The Yorkville Enquirer reported on Feb. 10, 1870 – “The provision house of Wylie, Roddey and Agurs was broken into on Feb. 5th. The safe, containing money and other valuables was stollen. It was hauled by wagon to the grove in the rear of the male academy where it was forced open. The loss is about $1,500. in currency and about $700. in gold.”
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From the Yorkville Enquirer, December 19, 1872: A fire was discovered in Chester in the rear of the store of Mr. Pinkston Nail. The building is a very old wooden one and was engulfed in flames within minutes. He had some kegs of powder in the store and an explosion blew it apart and spread the fire to other buildings. To the east of the Nail’s store, the store of I. L. Gunhouse & Co. was caught, also an old wooden building. Next east was the old tin shop owned jointly by Mr. J. J. McClure and Capt. J. L. Agurs and occupied by J. E. Curtis & Co. This burned and the large brick building adjacent to the east and owned by Capt. J. L Agurs and occupied by Wylie, Roddey & Agurs. The shingles on the roof of this building caught fire and it was lost. The next properties were saved, the house of Mr. J. L. Chambers, the Bank, and the building occupied by Mr. E. J. West and Mrs. Passailaigue. To the west of Mr. Nail’s store a small wooden house owned by Mr. John McCauthren and occupied as a confectionary store was consumed. Next was the large house on the corner belonging to the estate of Maj. John Kennedy. It was occupied by the Kennedy family as a residence and by three businesses. These were Mr. J. W. Rothrock (dry goods store), Bourke & Tinsley (bake shop), and Mr. S. C. Kaufman (dry goods store). Across the street from this building stands the large and elegant iron front hotel recently completed by Smith & Melton. The doors and windows were scorched but its destruction was prevented by the work of the Stonewall Company. On the opposite side of the cross street from the Kennedy building stands a very large wooden house owned by Mr. E. M. Shannon and occupied by Mr. D. A. Brimer as a hotel and Mr. G. A. Drennan as a grocery. This building was saved by the skill of the Champion Hook & Ladder Company and a large number of citizens. This is the third destructive fire that has swept over the hill of Chester in three years. Now only four old landmark buildings are left from twenty years ago. These are the storehouse once occupied by McClure & Harris, the residence of James Graham, the Shannon House, and the house on the corner occupied by R. M. Cross.
The Yorkville Enquirer reported on Sept. 20, 1877 – “The bankruptcy sale for J.E. Curtis and Co., included tinware for sale. Mr. John L. Agurs was the largest buyer.”
The Yorkville Enquirer reported on April 10, 1879 – “Chester is to have another bakery soon to be opened by Rothcock and Hart, who have built an oven on the Chamber’s lot to the rear of Wylie and Agur’s Store.”
The Rock Hill Herald reported on Jan. 15, 1885 – “The partnership of Wylie and Agurs has been dissolved by mutual consent. Col. J.L. Agurs has sold his interest and has retired from the business. The company will continue at the old stand under the names, Joseph Wylie and Company and his partners are: William Lindsay, T.B. Woods, and John G. White.”
The Yorkville Enquirer reported on Oct. 1, 1890 – “The Joseph Wylie and Co., have erected a system of cash cars (vacuum delivery system for transporting payments and change), in the store. Jimmy McFadden is the cashier.”
City Directories and History: 1908 Joseph Wylie and Co. (Agricultural Implements), (Wagon Dealers), White Brothers Bank – 1940 – UN, 1958 – Vacant

View of the Chester Hill’s south side commercial building in ca. 1900. Note the last building to the far left of the postcard view, is the famous Joseph Roddey and Company location. Courtesy of the Oliphant Family Collection – 2016
Until shortly after the Great Depression, one of Chester’s leading citizens, Mr. Joseph Wylie, operated his Wylie and Company business here on the hill. It is one of Chester’s oldest and best known stores. Joseph Wylie was highly influential and the uncle of several of Rock Hill’s merchants with whom he did business and owned stores in

Early image of the Agurs Building. Courtesy WU Pettus Archives (This was the parcel view from the Wylie’s Mercantile building and S.M. Jones Co., across the street.)
partnership. After the cessation of hostilities at the end of the Civil War, Captain W.L. Roddey returned home and re-entered business with his uncle Joseph Wylie at Lewisville, S.C. The next year, 1866, Wylie and Roddey opened a branch store at Rock Hill. (See note of sale to the White Family by the company listing their Rock Hill location in 1869, under the MORE INFORMATION link.)
The Lewisville community’s country store; Moffatt’s was highly influential in the teaching of these young merchants. Read more about their training at: Moffatt’s Country Store. Captain W. L. Roddey and his wife moved to Chester and added Captain J. L. Agurs to the firm, now called Wylie, Roddey and Agurs, with stores at Lewisville, Rock Hill, and Chester, S.C. In 1871 the Lewisville store was sold to Whitesides and Marion. Next, Captain Roddey bought out his partners in the Rock Hill store and sold his interests in the Chester store to Wylie & Agurs. In 1885, co-owner, A.L. Agurs retired and Joseph Wylie & Company was organized at Chester.]
Today it houses the Kimbrell’s department store. For generations farmers and local citizens honored Mr. Wylie with their continued business where he sold them whatever was needed from clothing, shoes, ironware, farm implement and groceries. His business practices where similar to those of many of his generation and he fought hard to maintain Chester as a business center during a period in which more and more business was going to

Postcard view of downtown Chester ca. 1910. Image courtesy of the Wingard Postcard Collection – 2012
ward Rock Hill’s ever expanding cotton market.

Image of Chester’s “Hill” at the turn of the century. Courtesy of the WU Archives – 2014
Architecturally the structure is outstanding and boasts beautiful brickwork and attractive features to foster an atmosphere of success. It was designed by Rock Hill and Lancaster, architect Hugh E. White with changes in 1897 allowing him to expand his business to several adjoining structures and installed modern conveniences such as an elevator in circa 1897 as a result of these changes. The storefront window photograph May 1912, here is the listing of peoples names, Left to Right,W.G.White, Jason S. Hardin, Marjorie Johnson, Edgar Alexander, Tom West Patrick, Samuel Colvin, ___Woods, Erwin Dunbar, ___Jones, C.B. Betts, Hattie Bradford, Cleo Vaughn, William Vaughn, John G. White, John Wood
The Joseph Wylie Company store was remodeled by Architect, Hugh Edward White (1869 – 1939), born in Fort Mill, S.C. he attended Fort Mill Academy and started his practice in about 1894. Remained in Rock Hill until about 1903 and later returned to work. In the 1890’s he worked in an architectural firm in Atlanta. Between 1903-1918 he was a field supervisor of the Supt. Architect Dept. of the Treasury. For about three years 1918-21, he was employed with Charles Coker Wilson in Columbia or Gastonia, N.C.
The Rock Hill Herald reported on Aug. 3, 1901 – “Architect H.E. White has the contract for putting a new front on the store of Joseph Wylie and Company.”

Purchase of a trasher from the Roddey Co., which was originally located in Chester (at this location), and in the post Civil War era, relocated to Rock Hill. Ann H. White purchased the trasher in 1857. Courtesy of the White Family Collection – 2008 (Also see later purchases in the picture column below.)
The Herald reported via the Chester Lantern on Sept. 21, 1901 – “Completion of the Joseph Wylie Co., store renovations has been delayed by the breaking of the immense plate glass window, in the hands of the Southern Railway, after it had arrived. This will cost the railroad $500. and they have fired an employee.”
The Rock Hill Herald reported on Jan. 8, 1902 – “Mr. T.H. White, who has been cashier of the Exchange Bank of Chester, has resigned his position and has bought the interest of Mr. T.B. Woods in the firm of Joseph Wylie and Company. Members of the firm are now; the Estate of the late Joseph Wylie, John G. White, T.H. White, and John R. Alexander. The health of Mr. Woods has caused him to be confined to his home.”

Receipt for good at the Wylie Store via Wade Osborne in 1894. Courtesy of the Osborne – Powell Collection, 2014
An early occupant of this approximate space was reported to be Josiah Gore, a tavern keeper. [Recollections of Chester – D.S. Mayes]
The Rock Hill Record reported on March 22, 1909 – “A fire in Chester on Tuesday night (March 18), originated in the cotton warehouse of Joseph Wylie and Co., and destroyed the building and between 350-500 bales of cotton. Other losses were the Wylie and Co., stables, the platform and sheds, and a number of wagons of hay. The fire also burned the stables of S.M. Jones and Co., the city’s stables, and several houses belonging to E.C. Stahn,….”
The Chester News of July 14, 1916 contained an ad for Joseph Wylie and Co., offering “straw hats at half price.”
“The amount of business done here during the past commercial year was about $700,000, of which S.M. Jones & Co. and Joseph Wylie & Co. did about $100,000 each. In addition to these two large firms, we have the prominent firms of W. Holmes Hardin & Co., W.T.D. Cousar & Son, Culp & Irwin, Crawford & Blake, R. Brandt & Son, J.J. & T.B. Stringfellow, Gregg & Means, J.S. Calvin, Hafner Bros., J.D. Ratterree, W. H. Rosborough, E. C. Stahn, L. Samuels, Gunhouse & Co., Fishel & Walker, A. H. Davega, S. B. Massey & Son, and several smaller firms.”
Reprinted from South Carolina in the 1880s: A Gazetteer by J.H. Moore, Sandlapper Publishing Company – 1989
Informative link: National Register, and click on the More Information link, found under the primary picture for added information.
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