OURHAMLET.ORG

Postcard of W. R. Land Company, about mid-1911. Was that on Front Street between the drug store and the grocery? Actually, in 1911 when the photograph was taken the drug store on the map was a grocery as well. And on an earlier map the dry goods store was only in the right hand portion so they expanded between January and... August? of 1911.

Both store fronts have been torn down. A drive or alleyway is where the section on the right is in the picture and a smaller building was constructed where the section of the left is.

Mrs.Land was a dear friend. She lived next door to us when we lived on Hamlet Avenue. I have her china closet that came from this store. It is a treasure. I wonder how old it is? I never thought to ask!

Which Mrs. Land was that? Mary (LeGrande) Land, wife of William Raines "W. R." Land, or another?

As an interesting side note - this store was run by W. R.'s brother Hunter. W. R. was a real estate agent and the family lived on Spring Street. Ten years later the family had moved to Minturn Avenue and Will was listed as the Proprietor.

I answered my own question, I think. The Mrs. Land mentioned here in association with a China Closet (cabinet), was the wife of Hunter Lawton Land, Sr., brother of William Raines Land. Hunter died of pneumonia (complications from the flu) on 28 October 1918 leaving his wife Velma with a 3 year old daughter, Francis, and a roughly 2 month old son, Hunter L., Jr.

The flu aforementioned was probably the second wave of the Spanish Flu which, by August of 1918 had mutated into a more virulent strain that created a worldwide pandemic. I have no proof that was the strain.

Thanks for posting this picture of the original W. R. Land Co. store on Front Street. I had never seen it before. I only knew of the later store on Hamlet Avenue that later became Belk's. W. R. Land, Sr. was my grandfather and I was named after him. William Raines Land, III

There is a faded out sign on the side of the building where the parking lot is on Hamlet Ave. and you can see W. R. Land on it. The Thompson Hardware was located in this building.

Joe, in your research have you ever come across anything about Belk's being located across the tracks on Hamlet Ave. near where the Rhodes store was located. I was talking to a gentleman in Wadesboro that worked for Belks' for years and retired from there years back. He said that when he first came to Hamlet to work for Belk's it was located near Hamlet Ave. and Bridges St.

Belk's was on Main Street from 1932-1950 when they purchased
W. R. Land Department Store and moved to Hamlet Avunue. If
they were ever on Hamlet Ave & Bridges it was prior to 1932.

Joe, I went back and looked, the sign on the side of it is Hunter Land not W. R. Land

The only thing I remember about the Belk's store on Hamlet Avenue is that it was a Belk-Scarborough. I was always told there was no known relation. It was always at the end of the block during my lifetime.