Davis Brothers Store
Why it's listed
Built in 1913 by brothers Henry E. and William C. Davis, this two-story brick store on East Main Street in East Bend served as a general store, selling dry goods, hardware, cedar shingles, and farm supplies. Henry Davis ran it for more than forty years until his retirement in 1956. The building also hosted a polling place, a Masonic meeting hall, and one of only two long distance telephones in the community. A shed porch on brick posts, added within a few years of construction, is considered a rare surviving example of its kind among such stores. The interior retains original molded shelving, chamfered posts, and beaded board walls. Dr. Rosebud Morse Garriott, one of North Carolina's earliest women dentists, practiced on the second floor from 1917 until shortly before her death in 1980. The building is listed for its commercial history, its architecture, and its association with her work in dentistry.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the store exemplifies the role of the general store in small North Carolina towns during the first half of the twentieth century, and is a well-preserved example of brick commercial architecture from the first quarter of the century. It also cites its long association with Dr. Rosebud Morse Garriott, one of the state's earliest women dentists, whose second-floor office was in the building from 1917.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 93001543, listed January 21, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | E. Main St. N side, just E of jct. with Flint Hill Rd., East Bend |
|---|---|
| County | Yadkin County |
| Listed | January 21, 1994 |
| Reference number | 93001543 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1913-1943 |
| Architect / builder | Henry E. and William C. Davis (builders) |
| Architectural style | Commercial Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture, Health/Medicine |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored in part by its present owners for use as a store; the rest of the building was being prepared for use as a museum at the time of the nomination. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 36.21688, -80.50736 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 93001543.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q20709306
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.