Wright Brothers Store (1896-1931)

The Wright family were some of the first settlers in Ceredo. Robert Wright and his wife Agnes emigrated from Massachusetts to the new settlement in 1857. They were part of a wave of New England settlers moving to Ceredo as part of Eli Thayer’s attempt to create a Northern abolitionist manufacturing city in the South. The Wrights were notably one of the few New England families to remain in Ceredo after it was decimated in the Civil War. Robert and Agnes would eventually have at least twelve children. They and their descendants were very active in the community and served in a number of positions. Among other things, the family invested heavily in real estate, and at one point owned and rented out dozens of houses. Today, descendants of the Wright family remain scattered throughout the Tri-State area.

It was around 1890 that three of Robert Wright’s sons –Mack, George, and Bill- purchased a store at the southwest corner of B Street and 1st Street East. The brothers had worked for a time at the local Parsons Lumber Company sawmill until they had saved enough money to open their own business. The original store, a long frame building, was moved across the street and later converted into a residence. In its place, the Wrights constructed a two-story brick building in 1895. The following year they expanded with an adjoining three-story building. The three Wright brothers employed many of their siblings and other relatives at the store, requiring little outside help as a result.

The Wright Brothers Store, as the business was known, became one of the largest and most successful stores in the Ohio Valley between Cincinnati and Wheeling. It sold a wide variety of products including groceries, hardware, dry goods, clothing, furniture, wallpaper, paint, and stationery. The Ohio Valley Electric Railway streetcar line on the street facing the store brought customers from surrounding communities. The Wrights also operated a fleet of delivery wagons to bring goods to customers around Ceredo and Kenova. In addition to being a popular business, the Wright Brothers Store functioned as a social center for the community. Many men would gather at the store in the evenings after dinner to chew tobacco and chat. The second floor of the three-story building contained a stage where the local school would hold exercises and talent shows. On the third floor was a large meeting hall; the high school girls’ basketball team would play there also.

Over the years, the original Wright Brothers all died and their children took over management of the store. Reportedly they were not as talented as their parents, and the business suffered as a result. The store finally closed and was sold in 1931. After a while, the building was converted into apartment units, which it remains to this day.

Ed Adkins Scrapbooks. Ceredo Historical Society Museum.

Napier, Mose A. Ceredo: It’s Founders & Families. Ceredo: Phoenix Systems, Ltd., 1989.