Dr. Vines Oscar Thompson was born on this day in 1835, in Franklin County, to Allen and Mary Turner Thompson.
He was a graduate of the University of Virginia and Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia.
He served as a surgeon in the Civil War, and was with Lee’s army at the final surrender at Appomattox. After the war he practiced medicine in Warren County, and moved his family to Winston-Salem in 1874.
He established a drug company and gradually moved away from the practice of medicine to devote more time to his drug business. He managed the company until his illness forced him to turn the business over to his son, Peter, about 1902. He passed away in 1905.
By 1910, his drug company was the oldest drug store in town. The business was incorporated in 1916.
The drug store had several locations over the years. It was located on the corner of Liberty and Third Street, until a fire in 1880 destroyed the building. He moved the store to the corner of West Fourth and Liberty. It was known for the soda fountain that operated during the summer months, dispensing delicious drinks.
In 1926, the drug store was located on the corner of Liberty and Fifth Street. In that same year, a second drug store was opened on the corner of Hawthorne Road and Shallowford Street (First Street).
Dr. Thompson was married to Paulina Dillard Joyner Thompson. They were parents of four children, two boys and two girls. One daughter, Minnie, married Robert Williamson. The other daughter, Elsie, married George Brown. The sons-in-law were founders and operators of the tobacco company, Brown and Williamson.
Photo courtesy of Forsyth County Public Library Photograph Collection.
