RENFROW HARDWARE STORE
This report was written on 28 May 1991
1. Name and location of the property: The property known as
the Renfrow Hardware Store is located at 188 North Trade Street,
Matthews, in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
2. Name, address, and telephone number of the present owner of the
property. The owner of the property is:
Mr. Franklin M. Renfrow
Box 67
Matthews, North Carolina 28105
Telephone: (704) 847-4126
Tax Parcel Numbers: 215-013-02
3. Representative photographs of the property: This report
contains representative photographs of the property.
4. A map depicting the location of the property: This report
contains maps which depict the location of the property.
5. Current Deed Book Reference to the property: The most
recent deed to Tax Parcel Number 215-013-02 is listed in Mecklenburg
County Deed Book W25 at page 467.
6. A brief historical sketch of the property: This report
contains a brief historical sketch of the property prepared by Ms. Paula
Stathakis.
7. A brief architectural description of the property: This
report contains a brief architectural description of the property
prepared by Ms. Nora M. Black.
8. Documentation If why and in what ways the property meets
criteria for designation set forth in N.C.G.S. 160A-400.5.:
a. Special significance in terms of its history, architecture,
and /or cultural importance: The Commission judges that the
property known as the Renfrow Hardware Store does possess special
significance in terms of Matthews and Mecklenburg. The Commission
bases its judgment on the following considerations: 1) the Renfrow
Hardware Store was begun by Captain Thomas Jefferson Renfrow in 1900;
2) the Renfrow Hardware Store is one of the earliest stores in the
Matthews area that is still operational in its original form; 3) the
Renfrow Hardware Store continues to be operated by descendants of the
founder; 4) the Renfrow Hardware Store is architecturally significant
for exemplifying the type of commercial vernacular architecture that
was predominant in the small talons of Mecklenburg County in the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; 5) the largely intact
interior of the Renfrow Hardware Store provides insight into early
mercantile complexes; and 6) the Renfrow Hardware Store is a timeless
landmark and an essential component of the historic streetscape of
Matthews.
b. Integrity of design, setting, workmanship, materials,
feeling, and/or association: The Commission contends that the
architectural description by Ms. Nora M. Black included in this report
demonstrates that the Renfrow Hardware Store meets this criterion.
9. Ad Valorem Tax Appraisal: The Commission is aware that
designation would allow the owner to apply for an automatic deferral of
50% of the ad Valorem taxes on all or any portion of the property which
becomes a designated "historic landmark." The following values cover the
entire Tax Parcel and all improvements; tax deferral for the historic
portion of the property will be determined later by the Mecklenburg
County Tax Office. The current appraised value of the improvements is
$111,460. The current appraised value of Tax Parcel 215-013-02 is,
$139,500. The total appraised value of the property is $250,960. The
property is zoned UBD.
Date of Preparation of this Report: 28 May 1991
Prepared by: Dr. Dan L. Morrill in conjunction with Ms. Nora
M. Black
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission
1225 South Caldwell Street, Box D
Charlotte, North Carolina 28203
Telephone: (704) 376-9115
Historical Overview
Paula M. Stathakis
The Renfrow General Store was begun and operated by Capt. Thomas
Jefferson Renfrow in 1900. T. J. Renfrow went into the general
merchandise business after working as captain of operations for the
short-lived Rea Gold Mine, which began operations in 1880 and closed at
the turn of the century.1 When Renfrow's store opened on
Trade Street, Matthews was little more than a crossroads. In the early
nineteenth century, Matthews, known also as Fullwood and later,
Stumptown, was a stagecoach stop between Charlotte and Monroe.2
The arrival of the railroad in the late nineteenth century made Matthews
the center of economic activity in east Mecklenburg County through the
1940's.3 As Matthews developed into a distribution center for
area farmers, furnishing merchants set up shop adjacent to the railroad
tucks. T. J. Renfrow's establishment was one of many such stores in
Matthews, and perhaps one of the most important features of its history
is its longevity. Renfrow enjoyed a prime location practically on the
railroad tracks. Directly across the street was a major competitor,
B. Dewitt Funderburk, who, like Renfrow offered the services of a
cotton gin, but who could also provide the services of a grist mill, a
blacksmith shop and a livery stable in addition to dry goods. A general
merchandise and tinware store operated by Sam Grier preceded Renfrow and
Funderburk in the reconstruction era.4 The business that
Funderburk and Renfrow were engaged in was not new; these men operated
as furnishing merchants in the twilight of cotton production in rural
Mecklenburg.
Individuals who supplied farmers with seed, fertilizer, agricultural
implements, dry goods and ginning facilities have historically played a
significant role in the economic welfare of small farmers. The
yeomanries in the antebellum period were traditionally self-sufficient,
and were generally regarded as good credit risks. After the Civil War
and in the wake of the financial collapse of the South, few yeomen or
planters were able to maintain their farms without assistance. The
customary sources of credit, Southern banks and cotton brokerages, were
casualties of the war. The institution that saved farmers and
subsequently trapped them in a financial vise was the regional
furnishing merchant. These merchants were willing to conduct business
with old customers, even though they had become serious credit risks
almost overnight, by demanding mortgages or liens on their growing
crops. Since few regional crops were in national demand and could be
transported without spoiling, merchants demanded the farmers devoted
their energies strictly to cash crops, such as cotton. Cotton would not
spoil and could be held for a period of time which allowed the merchant
to sell ginned cotton when the price was right. By using crop liens,
merchants were able to force small farmers to produce for the market
rather than for themselves. As cotton is a labor intensive crop, the
energies of a farm family were taken up with planting, maintenance, and
harvest, leaving little time for vegetable gardens or for domestic
production. This system of credit allowed small farmers to survive on
their land, but this survival often came at the expense of complete
economic and material dependence on the merchant.5
If T. J. Renfrow issued crop liens, there are no records in the
Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds to document it, nor is there any
indication in the final settlement of his estate that he engaged in this
practice. This is not conclusive evidence that he did not engage in this
practice; however, records of crop liens and mortgages have not been
found in the customary places. Renfrow's store has not changed a great
deal over the decades. The store still carries seed, fertilizer and
garden tools as well as calf weaners, horse collars and bull rings,
which are available in three sizes. The current owner, Frank Renfrow,
still carries on the tradition of selling "rat cheese," a huge wheel of
cheddar cheese shipped from Wisconsin. When the store first opened, area
farmers who grew cotton raced to see who would have the first bale of
the season ginned for free at Renfrow's.7 The cotton gin that
stood in the back of the store, and that was instrumental in the economy
of the region, was removed and dismantled by Frank Renfrow in the late
1980's. Matthews resident Sandra Donaghy saved remnants of cotton from
the Renfrow gin before it was destroyed. The cotton gin was active until
1965.8 Thomas Jefferson Renfrow died in 1935 at the age of
88.
The business was inherited by his son Richard McDowell "Dow" Renfrow.
In addition to running the store, E.M. Renfrow farmed and was a salesman
for the American Agriculture Company. He served as mayor of Matthews
from 1943-1945, and is credited with the creation of the first
sanitation department of Matthews, which collected garbage from house to
house. E.M. Renfrow died in 1963 at the age of 78. The current owner,
Frank Renfrow, has operated the store since his graduation from Davidson
in 1957.9 in 1986, Frank Renfrow and other merchants on Trade
Street undertook a remodeling project, primarily affecting storefronts,
in an effort to create a nineteenth century atmosphere. Renfrow believed
this was a good business decision, and he said of the renovations: "I
think it gives us a distinctive flavor...I'm all in favor of it."10
By turning back the clock architecturally, Matthews merchants
attempted to enhance the historical role played by the businesses that
occupied the buildings of Trade Street. However, Renfrow's store is the
only business left that can claim genuine historical authenticity. It is
a legendary place where suburbanites purchase garden tools and listen to
the "regulars" chew the fat around the pot-bellied stove. The Funderburk
store, formerly across the street, went out of business in 1973. The
lively stables associated with Funderburk's were demolished to make room
for a bank. The Renfrow store is the only physical link to the past of
rural east Mecklenburg that has been left essentially intact.
NOTES
1 Southeast News, "Rea Gold Mine Began Operation in
1880." September 2, 1976, n.p. Matthews Public Library Clippings
Notebook for Matthews History. The Rea Gold Mine was located in what is
now the vicinity of Sardis Road North. Its employees were sequestered in
a company town that provided housing and a store. The enterprise failed
because the gold mined at this location was of such a fine texture that
it was too expensive to process.
2 Southeast News, "Matthews History began in
1880's." August 8, 1985, n.p. Clippings notebook.
3 Ibid.;
Survey and Research Report on the Funderburk Brothers Buildings,
February 22, 1978, Historical Essay by D.L. Morrill.
4 Southeast News, "Matthews History began in
1800's." August 8, 1985.
5 This is a highly simplified and condensed picture of the
role of the merchant in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
Most of the scholarship in this field has been done for the upcountry
regions of Georgia and South Carolina. No similar study has been
conducted for Mecklenburg County; however, it is not unreasonable to
assume that merchant-farmer relations in parts of Mecklenburg County
were similar. Records of the
C.S. and S.W. Davis General Store in the Croft district demonstrate
that business was sometimes conducted in this manner. For further
information on yeomen, merchants, and the socioeconomic implications of
this relationship, consult: Steven Hahn, The Roots Of Southern
Populism; Thomas N. Clark, Pills, Petticoats, and Plows; The
Southern Country Store, 1865-1900, Lacy K. Ford, "Rednecks and
Merchants: Economic Development and Social Tensions in the South
Carolina Upcountry, 1865-1900," Journal of American History, 71
(September 1984): 294-318.
6 Visit store; Charlotte Observer, "Proprietor
Preserving Old Timey Atmosphere," by Wendy McBane, February 21, 1986, p.
1C; Article in Matthews History Clippings Notebook, Matthews Public
Library, n.d., "The General Store Lives," by Kat Ethridge.
7 Charlotte Observer, February 21, 1986.
8 Mrs. Donaghy and her husband, Henry, own and live in the
Grier-Furr House on John Street; Charlotte Observer, "Even Today
Store Sells Horse Collars," by Marion A. Ellis, August 11, 1986.
9 Ibid.
10 Ibid.
Architectural Description
Nora Mae Black
The Renfrow Hardware Store, located on the southeast side of North
Trade Street, is an architecturally distinguished example of the
privately-owned buildings that formed a commercial district to serve
residents of Matthews. The store sits in a block bounded on the
northwest by North Trade Street, on the northeast by Charles Street, on
the southwest by East John Street, and on the southeast by an alley. It
is approximately two hundred feet west of the Seaboard Air Line
Railroad. The Renfrow Cotton Gin stood south of the rear of the Renfrow
Hardware Store (on the opposite side of the alley) until it was
dismantled in the late 1980's. When established in 1900, the store
joined structures from the late 19th century such as the Funderburk
Brothers Mercantile Complex directly across North Trade Street. An
addition to the Renfrow Hardware Store abuts the southwest wall of the
original building, more recently, a large warehouse/storage facility has
been constructed behind the store. To the northeast of the original
Renfrow Hardware Store is a lot used by "Bonnie's Vegetable Plants" for
sales; beyond the plant sale lot is the
Heath and Reid General Store Building which received historic
landmark designation in 1981. The Renfrow Hardware Store has a one-story
facade on North Trade Street divided into three distinct sections by
various types and colors of brick. The oldest section, at the north end
of the building, is of yellow-orange and tan bricks laid in
common bond with seventh course headers. Tan mortar compliments the
old brick; white mortar highlights repairs. The centered entrance on
this section is the only working front entry to the Renfrow Hardware
Store.
A striped canvas awning shades the wood framed display windows and
recessed entry. Paneled window dados have centered ventilation grates.
Above the awning is a wooden bracketed cornice. The buck mason added a
brick corbel cornice of the same color of bricks. The longest pendant of
the cornice is centered over the door; somewhat shorter cornice pendants
grace the corners. Between each of the corner pendants and the long
center pendant, there are two short, narrow cornices. The corbels
project about four inches from the wall giving it a sense of depth and
rich detail. Next to the oldest section there is another storefront of
roughly equal size designed to resemble the oldest section. It is
constructed of red brick laid in
running bond joined with white mortar. Some repairs of cracks are
evident in this section as well. The centered entrance on this section
is used as a display area for many items including wash tubs and an
enormous pair of overalls. Like the previously described storefront,
this section has a striped canvas awning, wood framed display windows,
recessed entry, paneled window dados with centered ventilation grates,
and a wooden bracketed cornice. This section also has a brick corbel
cornice of the same color of bricks. Again the longest pendant of the
cornice is centered over the door, but there is only one shorter cornice
pendant at the southwest corner of this section. There is only an
illusion of symmetry of the cornice pendants; the illusion uses one of
the corner pendants of the oldest section to trick the eye.
Another difference in the brick corbel cornice is the use of only one
short, narrow cornice pendant between each of the comer pendants and the
long center pendant. Again on this section, the corbels project about
four inches from the wall adding depth and detail. The third section of
the street facade appears symmetrical at first glance. Upon closer
inspection, it is seen to be asymmetrical with six bays. The three doors
of this section are not recessed but are flush with the street; this
helps give the overall impression of a smooth wall. The dark red brick,
laid in running bond, is joined with white mortar. Soldier courses of
the same color brick form rectangles above each bay; the corners of the
rectangles are squares of white concrete. Soldier courses also form the
lintels over the windows and transom lights. A concrete coping tops a
parapet built in the form of a low battlement. The first bay of the
third section of the street facade has two ten-light windows beneath a
transom light. The second bay consists of a double door with each door
having a four light window and two wooden panels at the bottom. The
double door is beneath a four light transom. The third bay, like the
first bay, has two ten-light
windows beneath a
transom light. The fourth bay consists of a single paneled wooden
door and a two light transom. The fifth bay has three large plate glass
windows; each has a single light transom covered with latticework. The
sixth bay was a large opening that has been infilled with white siding;
one full light door and a narrow window pierce the siding. In front of
the third bay of this section there is a rustic streetside gas pump.
Obviously not in working order, it is a reminder of the past, a of a
time before huge gas stations. The side walls and the rear wall are of
variously colored brick, predominantly red, laid in common bond with
sixth course headers; the header courses are a dark red brick providing
lines of contrast on the undecorated walls. The coping on the parapets
is of brick rather than concrete. There are six large windows on the
southeast side wall; they are covered with plywood panels.
About half of the back of the building is hidden by a new
warehouse/storage building; however, there are three windows, one
overhead door, one single door, and one double door on the back wall.
The north wall of the original section of the Renfrow Hardware Store has
no openings. The brick parapet wall steps down from the height of the
street facade in three steps. Twelve five-point star heads, made to hold
metal tie rods, are visible on this wall. The interior of the Renfrow
Hardware Store covers approximately 10,500 square feet. Other small
areas are used by other businesses. In the first and second sections
(the oldest parts) of the Renfrow Hardware Store, the interior has
wooden floors and beaded board ceilings. The third (southwest) section
of the building has concrete floors and exposed trusses. Walls are of
painted plaster and brick. Most of the Renfrow Hardware Store's original
fittings seem to have survived over the years and are still in use. Open
bins beside the front door hold seeds ready to be scooped into brown
paper bags for customers. Site walls are lined with display shelves that
appear to be original. Lacking strong lighting, the interior is dim and
shadowy. The warm summer air is filled with the odors of fertilizer and
various oils. Along the long rows of old and new merchandise, one can
find almost any hardware item needed around the house. The Renfrow
Hardware Store Building provides a solid architectural presence on North
Trade Street. Most of the original fabric unchanged and in very good
condition; that is a testament to the care the Renfrow family has given
the building. But the importance of the building is that it is still
serving the Town of Matthews as a functional, viable hardware store
after almost a century -- one hundred years of nuts and bolts and seeds
and overalls.
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