in 1888, he was brought back to Greenlawn Cemetery to be buried with his family. There was later a five and dime owned by a Mr. Mathews and a barber shop there also.
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The present Patterson and Knapp building was built in 1890. It housed a hardware business that had been originally started in 1863 by G.H. Patterson and P.H. Gooch. The business later became Patterson and Neely before becoming Patterson and Knapp in 1884. Mr. Patterson retired in 1887 and it became the H.H. Knapp Dry Goods company.
The building was described in 1912 as a modern structure with a balcony and an elevator. It was outfitted with the latest fixtures and conveniences for the display of goods and comfort of their patrons. The store sold clothes shoes, furniture, carpets, draperies, sewing machines, linoleum, shades and other notions among other things. It was said to be goods of the highest quality at a reasonable price.
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In 1930 Harris Hardware purchased the business and inventory and moved from the Wright Building on the north east corner of the square to this location. In 1947 the business was sold and operated as Sanford Hardware until 1957.
In 1958 Kuhns Stores moved into the building. Kuhns also absorbed a small building on the west side to be included into the store. The building was remodeled and a new store front with aluminum window and doors was installed and a metal facia was installed across the front. The upper floors remained mostly unchanged on the exterior.
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In the 1970s the building became a Dollar General Store and began to fall into a state of disrepair. In 2006 the building was restored and looks as good as it did in 1890.
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B.W. Neely Building ca. 1886
The Neely Building is on Cedar Street between R.H. Moore Drug Store Building and the Patterson and Knapp Building. The exterior second floor looks the same as Moore’s Drug Store building next door except it looks as if two windows were enlarged at some point. There was an exterior staircase on the east side in 1886 that disappeared by 1891.
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In the years from 1886 to 1913 the building was a store with an art school on the second floor. A bakery, a grocery and stationary store in 1901, grocery and hardware store, and a clothing store. Before 1902 there was a store here operated by R.S. "Dick" Wilkerson. From 1902 until 1905 this was the home of Franklin Bargain House initially operated by G.A. Williams and then by C.W. Stone. In 1908 Dr. B.W. Neely purchased the building and opened his practice on the second floor. In 1936 he was joined in the practice by his son, Dr. Bassett Neely.
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The building was occupied by Williams & Ferguson Company which also was operating in the east half of the R. H. Moore Drug Store building. After Williams & Ferguson closed, Isaac Ghinsberg operated a dry goods store in this location. Godfrey Harris then operated a bowling alley on the first floor and had pool tables on the second floor. Moran P. Temple then leased the store and operated a dry goods store before selling In 1929 to Earl Law and Shelby Riggs who operated a men's clothing and jewelry store on the first floor. In 1939 J.M. Smith began operating his insurance agency from an office on the second floor.
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In 1941, Glen Malone moved his Holloway Shoe Department from this building to the east side of the square and Lois Glynn Beauty Salon, operated by Ara Thompson with Virginia Gillespie and Doris Yokley moved into the building. When Kuhns moved into the Patterson and Knapp Building, they added this building into their store, and when Dollar General Store moved into the Patterson and Knapp Building, they also operated in the Neely Building.
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P.H. Gooch Building 1875
This was the location of what was described as a palatial home of the Swearingen family. This was a three story home that took up the entire lots where Moore's Drug Store and The Williams and Ferguson Store was located. Shrubbery and flowers decorated the yard and the residence was described as one of the finest in the state. Many notable and memorable entertainments were given at the home and many prominent men and ladies of national repute attended. The home was destroyed by fire.
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This was known as the PH Gooch Building. Patrick Henry Gooch was born in Columbia, TN in 1830 and moved to Franklin by 1860. He was a prominent businessman and died in 1917. It is possible that he built the building but can not be confirmed.
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Around 1875 R.H. Moore opened his drug store that he had purchased for Dr. William Swann on the west side of the building. In 1879 the east side of the building was home to the furniture store of E.D. Williams and D. A. West. The store later became Williams and Stringer, then Williams Stringer and Neely, and then Williams and Neely. By 1912 the east side of the building was the location of Williams, Ferguson and Company, a clothing store. The business was owned by E.D. Williams, Ben Ferguson and Molly McClean. They also sold a line of furniture on the second floor.
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The east side of the building became vacant for a time before Isaac Ginsberg, a Russian immigrant, opened Franklin Dry Goods. In 1930 Ginsberg moved his store to the east side of the square and Godfrey opened a bowling alley with pool tables upstairs. In 1931 Kroger moved into the building. In the 1940’s Pierce Jewelry was located on the second floor and had a street level entrance. Pierce Jewelry moved in 1948. In 1955 Kroger moved and Moore’s Drug Store expanded into the space.
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In the early 1900’s the drug store was owned by R.H. Moore, his son R.G. Moore, and George Lewis. When R.H. Moore died, his interest was acquired by Emory Dent and later George Lewis sold his interest to George Duncan. When R.G. Moore retired, he sold his interest to Emory Dent who sold it to Cyril Duncan in 1941. About this time a variety of other lines were added to the store. The soda fountain had been added in 1916. In 1941, Cyril Duncan and his brother George Duncan purchase the remaining interest in the business. Later, Carl Schwab and Robert Graves became partners in the business. Schwab retired in 1981 and in 2009 Graves retired and R.H. Moore Drug Company was no longer the oldest business on the square.
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Simpson County Bank Building ca 1918
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On the west side of the R.H. Moore Drug Store, in 1871 there was a three-story masonry building known as the Montague Building that housed a store on the first floor, a dentist office on the second floor, and a photo studio on the third floor. In 1892 a grocery and ag implement store was on the first floor. At one time Miss Maggie Lively operated a millinery store in the building. After she retired Ben Bradley and H.H. Knapp operated the Crystal Theater in the building. We know the Crystal was operating here in 1913 but by 1918 the building was razed and the new building became the location of Simpson County Bank.
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Simpson County Bank's new building was a two story masonry structure. Simpson County Bank had previously been located in the adjacent building to the west of their new building since its founding in 1890.
Eventually Simpson County Bank purchased the building that it had formerly occupied from J.W. Pole and combined and remodeled the two buildings in 1961 as a larger home for Simpson County Bank. The front of the buildings was given a new glass and marble store front and the upper floors were completely covered to present a more modern look. The sidewalk in front of the building was even wired for heat to prevent the accumulation of snow. The original buildings were completely covered.
J.W. Pole Building ca. 1895
Located where the current Regions Bank operates was a two story masonry building that housed a storefront in 1886. When Simpson County Bank opened in 1890 this was chosen as the location.
When the bank moved one building over to the east in 1918, it became home for a clothing store and later Jolly Brothers operated a confectionary here. By 1927 the building was an office for Kentucky Utilities.
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The building became the location of National Men's Store and eventually was purchased by Simpson County Bank from J. W. Pole. In 1961 this building along with the building on its east side were combined and remodeled as a larger home for Simpson County Bank. The front of the buildings was given a new glass and marble store front and the upper floors were completely covered to present a more modern look. When restored in 1998 the front was not restored to its previous façade but was a great improvement from the previous remodel.
Larue Building 1900
In 1872 the brothers John and James Larue operated a store at this site on the south side of the square. The business grew so rapidly that they build a new building here in 1876. They continued to grow and in 1900 they tore that building down and built the present building.
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The architects for the building were the well-known McDonald Brothers firm of Louisville. The building was described as thirty-two by ninety-six feet with a fifteen-foot ceiling on the first floor. The front windows were beveled leaded glass with the name of the firm above in gold leaf. This dry goods company carried a line of clothing, shoes, hats, as well as furniture and carpet. In the early 1900’s the dry goods line was discontinued, and the firm sold clothing only.
In 1904 Ellis Malone bought an interest in the business as did Charlie Moore. Charlie Moore sold his interest to John Durham and the firm became known as Larue, Malone, and Durham and Larue Bros. Dry Goods ceased to exist. In 1913, Ellis Malone purchase the interest of his partners and the name was changed to Ellis Malone and Company. It was then a specialty clothing store for men and boys. In 1925 Ellis Malone sold the building to Floyd Bennett and Henry Smith and it became part of a thirty-two-store chain called The Comer Store. In 1929 the building became Crawford and Gatlin Inc. of which Glen Malone was an employee. When that chain went bankrupt it was purchased by The National Stores chain and had a grand opening on March 15, 1933 which had been declared a national holiday to preserve bank reserves. The store survived the Panic of 1933 even when the sales were only $24.76 one day.
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The store operated very successfully in this location until 1960 when it moved to the east side of the square and Simpson County Bank purchased the building for expansion of its business.
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The façade was covered over in the 1970's during the Town Lift project along with the façade of Simpson County Bank building, the Kentucky Utilities building and the Larue Building. Fortunately it was removed in 1998 and the buildings were restored.
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Wilson Building ca 1900
Before 1900 there seemed to be a building here that wasn's as deep as the current building. By 1901 the building was home to J.E. Newman Grocery. In 1904, A. D. Brodsky moved his dry goods business, the Grand Leader, to this location from the north side of the square and it operated here until about 1915. Then it became possibly the first Franklin “Five and Dime” operated by H.A. McElroy and Company.
In 1926 Kuhns purchased the business and moved down the street. In 1933 and 1934 it was occupied by the R. H. Flood Company. The building was later operated by Knapp’s Department Store and in 1935 became Bernard Lapidus Department Store. It closed in 1942 and became Gillespie Men's Store. Gillespie Dry Goods had operated next door in the Booker Building for many years. When Gillespies closed in 1970's, it became the location of Family Shoe Center until 1979. In the The upstairs became a studio for Tommy Hughes and then for Barrow-Skaggs Photography. The Gorin family then sold the building to Simpson County Bank in the early 1980's.
On the second floor for many or the early years were the offices of Dr. O.G. Wilson, Dr. J.J. Kelly and Dr. N.C. Witt. The building was known as the Wilson Building for many years and later known as the Gorin Building. Dr. Oliver Granderson Wilson moved to Franklin in 1900 and possibly built the building. Ownership of the building eventually passed to his daughter Lucy Wilson Gorin.
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Booker Building ca 1886
It seems this building was built between 1871 and 1886. The building to its east, the Wilson Building, seems identical but was built about 1900. Since the building has "Booker" across the top, it was possibly built by Verner Newman "Pete" Booker. Pete Booker, while later known as a mortician, was a partner in Booker Bros. Grocery on the west side of the square in 1909 and 1910 and since this building was listed as a grocery in 1892 it is possible that it was started as Booker Bros. Grocery but we can's be sure.
Gillespie Brothers was started in 1900 by E.L. Gillespie Sr and J Will Gillespie. J Will Gillespie eventually left the business, and it became Gillespie, Payne, and Mayes. E.L. Gillespie died in 1922 and his wife bought out the other partners and renamed it Gillespie Dry Goods Business. Eventually E.L. “Snooks” Gillespie became manager of the business. In 1951 Clark Gillespie broke his hip and was unable to return to the business. In 1953, Mary Rebecca Gillespie died. 1975, due to the declining health of Clark Gillespie and Eugene Gillespie and store manager Frances Russell, the store was sold to James Buckner and James Mooneyhan. It was Family Shoe Store and Family Department Store until 1979. In 1983 Simpson County Bank remodeled the building and turned it into a community meeting room. In 1984 the building became the investment firm of J.B. Hilliard and W. L. Lyons Inc.