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T.B. Sutton Store

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The T.B. (Ben) Sutton General Store dates back to 1870 when it was purchased by W. H. Ragland at the Chancery Court - Clerk and Master sale. On June 7, 1880, Ragland sold the store to A.S. Cooper and James Hargis for $100.00. For the next 45 years, the store was owned by the Cooper family primarily along with several other individuals at various times. In the 1890's, it went by the name of Hargis & Son General Merchandise and Country Produce. In 1901, it changed to Shepherd & Cooper. In 1906 , it was Co oper & Brown, and then B.F. Cooper General Merchandise. In May, 1925, B.F. Cooper s old the store to A.H. Willoughby, trustee, Bank of Granville. On May 7, 1925, Ben Sutton bought the store from Willoughby and became the most remembered store owner of our times. Sutton operated the store for over 45 years closing it shortly before his death. John Clemons operated the store for a short period in the early 1970's before closing the store permanently. The store remained closed, becoming run down and in need of much repair and restoration.
The annual Heritage Day celebration in May, 2000, brought Harold and Beverly Sutton to the Granville community for the first time. Sutton discovered the old store and noticed that it shared the same name as his father, Ben Sutton. Although they could not tie their heritage to T.B. Sutton, they fell in love with the old store, and on July 11, 2000, purchased the store and all its contents. The store was nearly in ruins and almost un-restorable. The feed room was almost on the ground with all the store fixtures in this room. Sutton began remodeling the facility by raising the feed room up 37 ½ inches and repairing the foundation and wood siding - all the while being heralded for maintaining the character and charm of the old general store.

After months of restoration work, the store re-opened once again on May 26, 2001, as part of the Heritage Day celebrations. The Suttons' began selling gift items, hand-dipped ice cream, chips, and cola, along with hosting Bluegrass bands on Saturday nights. The Suttons have preserved history in a great manner and have touched thousands of lives with the store. In September, 2007, Harold and Beverly Sutton donated the store, contents, and property to the Granville Museum, Inc., in order that the store could once again be a viable part of society and operate within the community of Granville.
Image size
1660x957px 693.82 KB
Make
NIKON CORPORATION
Model
NIKON D3000
Shutter Speed
3125/1000000 second
Aperture
F/9.0
Focal Length
20 mm
ISO Speed
100
Date Taken
Oct 8, 2011, 10:31:05 AM
© 2011 - 2024 TheMan268
Comments2
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JeremyC-Photography's avatar
Great story, glad to see history restored in our country.