Friday, February 2, 2024

Wead's Store in Brownstown, IL

My mom once told me she liked Sam Wead (she pronounced it "Wade"; I assume that's right) and his store in Brownstown. Mom grew up near Brownstown and went to high school there.  I saw this great old sign on eBay, gave it a bit in case someone else bid, and then bought it. 

Looking through the 1971 Brownstown history, I discovered that a Pilcher cousin of ours first established the store, which still stands at 1st and Division Streets. He was David O. Pilcher, my grandma's father's first cousin. 

A Brownstown friend told me on Facebook: "The building was called Pilcher Hall and the second floor was a vaudeville theater. The building later became home to The Golden Years Club. The building stilll had a stage and the cloth curtain was still intact years later. There was also a horizontal grand piano there well into the 21st century. The walls back stage had interesting histories about the acts that played there and the dates. They often listed all of the performers." 

Mr. Wead died in 1950 and is buried in Brownstown's Griffith Cemetery.... My local history rabbit hole for the day, LOL. 









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