Monticello Live

Last week we stopped at the charming little orange brick structure formerly known as the “Finn McCloy” house. Now we’ll move on south to the next McCloy house.

This large Victorian home was built in 1902 by John J. McCloy. (McCloy had been a partner of V. J. and Reginald Trotter in the retail business on the Square until the partnership dissolved around 1920.) The green and gold house with the gingerbread trim has had several owners, but is presently owned and beautifully maintained by James and the late Sue Cathey.

The Catheys have been good stewards of the home and often open its doors to community events. It, too, has huge columns and wide verandas as well as some original and truly unusual window features. The wrought iron fence is charming. The interior has been rehabilitated and lovingly decorated. An outdoor patio and water garden have also been created in line with the tastes and expertise of both Catheys while keeping to the historic “look” of the home.

The next block is filled by the Virgil J. Trotter home and its grounds. Built in 1896 for a large family, Trotter family members lived in it until 1995. The huge sprawling home is a picture of Victorian charm and elegance with its tall columns, wide verandas, gingerbread trim, balconies, dormers, arched fanlight windows, and nooks and crannies. Its grounds are also resplendent in great oaks and other floral plantings with a picket fence and a tool shed in the side garden and the picket fencing wrapping around the side and back of the yard.

After Trotter’s death Zach McClendon bought the house and it was restored for use as a bed and breakfast as well as a tasteful site for weddings, receptions, teas and the like in the community.

More recently the facility was purchased by UAM and is managed by Monticello’s own Steve Davis. Mr. Davis masterfully tends the home and grounds and it remains a showplace in the community year-round. It is still operated as a bed and breakfast and site of many community events. Additionally some UAM courses are facilitated there.

Now comes the last block on the east side before we get to the square. The first building on the block today is the office of the local newspaper, the Advance Monticellonian. I am told that this space was once occupied by a hardware store. I can remember vaguely when it was the site of a Safeway grocery.

Next to the Advance sits a hobby shop and an empty office supply store. I understand that this area was once the site of Hankins Grocery and an earlier furniture store. Further back in history I am told a post office once occupied the area of the Advance Hobby Shop.

The next building where the Union Bank’s insurance office is located was once owned by J. D. McCloy. It was also part of a furniture store. Even earlier Miss James, a local spinster, had a photography studio there before the brick buildings you see now were built.

The space now occupied by Phoenix Services was once a Hankins Grocery too. The real estate office next to it was once Lambert’s Grocery and then Clay’s Grocery. Earlier than that, most of both spaces contained Eli Marlowe’s Grocery.

A church now holds meetings in the building on the end of the block. When we moved to Monticello in the late 1960s, a full line hardware store, Scroggins Hardware, was there. Before the hardware store, there was a Safeway store in that corner location. Morgan & Lindsey, an early variety chain (5 and dime store) in the area, had an even earlier site there. Later, Lanell McKiever operated a, unique to Monticello, tearoom and gift shop in the bottom floor of the building.

Many other businesses were located on this block before the brick buildings were even constructed. When the brick buildings were built, many of them shared walls. Thus there are few “firewalls” between them. They support each other much as they supported the town.

As I have said earlier, this tour is based upon the memories of some of the older, more knowledgeable and respected citizens—and my notes. If you have additional knowledge, please feel free to share. Next week! The historic Square!

This entry was posted on Monday, October 10th, 2011 at 6:16 am and is filed under Memories from the Museum. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.