Originally constructed in 1900, the two-story building originally housed The Bank of Giles. In 1906, when the bank was reorganized as The First National Bank of Pearisburg and relocated to 103 N. Main St., the building housed the publishing offices of the local paper The Pearisburg Virginian, which was published from 1906 to 1954 and which replaced the previous publication, The Weekly Pearisburg Virginian. One rival of The Pearisburg Virginian was the publication Virginian Leader, which was publicized beginning in 1857 and remains in publication today. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 30th, 1992.
Constructed in the first quarter of the twentieth-century, this building is believed to be the first in Pearisburg to be originally designed as a mixed-use space. The lower floor was used for commercial purposes, and the top floor was used as a residential space. The building, along with nineteen other buildings that comprise the Pearisburg Historic District, was added to the Virginia Landmark Registry on December 11th, 1991, and the National Register of Historic Places on January 30th, 1992, for its unique architecture and for the commercial history of the building. Today, the building houses the Upper Cuts Barber Shop.
Originally known as The Bank of Giles and housed in 109 N. Main St., when the bank was reorganized and relocated to 101 N. Main St. in 1906, it was renamed The First Bank of Giles. The bank contributed to the economic growth and development of Pearisburg throughout the twentieth-century. After the bank closed, the building has housed multiple restaurants and now houses the Buckland Law Firm. The building, along with nineteen others that comprise the Pearisburg Historic District, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 for its historic commercial significance and for its unique Romanesque-style architecture.
Constructed by Guy D. French in 1827, the building first housed a tavern that would later be reestablished as the Western Hotel by Guy French's wife in 1869. In the early-twentieth century, the first floor was repurposed by the Thomas family to accommodate retail space on the first floor and apartment space on the second floor. The Thomas family destroyed the rear wing of the building in 1936 and constructed a new addition that maintains the passageway between the buildings. Today, the upper floor is still used as apartment space, and the first floor houses the New River Office Supply store. The building was placed on the Virginia Landmark Register and the National Register of Historic Places as one of nineteen buildings comprising the Pearisburg Historic District for being the oldest building in the district, one of two examples of Antebellum architecture in the area, and for reflecting the growth and development of Pearisburg throughout the nineteenth and twentieth century.
The Pearis Theater opened its doors on December 20th, 1939, and was constructed by the Star Amusement Company in cooperation with the local Witten family. The theater is an "L"-shaped structure, with a one-lot lobby and an auditorium that extends three lots. The adjoining building, known as the Witten Building, was constructed at the same time, which accommodated retail activity on the first floor and housed professional offices on the second floor. A fire in the 1950s gutted the Witten Building, which, once rehabilitated, lost its historical integrity. The Pearis Theater, however, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for being a rare example of Art Deco architecture in Southwestern Virginia and for the local recreational and cultural significance of the building. Local groups are actively working to restore the theater to its original grandeur.
The three-story building was originally constructed by local banker C. L. King and merchant C. A. Hoilman in 1920 for office space and was converted by Dr. Walter Cleveland Caudill and his brother to the St. Elizabeth's Hospital in 1924. In the same year, the adjacent building, which now houses a hair salon, was constructed to offer additional office space for the hospital.This was the only hospital in Giles County at the time, and it had approximately twenty beds. The hospital would remain in operation until 1950, when it was replaced by the more modern Giles Memorial Hospital, which itself was replaced by the Carilion Giles Community Hospital. Following the construction of the Giles Memorial Hospital, the building was readapted for office space and for residential apartments, which it is still used for today. These buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 as two of nineteen comprising the Pearisburg Historic District.
This historic courthouse was constructed by Thomas Mercer in 1836 and replaced the original Giles County courthouse that was funded by the town's namesake, Capt. George Pearis. In May 1862, the courthouse was the site of a confrontation between Union and Confederate forces, a skirmish that resulted in damage to the windows of the cupola and bullet holes being left in the weather vane. The adjacent sheriff's office and jail was constructed between 1937 and 1938, which replaced the previous irreparable jail. In 1982, the courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmark Registry. In 1992, the Giles County Sheriff's Office and Jail was added to the National Register as one of nineteen buildings (this list includes the courthouse) comprising the Pearisburg Historic District. Beginning in 2005, work began on a renovation project that would honor the building's historical integrity but also add modern touches to the courthouse so that it could achieve ADA compliance and continue to be utilized in the future.
Originally constructed by local businessman and senator A. E. Shumate between 1923 and 1924, the Giles County Motor Company Building housed the first car dealership in Pearisburg. Studebaker and Plymouth automobiles were sold and repaired in the building. Following the closure of the dealership, the open automobile entrances were replaced by storefront enclosures, and the building was repurposed as enclosed retail space. Today, the building is used by the Giles County Christian Service Mission group. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 for its architecture and for reflecting the economic growth and development of Pearisburg in the early twentieth century.
Constructed by local businesswoman Maude P. Miller in 1930, the three-story Miller Building was designed as a mixed-use space. The bottom floor housed the town's first theater, the ground floor was used by a pharmacy, and the top floor was reserved for apartment space. Miller's conceptualization of the building as a mixed-use space reflects the prominence of mixed-use spaces in Pearisburg during the early twentieth century. The Miller Building was one of nineteen buildings added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 that comprise the Pearisburg Historic District. The building reflects the economic growth of Pearisburg and the popular mixed-use format of many local businesses during the early twentieth century.
The Christ Episcopal Church of Pearisburg was established in 1907, and the first church building was constructed between 1910 and 1917. The church was constructed using materials from the local King farm and entirely funded by contributions from the women of the church. In 1926, the inside of the church was destroyed by fire, which resulted in the loss of many church records. The church was rebuilt on the same site by 1933 and is still in use today. The church is notable for being the only religious property remaining within the Pearisburg Historic District. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 30th, 1992, for being a rare example of American Craftsman-style architecture in Pearisburg and for reflecting the religious growth and development of the area.
Built in 1829 by Colonel Andrew Johnston, one of the founding fathers of Pearisburg, the Andrew Johnston House is believed to be the oldest surviving brick house in Pearisburg. In 1857, Colonel Johnston’s son, Dr. Harvey Green Johnston, built an office for his medical practice that remains on the site. On May 6th, 1862, Lieutenant Colonel Rutherford B. Hayes and the Union troops under his command arrived in town and utilized Dr. Johnston’s office as Union headquarters. Today, the Andrew Johnston House serves a dual purpose: as the headquarters for the Giles County Historical Society and as a museum for those interested in the history of Pearisburg and/or Georgian architecture.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This tour guides you through many of the buildings in the Pearisburg Historic District, which reflect the growth and development of the town from the mid-nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. The tour ends just outside of the Pearisburg Historic District at the Andrew Johnston House, which now houses the Giles County Historical Society.
