Another fixture on Main Street will be going away.: T. R. Ashworth, Inc. The business occupied an office building, a site formerly of a service station and a warehouse at this location.
The office of T. R. Ashworth housed in the two story brick building was on two lots of the original property of T. Anna Harrison on Main Street, conveyed to several individuals including J.R. Boothe and S. S. Rogers . There are references to a Boothe building on the lot and a picture of the building dates from what appears to be the famous snow storm of the late 1920’s. it is not known exactly what business was operational here in those years.
The property was in the hands of Boothe, Rogers, and in 1931 T. W. Brewer and the Trustees of Wake Forest College. Finally the property ended up in the holdings of E. L. Keith.
In April 1948, Keith leased the Keith Hardware building and the Keith Warehouse building to I. J. Stephens and J. H. Loyd for five years. These two brothers-in-law operated on Main Street Stephens and Lloyd Hardware Company as a partnership in the brick building Their business was closed when Lloyd moved to Wilson. I. J. Stephens continued their main operation in Varina on Broad Street for many years.
The office building was purchased by T. R. and Rheunelle Ashworth in 1954 and opened as their office. Joe does not know what all the upstairs was used for in the hardware days. For many years, Ashworth rented the front part of the building to Service Barber Shop and kept the back and side portion as an office.
The service station portion of T. R. Ashworth was known as Bethune’s Gulf Service Station when the Ashworth family took over the business. That property was in the estates of A. M. Barham and W. J. Ballentine before purchase by Ashworth. This original service station buildling located where the metal awning and gas pumps were installed was demolished by Ashworth in 1968.
Between the service station and the original Fuquay Springs Baptist Church, there were several other buildings which left Main Street. Clarks’ Esso was one of those, as was a pizza location. The pictures show some others. Fidelity Bank took over the church property and other areas adjoining Ashworth’s there in 1979 when they moved into the current building from their original Bank of Fuquay farther down the street.
The Ashworth family came into the picture when T. R. Ashworth returned from World War II service. For several years, Max Ashworth operated the station business. Tom Ashworth expanded the business to become the Gulf Oil Distributor and Tire Service over the years. Eventually T. R. Ashworth used a warehouse located on highway # 42 (demolished when Judd Parkway crossed) for the expanded business.
Joe Ashworth, son of Tom, says he returned from college and graduate school in 1977. Tom continued to be active in the operation of the business from 1977 until his death in 1993. Joe continued the operation until 2024 when he sold the properties to Fidelity Bank.
Sadly, another long-time family institution has left the scene. Fidelity Bank, first a fixture on Main Street as Bank of Fuquay, will now expand their operation. The property will have a new use at some point. The museums have asked for the large sign to be saved as an artifact from T. R. Ashworth and gifted to the museums collection.
Other pictures of Main Street at different times will be valued if readers can add them to our collection at the museums.