|
Standard Drug Company (originally founded as Hopkins and Bethea) is a historic pharmaceutical company in Meridian, Mississippi. Originally established as a small retail drug store in 1900, the company was incorporated in 1919 and became one of the largest commercial firms in the city. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. ==History== Standard Drug Company was originally named "Hopkins and Bethea" after W.E. Hopkins and Oscar Bethea, who founded the company in January 1900 on 22nd Avenue next to Weidmann's Restaurant. The company moved to a three story building at 2408 5th Street in 1906. That building was included as a contributing property to the Meridian Urban Center Historic District in 1979, known as the "Hopkins and Bethea Building". The building had been demolished by the time the Meridian Downtown Historic District (which combined two smaller districts in Meridian, one of which was Urban Center) was listed in 2007. As the city grew, so did Hopkins and Bethea. The business was incorporated in 1911, with W.E. Hopkins as president, and the name was changed to Standard Drug Company.〔 "Kimborough's Antiseptic" was a popular product among locals. The product was meant to treat minor cuts and scratches, but most of its popularity was linked to the fact that in included alcohol. Another product branded by Standard Drug–Jamica ginger–was also popular for its alcoholic content during prohibition. The latter, however, left some over-users paralyzed for life with what was dubbed "Jake leg." When Bethea left the company to enroll in Tulane Medical School, a bookkeeper named Ernest A. Morrison bought into the partnership with Hopkins.〔 The company continued to grow, and by 1919, the company was large enough to warrant a new building. The Meridian Medical College property at 25th Avenue and 6th Street was purchased and demolished, making way for a new three-story building with over of floor space.〔 In the early 1910s, the company began diversifying and added other products such as cosmetics, school supplies, and children's toys to their profit margin. During World War I, when the rest of the country was experiencing a shortage of quinine (used to treat malaria), Standard Drug was able to keep a steady supply, which allowed them to remain in business and make a great deal of money.〔 When Hopkins died in 1941, Morrison took over as president of the company, appointing J.L. Hopkins (W.E. Hopkins's son) as vice president and his own son, Edgar H. Morrison, secretary and treasurer. When Morrison died in 1959, J.L. Hopkins took over, and when Hopkins died, Edgar Morrison took over. Edgar Morrison was the final president of the company, presiding over its sell and transfer to Durr-Fillauer Medical out of Montgomery, Alabama.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Standard Drug Company (Meridian, Mississippi)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|