Early Business in Maysville
 
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 Maysville's first known merchant was Abraham Atkins, affectionately called ‘Uncle Abe.'  In the early 1850s Abe Atkins erected two brick buildings--probably the first north of Athens--one a store, the other a residence.  The former afterwards became well known from Athens to the mountains of North Carolina as the 'Brick Store of North Georgia.'
   Mountaineer B.H. Green, a correspondent for the Banks County Gazette, wrote on September 25, 1899:

          .... I am now 66 years of age.  When in my 18th year (1851) I went to our nearest market, Maysville, only one store and a blacksmith shop.  Old unkle Abe Atkins was the merchant, a negro slave the blacksmith.  The road or blazes that I followed seemed to be heading straight somewhere.  I never struck a curve.  When I ascended the cloud capped summit of the Alleghenies I looked in awe below.  It was late.  I took for a target a large spruce pine near where Logan's tollgate is kept.  My large white ox held the light till I anchored somewhere below.  My loading consisted of 4 dead hogs nicely dressed and salted whole, four sacks of dried peaches, a small kraut stand full of honey in the comb, a few bushels of long red potatoes, two 12 gallon kegs peach brandy, six bushels chestnuts, and some pop corn, and to my surprise and glory I found out that Uncle Abe Atkins was able and willing to buy me out, lock, stock, and barrel, which he did do.  I swapped off the pale sorrel to a Simmons later and I hope that I may never see him again, mean the horse.”

The old "brick store" or "Atkins Store" stood at the corner of what is now Homer and South Main Streets.  It was replaced by a set of two-story brick buildings, one of which was known as Atkins National Bank, now Maysville City Hall.

Page last updated 10/21/2007

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