The Hendrix Family Grocery Business, 1868-1927

by Paul Armstrong
August 5, 2018
modified December 29, 2018

With the resurgence of Columbia's Main Street, some of the new businesses have taken names from the street's history.  Examples are Lula Drake and The Grand.  The latest to use this naming technique is Hendrix, a restaurant that plans to open soon at 1649 Main Street.  Here is the story of the grocery business from which the new restaurant has taken its name.

Joseph Austin Hendrix
Photo courtesy of  Patsy Hendrix Fetner

Joseph Austin Hendrix (1819-1895) and Solomon Nicholas Hendrix (1829-1906) were brothers from Lexington County who married sisters Elizabeth Feaster and Irene Feaster.  By 1868, Joseph and Solomon had moved to Columbia and were running a grocery store, J A Hendrix & Bro, on the east side of what is now the 1400 block of Assembly Street. The grocery store was operated in rented space in a building owned by Victoria Walker.

On July 3, 1870, fire destroyed the building on Assembly Street.  Fortunately, the grocery store’s losses were covered by insurance and they were able to quickly recover.  According to the Daily Phoenix, by July 6, J A Hendrix & Bro had moved the grocery business to the southwest corner of Richardson (now Main) and Blanding Streets which was commonly known as "Bryce's Corner". The building at that location had recently become vacant with the April 8, 1870 death of Richard Allen who had operated a grocery store there for about a year.

At some point between 1875 and 1879, Joseph Hendrix split from the retail grocery business and opened a wholesale grocery establishment on the northeast corner of Main and Blanding Streets.  Solomon continued to run the retail grocery store, then known as S N Hendrix, on the southeast corner of Main and Blanding.

By 1888, S N Hendrix had moved from the Main and Blanding location to a building at what would later be addressed as 1530 Main Street. By this time, Solomon’s son-in-law, Edwin T Hendrix, had joined him as a clerk in the business. 

In February of 1893, S N Hendrix moved two doors south to 1524 Main Street in the Fisher Building which was located on part of the property now occupied by the condominium building at 1520 Main Street.  This move was necessary to make way for the Canal Dime Savings Bank’s new building to be built at 1530 Main Street.

In the mid-to-late 1890s, S N Hendrix began to use the catch phrase “Good Things to Eat” in newspaper advertising. The store came to be popularly known as the “Good Things to Eat” shop. This phrase was subsequently used in advertising for all incarnations of the business through the rest of its history.

In January of 1897, S N Hendrix moved again, this time to 1637 Main Street (where 2.50 Cleaners is now). The business was listed at this address in the 1897-98, 1899, 1901, 1903 Columbia City Directories. Edwin T Hendrix was listed as the bookkeeper in the 1897-1898 and 1899 City Directories and as manager in the 1901 and 1903 City Directories.

On February 19, 1904, Solomon N Hendrix sold the business to his son-in-law, Edwin T Hendrix, and retired. Edwin continued the business at 1637 Main Street and changed the store’s name to E T Hendrix.

In 1906, Edwin Hendrix purchased the property at 1649 Main Street and moved his grocery business there. The store was operated at this location as E T Hendrix until 1913.

Chick Hendrix
Photo from the
1908 Garnet and Black Yearbook
University of South Carolina

In 1908, E T Hendrix’s son, Solomon Edwin “Chick” Hendrix graduated from the University of South Carolina and joined his father’s grocery firm. Chick took over responsibility for marketing and advertising. He also was quite creative in designing window displays.  In the fall of 1909, he designed and built a display modeled after a ferris wheel which was operating across the street as part of a traveling carnival.  Chick’s wheel was made of apples and wire and actually revolved using a series of pulleys connected to a motor in the basement of the store.  The ferris wheel’s cars were made of cranberries and wire and carried tiny dolls as passengers.  The Columbia Record noted that Chick’s display was very popular and may have attracted more attention then the carnival across the street.

In 1913, the grocery business was incorporated and renamed Hendrix, Inc.  It went public with an initial stock offering on September 11, 1913. E T Hendrix left the company to pursue other interests and Chick Hendrix took over operations.

Apparently due to financial difficulties, Hendrix Inc, was placed into receivership in the fall of 1924 and the store was closed on November 5. A new corporation, Hendrix & Company, was chartered on December 12 with S E Hendrix as president, E T Hendrix as vice president, and H G Brady as secretary. The store reopened on December 15, 1924 at the same location on the corner of Main and Blanding Streets but under the new cooperate name of Hendrix & Co.

In 1926, Hendrix & Co defaulted on their mortgage and the store closed for good.  In a series of mortgage sales, the company’s fixtures and other property were sold during December 1926 and January 1927.

Sources:

• The Columbia Directory. Columbia, SC: W W Deane, 1868.
• “The Fire.” The Daily Phoenix, Columbia, SC, July 6, 1870, page 2.
• “Crumbs.” The Daily Phoenix, Columbia, SC, July 7, 1870, page 2.
• “Death of a Merchant.” The Daily Phoenix, Columbia, SC, April 9, 1870, page 2.
• Columbia Directory for 1875-1876. Columbia, SC: Beasley & Emerson, 1875.
• 1879-1880 Columbia South Carolina City Directory. Columbia, SC: Charles Emerson & Co., 1879.
• City Directory of Columbia, SC for 1888. Columbia, SC: C M Douglas, 1888.
•  “Ring Up 89!” The State, Columbia, SC, February 23, 1893, page 8.
• “Preparing for the New Bank.” The State, Columbia, SC, February 1, 1893, page 2.
• The Columbia City Directory, 1895. Columbia, SC: C M Douglas, 1895.
• “In New Quarters.” The State, Columba, SC, January 29, 1897.
• 1897-1898 Columbia City Directory. Columbia, SC: Maloney Directory Co., 1897.
• Directory of the City of Columbia for 1899. Charleston, SC: W H Walsh, 1899.
• Directory of the City of Columbia for 1901. Charleston, SC: W H Walsh, 1901.
• Directory of the City of Columbia for 1903. Charleston, SC: W H Walsh, 1903.
• “Announcement.” The State, Columbia, SC, February 22, 1904, page 8.
• “Extra Fine.” The State, Columbia, SC, February 23, 1904, page 8.
• “Sale of Real Estate.” The State, Columbia, SC, December 22, 1906, page 5.
• The Garnet and Black.  Columbia, SC: Students of the University of South Carolina, 1908, page 22.
• "An Attractive Window." Columbia Record, Columbia, SC, November 4, 1909, page 7.
• “Notice of Opening of Books of Subscription of Hendrix’s.” The Columbia Record, Columbia SC, September 9, 1913, page 12.
• “The Grocery Shop.” The State, Columbia, SC, October 11, 1916, page 10.
• “Hendrix to Open New Food Store.”, The State, Columbia SC, November 6, 1924, page 10.
• “Hendrix & Company Granted a Charter.”, The Columbia Record, Columbia, SC, December 13, 1924, page 2.
• “This Morning We Reopen Hendrix’s Good Things to Eat Grocery, Bakery, Delicatessen, and Market.” The State, Columbia, SC, December 15, 1924, page 10.
• “Notice of Sale of Fixtures.” The State, Columbia, SC, December 16, 1926, page 10.
• “Auction Sale.” The State, Columbia, SC, December 19, 1926, page 29.
• “Mortgagee’s Sale.” The State, Columbia, SC, December 31, 1926, page 6.
• “Good Things to Eat.” The State, Columbia, SC, September 5, 1897, page 5.

Bryce's Corner

by Paul Armstrong
August 5, 2018
modified December 30, 2018
modified March 19, 2019

Robert Campbell Bryce
Photo courtesy of Linda Jahraus

The southwest corner of Main and Blanding Streets in Columbia was known as "Bryce's Corner" before and after the Civil War. Scottish born Robert Bryce inherited the property where his father, John, built a brick building in 1824. Bryce ran a grocery and general merchandise store in the building and rented other space for retail and boarding.  The building was destroyed during the occupation of Columbia by the Union army in February of 1865 and Bryce rebuilt quickly.  He had the new brick building completed by September of 1865, advertised two offices for rent, and opened a new store, Robert Bryce and Son, which sold groceries, hardware, etc.  The property was sold in a bankruptcy sale in 1869 and Robert Bryce moved to Spartanburg where he died on Nov 13, 1874. 

From 1869 until 1926, the primary occupants of the building were grocers including Richard Allen, the Hendrix family, Robert A Young, Michael Commerford, and W T Martin.  During this time other businesses operated in other parts of the building.  These included a shoe store, a liquor store, a dressmaker, loan brokers, and a dentist.

Irish immigrant, Richard Allen (c.1830-1870), purchased the property in 1869 and remodeled or rebuilt the structure.  According to the Daily Phoenix, by October, Allen had “completed two handsome two-story buildings”.   Allen occupied the first floor of the corner building for his grocery business while he and his wife, Elizabeth, and their children resided on the second floor.  On April 8, 1870, Richard Allen died, and the property was sold at an estate sale, but Elizabeth and their children continued to reside in the building until 1901. 

Joseph Austin Hendrix (1819-1895) and Solomon Nicholas Hendrix (1829-1906) were brothers from Lexington County who married sisters Elizabeth Feaster and Irene Feaster.  By 1868, Joseph and Solomon had moved to Columbia and were running a grocery store, J A Hendrix & Bro, on Assembly Street.  After a fire destroyed the Assembly Street store, they moved the store and reopened at the southwest corner of Main and Blanding on July 6, 1870.  Joseph left the retail grocery business in the late 1870s. Solomon changed the name to S N Hendrix and operated at this location until sometime in the mid-1880s when he moved the store to the east side of the 1500 block of Main Street. 

William Tribue Martin (1840-1904) ran a retail and wholesale grocery business at 1649 Main Street from the mid-1880s until 1902 when he moved his business to a new brick complex he built at 1406-1408 Assembly Street and focused on wholesale groceries. Martin served on the boards of directors of the Bank of Columbia, the Columbia and Georgetown Steamboat Company, and the Columbia, Newberry & Laurens Railroad. He also represented Richland County at the state Democratic Convention in 1896. In addition to properties in Columbia, Martin owned farms in Lexington and Richland Counties as well as in NC. Shortly before his death in 1904, he sold his farm property along lower Assembly Street and Bluff Road to be used by the State Agricultural and Mechanical Society of South Carolina as the new grounds for the State Fair.

In 1904, Edwin Tyre Hendrix (1962-1939) bought his father-in-law’s grocery business, S N Hendrix, and renamed it E T Hendrix.  He moved the store back to 1649 Main in 1906.  Edwin’s son, Solomon E “Chick” Hendrix (1888-1940) joined the business in 1908.  When Edwin left the business to pursue other interests in 1913, Chick incorporated under the name Hendrix, Inc. and operated under this name until the corporation went bankrupt in 1924.  The store closed on November 5, 1924, but was reopened under a new corporation, Hendrix & Co. in December of that same year.  Financial troubles hit again two years later, and the Hendrix family grocery business was closed for good in 1926.

Ruff Hardware in 1969
Photo from Columbia Record

Ruff Hardware was organized in 1909 at 1714 Main Street by Thomas Douglass Ruff (1875-1930), a native of Fairfield County, SC.  In September of 1928, Ruff Hardware moved to 1649 Main Street and remodeled the building which they occupied for 50 years.  At its pinnacle in the mid 1950’s, the Ruff Hardware Company operated stores on Main Street, Five Points, and Parkland Shopping Center in Cayce, as well as a warehouse in Seaboard Park. In 1978, the company liquidated its stock and went out of business.

Hennessey's in 2011
Courtesy of Columbiaclosings.com

The Forum Restaurant operated at this location from 1980 to 1982.  Then, beginning in 1983, Hennessey’s Restaurant served the public from this location for 28 years, closing in November of 2011.  The building was purchased in 2016 by Main & Blanding, LLC who are restoring and modifying the building to accommodate multiple businesses. The first enterprise in the renovated building will be Hendrix which plans to open a restaurant and rooftop bar in late 2018.

Sources:

• “Assignee’s Sale of Real Estate.” The Daily Phoenix (Columbia, SC), May 23, 1869, page 4.
• “Auction Sale.” The State (Columbia, SC), December 19, 1926, page 29.
• “Brick Offices to Rent.” The Daily Phoenix (Columbia, SC), September 21, 1865, page 1.
• “Crumbs.” The Daily Phoenix (Columbia, SC), October 31, 1869, page 2.
• “Death of a Former Resident.” The Daily Phoenix (Columbia, SC), November 17, 1874, page 3.
• “Good Things to Eat.” The State (Columbia, SC), September 5, 1897, page 5.
• “Hendrix & Company Granted a Charter.” Columbia Record (Columbia, SC), Dec 24, 1924, page 2.
• “Hendrix to Open New Food Store.” The State (Columbia, SC), November 6, 1924, page 10.
• Jackson, John B. Map of Columbia, SC from An Actual Survey by Messrs Arthur and Moore Drawn by John B Jackson about 1850. Made from a copy of the original. Scale [1”=440’]. Columbia, SC: Tomlinson Engineering Company, 1931. http://digital.tcl.sc.edu/cdm/ref/collection/UI/id/574 (accessed March 2, 2018)
• “Mr William T Martin is Dead.” The State (Columbia, SC), February 28, 1904, page 16.
• “New Ruff Hardware Opens.” The State (Columbia, SC), April 26, 1956, page 5-C.
• “No Lull Yet in the City’s Upbuilding.” The State (Columbia, SC), January 27, 1902, page 8.
• “Over a Quarter of a Century.” Columbia Record Sesqui-Centennial Edition (Columbia, SC), March 21, 1936, page 5.
• "Over 60 Years of Service to South Carolinians." Columbia Record Tricentenial Edition (Columbia, SC), September 14, 1969, page 15.
• "Private Boarding House." Columbia Telescope (Columbia, SC), November 24, 1824, page 4.
• “Prosperity Unabated in S Carolina.” Columbia Record (Columbia, SC), September 8, 1913, page 2.
• Scott, Edwin. Random Recollections of a Long Life – 1806-1876. Columbia, SC: Charles A Calvo, Jr, 1884, page 52.
• University of South Carolina Libraries. "Columbia, SC City Directories." South Carolina Digital Library. http://digital.tcl.sc.edu/cdm/search/collection/sccitydirec (accessed October 2, 2018)
• “Removal.” The Daily Phoenix (Columbia SC), July 12, 1870, page 3.
• “Ruff Hardware Company Celebrates Formal Opening of Handsome New Store.” The State (Columbia, SC), September 13, 1928, page 15.
• “Ruff Hardware Co Liquidation Sale.” The State (Columbia, SC), September 14, 1978, page 6-A.
• “Sheriff’s Sale.” The Daily Phoenix (Columbia SC), June 7, 1870, page 3.
• “The Fire.” The Daily Phoenix (Columbia SC), July 6, 1870, page 2.

The Shadow Horse and Rider of Blanding Street

by Paul Armstrong

October 31, 2018 
(modified December 18, 2018)

"Ghost Rider Part 1" by Joanna Dymek.  Used by permission.

It was Saturday evening, May 29, 1915, and a female resident of Blanding Street, near its intersection with Bull, was taking an after-dinner stroll with a friend.  As they walked west along Blanding, they beheld a strange sight in the sky above the corner of Blanding and Sumter Streets.  The image of a giant, iron-gray horse and its rider, a woman wearing a dark riding habit, was clearly visible to both of the strolling companions.  They marveled at what they saw and spread the news to neighbors who shortly formed a crowd.  All through the evening until around 10 PM a crowd of children, men, and women gathered near the corner of Blanding and Bull Streets to get a view for themselves of the shadow horse and rider.

Through the next day the story spread rapidly and, on Sunday evening, a crowd of hundreds formed to see the shadowy wonder.  Some said the apparition was that of Emily Geiger avoiding the British to carry General Greene’s message to the Carolina Gamecock, Thomas Sumter. Others said it might be Joan of Arc providing relief to Orléans. In short, the novelty provided a night of merriment for the crowds that Sunday evening.

A writer for the Columbia Record explained that the illusion was formed by a dark shadow falling aslant across the foliage of a hackberry tree lit by a street lamp.  But this did not deter the citizens who continued to gather to view the vision which continued to be visible nightly into July.

Sources:

1. Dymek, Joanna. “Ghost Rider Part 1." https://www.artgallery.co.uk/artist/joanna_dymek (accessed December 18, 2018)
2. “Shadow Horse Woman Rider a Curious Sight.” The Columbia Record (Columbia, South Carolina), May 30, 1915, page 12. 
3. “Shadow Horse of Blanding St Viewed by Many.” The Columbia Record (Columbia, South Carolina), May 31, 1915, page 2. 
4. “Skeleton is Left of Shadow Horse.” The State (Columbia, South Carolina), July 13, 1916, page 10. 

Devine or Divine?

by Paul Armstrong

October 27, 2018

Was the name of one of Columbia’s original streets unofficially changed by a 1936 history book?

For nearly 150 years, what is now Devine Street was Divine Street. Then, in the 1930s, the street signs were changed, and the name became Devine Street.  This change to one of Columbia’s original streets apparently came about unofficially.  No reference has been found of a city council ordinance changing the name of Divine Street to Devine Street.  However, articles found in online newspaper archives from 1936 and 1937 indicate that the street signs were changed to Devine in 1936. (11)

Helen Kohn Hennig’s edited collection, Columbia Capital City of South Carolina, 1786-1936, was published in 1936 as part of Columbia’s Sesquicentennial celebration.  The Sesquicentennial commemorated 150 years since the city’s founding in 1786.  The inside front cover of the Hennig edited book displays a 1931 map by Tomlinson Engineering that claims to be a copy of the original plan from the survey used in laying out the city streets in 1786. On the map the street’s name is spelled Devine, and there are 20th century handwritten notes in the margin of the map which state, "Devine has since been spelled in error D-i-v-i-n-e." (4, 13) However, no historical document or original source that supports this misspelling claim can be found.  In fact, if the name was misspelled, it was misspelled in official documents, news media, directories, and maps for over 140 years. Here are some examples.

• 1790 Map.  During research for this article, the earliest written reference found to the street’s name was a map in the South Caroliniana Library Map Collection.  The map, cataloged as “Map-2 c. 1790”, has the street’s name spelled Divine.  If this map was indeed created in 1790, it was only four years after Columbia’s commissioners hired surveyors to lay out the streets of the new town in 1786. (12)
• 1792 Act.  An act of the state legislature in 1792 spelled the street’s name Divine.  This act authorized the sale of certain lots of land in the city. (2)
• City Directories. The Columbia City Directories prior to 1939 used the spelling Divine in the street directory.  Beginning in 1939, Devine has been used in the street directory. (14)
• Legare Map. A 1915 map traced by Assistant City Engineer, Thomas Keith Legare, also claims to be “from a copy of the original plan from survey ordered 1786”.  Legare’s map spelled it Divine. (7)
• 19th Century Maps.  Every 19th century Columbia city map found in research for this article spelled it Divine.  These include a map drawn in 1850 by John B Jackson, an 1860 map by Gustavus T Berg, an 1869 map by Alex Y Lee, an 1872 bird’s-eye view map by Camille N Drie, and an 1895 map by Columbia city engineers Frank Niernsee and A G Lamotte.  (1, 3, 5, 6, 10)
• The Daily Phoenix.  The Daily Phoenix was Columbia’s primary newspaper from 1865 to 1878. Every reference found in searches of the online issues of The Daily Phoenix has the name spelled as Divine. (8)
• The State/Columbia Record. Occurrences of the spelling, Devine, have been found in the online newspaper archives as early as 1896, but that spelling of the street name is used very rarely before 1936.  Prior to 1936, in fact, the spelling, Devine, for the street name was found less than 1% of the time in a combined search of The State and the Columbia Record.  Since 1936, the Devine spelling has been used approximately 60% of the time in these papers. (9)

In Columbia Capital City of South Carolina 1786-1936, the author of the first chapter states that “Devine” Street was “named for a citizen of the new town”. (4:9) He did not cite the source of this information.  That author, Alexander Samuel Salley Jr, was one of the most respected historians in the state of South Carolina for a half century.  He was the secretary, and for twenty years the only employee, of the Historical Commission of South Carolina, which was later renamed as the Department of Archives and History.  So, Salley’s credentials are stellar.  It is just unfortunate that he did not include a source citation for his statement that the street was spelled Devine and was named for an early citizen of Columbia.

In conclusion, it seems that a 1931 map and statements in Hennig's 1936 book made uncited claims that resulted in the change of the name of one of Columbia’s original streets.  This lack of citation leaves unanswered questions about the source of the information and reason behind the claim. So far, no pre-1931 references have been found to support the claim.  

One thing this amateur historian has learned is that research is never complete.  Was there a citizen, family, survey employee, or other person named Devine in the early history of Columbia for whom the street was named?  No source has arisen to date that provides evidence of such an individual or family.  That does not mean it does not exist.  There was some reason that the Tomlinson Engineering Company and A S Salley believed Devine was the correct spelling.  There may be some letter buried in a library archive collection that has not yet been found which would support the claim that the street was originally named Devine.  Or it may have been someone’s assumption that somehow got accepted as fact.  We simple don’t know for sure.  Therefore, we must document what we do know and continue studying and researching.

Sources:

1. Berg, Gustavus T. Map of the City of Columbia. No scale indicated. Columbia, SC: Kirkwood & Co, 1860
2. Cooper, Thomas, ed.  The Statutes at Large of South Carolina, Volume 4. Columbia, SC: A S Johnston, 1838, pages 215-216. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433007185287;view=1up;seq=7 (accessed October 2, 2018).
3. Drie, Camille N. Bird’s Eye View of the City of Columbia, SC. Perspective map not drawn to scale. Baltimore, 1872.  https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3914c.pm008840/?r=0.37,0.616,0.26,0.166,0 (accessed October 2, 2018)
4. Hennig, Hellen Kohn, ed. Columbia Capital City of South Carolina 1786-1936. Columbia, SC: R L Bryan Company, 1936.
5. Jackson, John B. Map of Columbia, SC from An Actual Survey by Messrs Arthur and Moore Drawn by John B Jackson about 1850. Made from a copy of the original. Scale [1”=440’]. Columbia, SC: Tomlinson Engineering Company, 1931. http://digital.tcl.sc.edu/cdm/ref/collection/UI/id/574 (accessed October 2, 2018)
6. Lee, Alexander V. Map of The City of Columbia SC. Scale [1 in = 400 ft]. Columbia, SC: Tomlinson Engineering Company, 1930.
7. Legare, T Keith. Map of the City of Columbia, SC. Scale [1:4,800; 1 in = 400 ft]. Columbia, SC: City Engineering Department, 1915. https://www.loc.gov/item/77696234/ (accessed October 4, 2018)
8. Library of Congress. “Browse Issues: The Daily Phoenix.” Chronicling America. Library of Congress. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84027008/issues/ (Accessed October 2, 2018)
9. Newsbank.com. The State Collection. Newsbank.com. Newsbank, Inc., 2012. https://infoweb-newsbank-com.rlsc.idm.oclc.org (accessed October 2, 2018)
10. Niernsee, Frank & Lamotte, A Gamewell. Map of Columbia, SC and Suburbs. Scale [1 in = 500 ft]. Baltimore: William A Flamm & Co, 1895.
11.  “Seen Here and There.” The State, April 24, 1936, page 14.
12. South Caroliniana Library Map Collection, Columbia. No scale indicated. Columbia, SC, 1790.  http://digital.tcl.sc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/sclmaps/id/541/rec/10 (accessed October 27, 2018)
13. Tomlinson Engineering Co. First Map of Columbia, SC. Scale [ca. 1:4,800]. Columbia, SC: Tomlinson Engineering Company, 1931. http://digital.tcl.sc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/sclmaps/id/41/rec/1 (accessed October 2, 2018)
14. University of South Carolina Libraries. "Columbia, SC City Directories." South Carolina Digital Library. http://digital.tcl.sc.edu/cdm/search/collection/sccitydirec (accessed October 2, 2018)