For the past two weeks, we have been reliving the grand times at the Hotel Perkins and the important contributions made by the Loggins twins, Nathan and Will, who served as wait staff at the hotel for forty years.
Joseph F. Perkins, proprietor of the Hotel Perkins passed away in August of 1913. On June 3, 1918, the heirs of J. F. Perkins, J. R. Perkins, Juliette M. Perkins, Lillian Perkins Lively, A. G. Lively, Jean Perkins Martin, Dr. Richard Saunders Martin, Kate Perkins Marley, and H. C. Marley sold the hotel to Isaac Carroll (Ike) DeHart and wife, Mollie Jane Hash DeHart and A. H. Staples. I have been unable to confirm who A. H. Staples is, but I am guessing it is Archelaus (Archer) Hughes Staples, who was the Stuart postmaster.
The hotel changed owners again only three years later when J. S. and Cora Belle Campbell purchased it in November of 1921. The Campbells ran the hotel for seventeen years before selling it to Lula West in November of 1938. Three short years later, the Campbells bought the hotel back from West. It was sometime during this exchange of ownership; the Hotel Perkins was renamed the JEB Stuart Inn.
Folks from large cities in Virginia and North Carolina would come to the Hotel Perkins/JEB Stuart Inn to take in the cooler temperatures and wonderful family atmosphere of great food, front porch sitting, and activity on Main Street.
I knew that local attorney Will Joyce lived at the Hotel Perkins for a long time, so I used him as a starting point in the 1940 census to see who else might have been living there. Here is what I discovered: Lula West-52-Head of Household; Mary Ann J West-85-Mother; W L Joyce-45-Lodger; Wesley D Martin-65-Lodger; Edmund S Burke-24-Lodger; Kenneth P Scott-22-Lodger; Edith McClure Vaughn-34-Lodger; Mabel Lawson Clark-51-Lodger; Emily W Bennett-68-Lodger; Katheryn E Taylor-25-Lodger; William Clay Taylor-30-Lodger; Helen B Barbee-42-Employee; Richard S Fulcher-23-Lodger; Nathan John Loggins-60-Servant; Charles Wm Loggins-60-Servant; Glenn Mack Tatum-21-Servant, and Mattie Pullen-55-Servant.
Peter Roberson was the hotel desk clerk and manager for several years and Ben Mays ran a livery stable behind the hotel on Slusher Street. Mays’ employee and driver Nelson Rucker would transport guests and traveling salesmen from the Dick and Willie rail line downtown up the very steep hill to the hotel.
The Hotel Perkins/Jeb Stuart Inn was destroyed by fire on the evening of November 23, 1943. In an interview in the Enterprise, the late Robert J. Mann described that fateful night, “I saw the smoke and ran off to find John George. He and I then ran to get the antiquated fire engine which was parked behind the George building.” (I want to interject a question here. Does anyone know if this might be the old tobacco warehouse owned by T. J. George? I don’t think Reverend Mann would be describing George’s Mill that was downtown across from Walgreens but am not sure). Anyway, Rev. Mann continues, “after we shooed the roosting chickens off, we drove it to the fire and hooked it up. Just as soon as we turned the water on, the hose burst. We got another section of hose and it was holding up pretty well when the fire engine ran out of gasoline. We ended up pushing the fire engine away to keep it from being burned up.” Rev. Mann did not recall the cause of the fire but remembered the hot water boiler blew up and parts of it landed in Main Street. He also recalled windows breaking from the intense heat up and down Main Street and downtown Stuart was said to be as bright as the middle of the day.
I found another article about the fire where the Martinsville Fire Department broke speed records arriving in Stuart only thirty minutes after receiving the call for help.
This ends our saga of the Hotel Perkins, a place that harkens back to a simpler time, where folks enjoyed meals around the table, good conversation, and front porch sitting. Thank you to Charlie Bowman for the photo of the Christmas parade marching by the JEB Stuart Inn.
Woody may be reached at rockcastlecreek1@gmail.com.
