Thanks to our partner, the Graham Historical Museum, Sanborn Insurance Maps of Burlington, North Carolina along with the 1889-1895 W. J. Nicks Store ledger are now available to view on DigitalNC!
The building that eventually became known as the W. J. Nicks Store was built circa 1851 by builder Henry Bason for the Hanner Trading Company. At the time, the commercial space was the largest in Graham with three full stories and a full basement. Some of the bricks used in the construction of the building were created by enslaved laborers.
About 40 years after its construction, in 1892, the store was bought by W. J. Nicks who later added the two story-addition seen on the south side of the building. According to the ledger, customers of the W. J. Nicks Store primarily paid with cash, but some, such as G. W. Peterson (shown above), are noted to have traded other goods such as eggs, oats, and flour.
Information about the W. J. Nicks store was obtained from NCSU’s North Carolina Architects & Builders Biographical Dictionary and the Graham Walks Walking Maps brochure published by the City of Graham Recreation & Parks Department.
To learn more about the Graham Historical Museum, visit their website using the link here.
To view more materials from the Graham Historical Museum, visit their contributor page linked here.
