A History of the Town of Fountain, 1901-1907

March 19, 1901 -- R.A. Fountain opens store w/ cousin, J.L., as Fountain & Co.; second Fountain store built at unknown date.

1903 -- R.L. Jefferson & Bros. established.

1905 -- [R.A.] Gardner & [C.C.] Baker established.

1907 [approximate] -- Owens livery established.

Dec. 27, 1907 -- Gardner & Baker & entire block of Wilson Street consumed by fire. Brick buildings replaced the formerly wooden buildings.

Spring 1908 -- Gardner establishes a small grocery store.

1909 -- D.F. Lang & M.D. Yelverton organize Lang & Yelverton.

June 10, 1910 -- Bank of Fountain opens.

1911 [approximate] -- C.C. Baker, meat market organized.

1912 -- Jonas Dilda & D.R. Mercer buy stock in Gardner's grocery, which becomes R.A. Gardner & Co.

1912 -- D.F. Lang moves to Farmville; M.D. Yelverton Co. organized.

1913 -- 3RD Fountain & Co. building, 64x110ą brick store, built.

January 1, 1915 -- M.D. Yelverton Co. dissolved; Smith & Yelverton organized.

1915 -- Beasley Drugs organized.

November 18, 1915 -- Fire destroys Fountain & Co., out of business but one day before re-opening in another spot.

1916 -- Present Fountain & Co. building erected.

1916 -- Owens Millinery organized.

Dec. 1916 -- Fountain Bank reports $123,924 in deposits.

1917 -- R.A. Gardner building completed.

January 1917 -- C.L. Owens buys stock in Jefferson Bros., which becomes Jefferson Bros. & Co.

June 8, 1917 -- Frank Eason reports in Farmville Enterprise that:

Jefferson's (R.L., J.W., & G.W.) is a $75,000/year business;
Smith & Yelverton has recently moved into its new building;
C.C. Baker runs a successful meat market/grocery on the corner of Wilson & Railroad;
Uncle Jim Killebrew operates a peanut & fruit stand in town;
Two garages are open in town: J.T. Eason & Co and J.C. Dildy's, both supplying Ford parts; Eason also has an expert blacksmith and does general repair work;
Fountain School has 150 pupils; Norman P. Farrior, Davidson '15, principal;
Town has a "satisfactory electric light system" and some folks have water works.