Photographic Postcard of Business Section on High Street

This photographic postcard is captioned "Business Section Worthington O." and looks north on Main St., now known as High St., from the intersection of New England Avenue. The image was taken after the turn of the century when High Street was still a dirt road. Horses and buggies are parked on the west side of the street, and the tracks and electric lines for the Columbus, Delaware, and Marion Interurban can be seen in the middle of the street.

On the west side of High (left side of image) the first building is occupied by a store. The location was home to the Bishop & Lewis Store from 1890 until the early 1900s. Later occupants include T.K. Stockwell’s Dry Goods, a Kroger Grocery, Worthington Hardware’s “Nuts & Bolts” section and now Grid Furnishings. The second building is the hardware store of J.F. Wright as indicated on the sign above the door (now Vernacular & Snap Fitness). Further up the block, buildings that now house the barber shop, the restaurant space Denig’s Jewelers, the Kilbourne Commercial building and the Jones Building are visible. The restaurant space was home to Dr. Thomas Morrow in the early 1800s and then the Potter Wright family in the later half of the century. The Kilbourne Commercial Building, now home to HER, was built in 1808 and is the oldest commercial building in Ohio still standing on its original site in continuous commercial use. The Jones Building was built in the mid-1880’s as seen here, but after a fire was rebuilt in 1927.

On the east side of High (right side of frame) starting farthest north is a building constructed in 1905 and occupied by Dr. Alfred Johnson and later Dr. McConagha and both Dr. Bonnell Sr. and Jr. The building is now part of Worthington Jewelers. The next building coming south, was at one time occupied by Leasure’s Drug Store and later Elmer Snouffer’s furniture store, with the library on the second floor. A small brick building with an arched doorway and window was Worthington Savings Bank. The one story free standing building was Worthington Feed and Transfer Company, a successful company owned by an African American, Squire Todd. The next frame building was built and owned by Bev Scott, and housed his barbershop before becoming Ault Hardware (now replaced by Whitney House building). Bev Scott was the son of James and Harriet Scott and came to Worthington as a child in the 1860s after being emancipated in Powhatan, Virginia in 1856.