The First National Bank of Hendricks was organized and opened in September 1905. It was used as a bank until 1937 when it merged with the First National Bank of Parsons. The building is currently owned and rents out the upper floors as an Air B&B. The vault door frame can still be seen in the building. This was confirmed after a rumor rose saying that the frame had been melted down and used for war since metal was in high demand.
In 1910, the J.E. Poling Co. was a large department store with groceries, carpets, matting, and even included a photo studio. This was used by most of the citizens in and around the area of Hendricks for many decades. The family homes still stands in Hendricks, WV and is in the process of being restored.
Built in around 1900, the house served the purpose of belonging to a man by the name of Charles Darwin Gillispie. He was a very wealthy business man within Tucker County in Parsons, Hendricks, and Brooklyn Heights. He owned a large plot of land that he used to make the road that his house was on, naming it Charles Street. As a result of a bad business deal, Charles lost his house and his businesses. It has since been owned by two other people.
The First Bridge in Hendricks was built in 1901 by Charles Darwin Gillispie. He had built a settlement of 16 homes on the other side of the river from Hendricks, which he named Brooklyn Heights. Gillespie also built a distillery and a saloon there because alcohol sales in Hendricks were prohibited.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This short walk though Hendricks reveals the story of a small town in Tucker County, its growth years and the results of economic stagnation, and the historical tensions in the 1920s between tolerance advocates and those who hoped to keep Hendricks a "wet" town.
