This property was first used by J. W. Barre, in the late 1800s, to sell wood and coal from a small wooden structure. It was then purchased by Charles Chapman, who ran Chapman’s Drug Store in the early 1900s. Chapman’s Drug Store was originally located across the street in the Fritz building, but moved to this location once the building was completed.
Dr. Charles J. Chapman was born in Urbana, Ohio on June 17, 1856 to John and Anna M. Chapman. He studied medicine at Miami Medical College in Cincinnati. He went into the drug business in Carthage, Mo. He established his own drug business in Louisiana in 1885. His store was more than just a drugstore, ” In addition to a fine stock of medicines he carries a large assortment of paints, oils, wall paper, picture frames, etc.”1
1911: Jones Clothing Co.
1928: H.P. Belew 5¢ & 10¢
By 1937, it was the home of a Ben Franklin variety store.
