This Building Has History ™
Name: Dalton Gallery and Y.C. Arts Council
Architect: Unknown
Builder: Frew Brothers
Constructed: Started in ca. 1887
The story of these lots began with their purchase by Jonathan N. McElwee in 1856, for the price of $110. McElwee’s son, J. Lewis McElwee, sold various sections of the lots two decades later. In 1887, a portion landed in hands of J. Henry Toole, who remained in the spot till 1895, and created quite a legacy for himself. Toole, born in North Carolina in 1852, came to Rock Hill and opened a barber shop. The city at the time was struggling under the conflict of Reconstruction.
The Herald reported on June 21, 1888 – “J. Henry Toole has decided to erect a brick building on a part of the vacant lot between the store of J.R. Allen and Co., and the Frew Brothers. It will be two stories in height.”
Toole, an African-American, not only established a successful business, but a customer base that included the influential white men in Rock Hill. Regular customers had their own shaving mugs and brushes, with their names engraved in gold, and there was a system fans and pulleys to keep customers cool on hot days. A savvy business man, Toole’s ventures throughout the years included real estate transactions, a grocery store, and a newspaper, insurance company and Episcopal Church for African-Americans in the area.
Despite his work for the African-American community, Henry Toole was not without controversy. In the 1870’s, he was involved in KKK activity, and supported and Democratic candidate for Governor who was associated with an organization accused of racist attacks. These things affected him later on, when he trying to procure a political office. Toole died in 1920, and his influence of the city can be seen in his pall bearers, who were influential white men.
Toole’s barber shop moved in 1895, and his lot here was purchased by A.R and Susan Smith and their nephew Paul Workman. An article in 1939 states that the lot over time held a furniture store, grocery store and the A and P Chain store, and in more recent time it was the location of Smith’s Drug’s. Though the lot has had many occupants and people, Henry Toole’s is perhaps the most reflecting of Rock Hill throughout a significant period in history.
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Sponsored
by
Roots and Recall LLC, The City of Rock Hill, The York County Arts Council, & The S.C. Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts and by a generous award from the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of The Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina.
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