Public access is provided to these resources to preserve the historical record. The content represents the opinions and actions of their creators and the culture in which they were produced. Therefore, some materials may contain language and imagery that is outdated, offensive and/or harmful. The content does not reflect the opinions, values, or beliefs of ECU Libraries.
If you know something about this item or would like to request additional information, click here.
My grandmother, Neppie Renfrow Boykin, and my father, Roy Thomas Boykin, as well as other family members identified this apothecary cabinet as originally belonged to W. M. Boykin and was in W. M. Boykin's Drug Store in Bailey. His drug store was on Main Street. W. M. "Bill" Boykin was my grandfather. At one time there was a photograph on display in the Country Doctor Museum that included my grandfather, W. M. Boykin, standing with another gentleman in front of the cabinet. I do not know who the photo belonged to or what happened to it? And I do not know the exact provenance of the cabinet but again family members said it was sold with the Drug Store to Rittenbury and eventually became the property of J. B. Bartlett. Again, I have no documentation to prove the provenance of the piece. One of the apothecary bottles and a label from the Boykin Drug Store is still in the family. Boykin Drug Store was incorporated by W. M. Boykin and two others, Patterson and Liles. The corporation notice was published in the April 1912 edition of The Pharmaceutical Era.
Complete the fields below to post a public comment about the material featured on this page. The email address you submit will not be displayed and would only be used to contact you with additional comments or questions.
Ronald Sanford (Rom) RittenburyRonald Sanford (Rom) Rittenbury (1894-1956), born in Nash County, North Carolina, lived for a while and is buried in Leasburg, Caswell County, North Carolina. He was a pharmacist.In 1922, he married Leasburg's Mary Elizabeth Stanfield (1901-1979), daughter of Benjamin Elijah Stanfield (1876-1935) and Josephine Hambrick Stanfield (1869-1945). The couple had one child, Dr. Max Sanford Rittenbury, M.D. (1928-1994).In 1931, Rom Rittenbury purchased Boykin Drug Company, a drug store in Bailey, Nash County, North Carolina (east of Raleigh), where he had been employed as a pharmacist. He operated the business as Rittenbury Pharmacy for a number of years. The business apparently included the apothecary cabinet shown here.Notes: Yes, the nickname is "Rom" and not "Ron." Mary Stanfield Rittenbury served as Leasburg's postmaster 1959-1965 (after Rom's death in 1956).