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Hardy’s Drug Store ad as it appeared in the Washington Daily News

Hardy’s Drug Store at the corner of Market and Main Streets

Hotel Louise, site of the Worthy & Etheridge Drug Store and S.B Etheridge Drug Store

Hardy’s Drug Store medicine bottle recovered from Jack’s Creek.

Left: Ira May Hardy, Right: Ira May Hardy, front center, with his family, 1929.

The recent dredging work in Jacks’s Creek has uncovered more than just another backhoe of dirt. Numerous artifacts have been discovered including a bottle from Hardy’s Drug Store that dates back over 100 years. “The Historic Port of Washington was able to obtain many of the historic artifacts that have been recovered during the dredging of the creek,” said Stephen Farrell, Brown Library historian. “The bottle from Hardy’s Drug Store caught my attention because Washington, NC is embossed in the glass, proving it was made and sold here. This, of course, started me down another road of discovery. Some people like to dig in the dirt, I prefer researching what has been found in the dirt and its connections to Washington’s history.”

Ira May Hardy, was born in La Grange, North Carolina in 1874. He came to Washington in 1902 and married Mary Eliza Mansfield Baynor. The following year, Hardy, an MD and a druggist, opened his drug store on the southeast corner of Main and Market Streets, where Agape Health is currently located. There he sold medicine, some household items, and also had a soda fountain. Hardy ran the drug store from 1903-1911 until he sold it to S. B. Etheridge, the manager of the store, and Etheridge’s partner, Ford S. Worthy. They renamed the store Worthy & Etheridge Drug Store and moved its location to the first floor of the Hotel Louise. After opening in 1918, Etheridge and Worthy would remain partners for the next 26 years. In 1945 Etheridge bought out Worthy who went on to become the first U. S. Marshal for the eastern district of North Carolina. His wife Pauline helped to co-author the book Washington and the Pamlico.

After selling the business in 1911, Hardy and his wife moved to Kinston where he became the Superintendent of the School for the Feeble Minded, which was for students who were infirm or autistic. “He became president of the Seaboard Medical Association and the North Carolina Medical Society,” said Farrell. “Hardy was also one of the founders of Fowle Memorial Hospital in Washington, which was located at the corner of Market and 5th streets where the Washington Fire Department is currently located. Between his time here in Washington and Kinston, Hardy is said to have birthed thousands of babies. Tragically after contracting a very serious disease in 1948, Hardy took his own life at the age of 74.”

As Farrell pointed out the discovery of the bottle from Hardy’s Drug Store not only represents a family history but is also part of Washington’s history as well. “Items like this open a treasure trove of stories about how things once were, where we are today, and a new dimension of our history that many may not even know about,” said Farrell. “For all we know the medicine that was once in this bottle could have helped to save someone’s life. It is my job to uncover these stories, help to preserve them, and keep their history alive not only for our residents but for those who visit Washington.”

Many of the artifacts that have been recovered during the dredging of Jack’s Creek will soon be on display at the Harbor Market District.

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