The James Pharmacy is a historic building at 2 Pennywise Lane in
Old Saybrook, Connecticut
Old Saybrook is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,481 at the 2020 census. It contains the incorporated borough of Fenwick, as well as the census-designated places of Old Saybrook Center and Saybro ...
. Built in an evolutionary manner beginning about 1820, it is significant as the home and workplace of
Anna Louise James (1886–1977), who was the first African-American woman pharmacist in the state, and owned the pharmacy for some time.
It is also the birthplace and childhood home of author
Ann Petry
Ann Petry (October 12, 1908 – April 28, 1997) was an American writer of novels, short stories, children's books and journalism. Her 1946 debut novel ''The Street'' became the first novel by an African-American woman to sell more than a milli ...
, who was James' niece.
[ and ] The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1994, and is a contributing element in the Old Saybrook South Green
The Old Saybrook South Green is a historic district that encompasses the historic town green and nearby streets in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. Established in the 1630s, most of the buildings arrayed around the green were built between 1760 and 19 ...
district.
Description and history
The James Pharmacy building is located near the southern end of Old Saybrook's historic town center, at the southwest junction of Main Street and Pennywise Lane. It is a -story wood-frame structure, shaped like an L and covered by a gabled roof. It is finished in wooden clapboards, and has a single-story shed-roof section filling the crook of the L. That section's facade consists of three segmented-arch bays, articulated by pilasters and filled in the lower part by siding and the upper part by fixed multi-pane windows. To its right is the projecting main block, with the entrance on the left side, framed by pilasters and a pedimented gable, and a 20th-century bay window on the right. The gable is filled by siding in a sunburst pattern, with a carved mortar and pestle
Mortar and pestle is a set of two simple tools used from the Stone Age to the present day to prepare ingredients or substances by crushing and grinding them into a fine paste or powder in the kitchen, laboratory, and pharmacy. The ''mortar'' () ...
motif at the center.
The building was acquired around 1898 by Peter and Bertha (James) Lane, an African-American couple. Peter Lane was one of the first African-American pharmacists in the state, and the couple was eventually joined by Bertha's younger sister Anna. She followed Peter into the pharmacy business, earning her pharmacist's license in 1911. Overcoming discrimination based both on sex and race, Anna James operated the business until her retirement in 1955. Customers included several high-profile summer residents of the area, Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...
and Howard Hughes
Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in th ...
among them.
See also
*
References
{{National Register of Historic Places
Houses completed in 1820
Buildings and structures in Middlesex County, Connecticut
Federal architecture in Connecticut
Colonial Revival architecture in Connecticut
Pharmacies on the National Register of Historic Places
Old Saybrook, Connecticut
National Register of Historic Places in Middlesex County, Connecticut
Historic district contributing properties in Connecticut
Health care companies based in Connecticut
African-American history of Connecticut