Savannah Pharmacy Records and Fonvielle Family Papers Dates: 1874‐1876, 1903‐2008, No Date Extent/Size: 83.25 Cubic Feet Language: English
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3205-GSM-gau (USMARC); GSG (OCLC/SOLINET) 1 City of Savannah, Research Library & Municipal Archives, Savannah, Georgia Record Series #: 3205‐015 through 3205‐039 Name: Savannah Pharmacy Records and Fonvielle Family Papers Dates: 1874‐1876, 1903‐2008, no date Extent/Size: 83.25 cubic feet Language: English Organizational History: The Savannah Pharmacy was started by the Lee Chemical Company, of Albany, GA, around 1907. In 1914, Dr. Walter E. Moody and Dr. Joseph Earl Fonvielle, a native of North Carolina and graduate of Howard University Pharmacy School, purchased the business from the Lee Chemical Company with the help of a loan from the Wage Earners Bank. Doctors Moody and Fonvielle ran a very successful pharmacy business serving Savannah’s African American community from the main branch at 719 West Broad Street (now Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard) and smaller stores on Fahm Street, Randolph Street, West Bay Street, and Augusta Avenue. Their compounded medicines, including a cure‐all called “Yamacraw Chill Tonic” and the patented cold medicine “Long Ease,” were highly sought after. Following the death of Dr. Moody in 1942, the Fonvielle family assumed full control of the Pharmacy. Dr. J. Earl Fonvielle’s wife, Lillian, and three children, William Earl Sr., Reginald and Frances, all helped out as clerks, managers, and pharmacists. From 1955 until her death in 1998, Frances Fonvielle served as president of the Pharmacy. She is considered an African American female pioneer in the pharmaceutical field. During the early 1960s, Urban Renewal projects and the construction of Interstate 16 forced the clearing of the 600 and 700 blocks of the west side of West Broad Street. The Savannah Pharmacy, forced to relocate, closed its doors at 719 West Broad in 1963 in reopened in 1964 at 916 West Broad. The new $75,000 two‐story office building, known as the Fonvielle Office Building, was built by Frances Fonvielle, designed by architect Eugene Allen Maxwell, constructed by local contractor Boise Goldwire, and financed by the North Carolina Mutual Insurance Company. After its relocation in the 1960s, the Savannah Pharmacy suffered a slow‐decline as a result of the desegregation of local businesses, emergence of national chain drug stores and discount stores, and the general decline of West Broad Street. Third‐generation owner William Earl Fonvielle, Jr., known as Earl or “Bunk,” kept the business open as long as he could, wanting to provide a community pharmacy. At the time of its closing in 2007, the Savannah Pharmacy was the second oldest continuously‐operating, black‐owned business in Savannah (93 years), and the only black‐owned pharmacy in the city. The City of Savannah purchased the Fonvielle Office Building in 2009. In 2011, renovation of the building into new offices for the Economic Development department began. For more information about the history of the Savannah Pharmacy, Fonvielle Family, and the Fonvielle Office Building see: THE SAVANNAH PHARMACY, 1914‐2007; A brief history of the Savannah Pharmacy business, properties, and owners. Prepared by L. Spracher, City of Savannah, Research Library & Municipal Archives, December 2009. Prepared by L. Spracher and L. Seifert, December 2011; restrictions reviewed 5/2012 LMS Y:\RLMA 3205\Finding Aids\RG 3205.doc 3205-GSM-gau (USMARC); GSG (OCLC/SOLINET) 2 City of Savannah, Research Library & Municipal Archives, Savannah, Georgia Scope and Content: Record Series 3205‐015 through 3205‐039, Savannah Pharmacy Records and Fonvielle Family Papers (1874‐1876, 1903‐2008, no date), includes over 83 cubic feet of records maintained by the Fonvielle Family in the operation of the Savannah Pharmacy business in Savannah, Georgia. The records include textual and visual materials arranged into series by record type and media format. Family and business records were inter‐mingled and efforts have been made to differentiate between the two, however there is still overlap in correspondence, legal, financial, and photographic records. See the Scope and Content notes for each series for further information about the content and arrangement of the materials. System of Arrangement and Ordering: The Savannah Pharmacy Records and Fonvielle Family Papers are arranged according to record type and media format into the following series: Record Series 3205‐015 Savannah Pharmacy – Prescription Records [see Series Restriction note] Record Series 3205‐016 Savannah Pharmacy – Poison Dispensing Records Record Series 3205‐017 Savannah Pharmacy – Financial Records [see Series Restriction note] Record Series 3205‐018 Savannah Pharmacy – Proprietary Pharmaceutical Records Record Series 3205‐019 Savannah Pharmacy – Pharmaceutical Reference Record Series 3205‐020 Savannah Pharmacy – Prescription Forms [see Series Restriction note] Record Series 3205‐021 Savannah Pharmacy – Signature Stamps Record Series 3205‐022 Savannah Pharmacy – Correspondence, News Clippings, Advertising Record Series 3205‐023 Savannah Pharmacy – Legal Records Record Series 3205‐024 Savannah Pharmacy – Pharmaceutical Tools Record Series 3205‐025 Savannah Pharmacy – Pharmaceutical Products Record Series 3205‐026 Savannah Pharmacy – Furniture, Architectural Elements, Artifacts Record Series 3205‐027 Fonvielle Family – Photographs and Artwork Record Series 3205‐028 Fonvielle Family – Correspondence Record Series 3205‐029 Fonvielle Family – Legal Records [see Series Restriction note] Record Series 3205‐030 Fonvielle Family – Financial Records [see Series Restriction note] Record Series 3205‐031 Fonvielle Family – Certificates, Awards, Diplomas Record Series 3205‐033 Fonvielle Family – Sheet Music and Recordings Record Series 3205‐034 Fonvielle Family – Miscellaneous Businesses Records [see Series Restriction note] Record Series 3205‐035 Fonvielle Family – Fonvielle Office Building Records Record Series 3205‐036 Savannah Pharmacy – Product Catalogs Record Series 3205‐037 Savannah Pharmacy – Savannah Development and Renewal Authority Record Series 3205‐038 Fonvielle Family – Guardsmen of Savannah Records Record Series 3205‐039 Fonvielle Family – Artifacts Conditions Governing Access: Certain record series, identified above, have restrictions regarding public access due to legal restrictions on releasing personal medical information, Social Security numbers, and confidential tax information [O.C.G.A. 50‐18‐72(a)(20)(A); 50‐18‐72(a)(43)]. In addition, some series, or portions of series, have been closed for 75 years to protect the privacy of living individuals [O.C.G.A. 50‐18‐72(a)(13)]. Please see the individual Record Series restriction notes in the finding aid to determine access restrictions in place. These restrictions will be reviewed in 2032. Prepared by L. Spracher and L. Seifert, December 2011; restrictions reviewed 5/2012 LMS Y:\RLMA 3205\Finding Aids\RG 3205.doc 3205-GSM-gau (USMARC); GSG (OCLC/SOLINET) 3 City of Savannah, Research Library & Municipal Archives, Savannah, Georgia Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use: Please read carefully the statement on copyright below. Permission to reproduce does not constitute permission to publish. Researchers who plan publication are asked to discuss this with the archivist first for written permission. While most of the City of Savannah, Research Library & Municipal Archives’ collections are public records and in the public domain, not all are, and the Library & Archives may not be the owner of copyright for all its archival materials. Researchers are responsible for obtaining any necessary permission to publish from the holder of copyright. In the event that the Library & Archives becomes a source for publication, a copy of the publication is requested for the Library & Archives. NOTICE: WARNING CONCERNING COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve a violation of copyright law. Access Points: African American business enterprises‐‐Georgia‐‐Savannah. African American pharmacists. Drugstores‐‐Georgia‐‐Savannah. Fonvielle family. Fonvielle, Frances E., ca. 1921‐1998. Fonvielle, Joseph Earl, ca. 1888‐1954. Fonvielle, Lillian P., ca. 1890‐1980. Fonvielle, William Earl, Jr., 1947‐. Moody, Walter E. ‐1942. Pharmacies—Georgia—Savannah. Pharmacists—Georgia—Savannah. Savannah (Ga.)—Drugstores. Savannah Pharmacy (Savannah, Ga.). Sponsors/Funding: Partial funding provided by the City of Savannah Economic Development Department. Preferred Citation: Record Group 3205, Savannah Pharmacy Records and Fonvielle Family Papers. City of Savannah, Research Library & Municipal Archives, Savannah, Georgia. Processing Notes: This collection was processed implementing minimal processing strategies, resulting in arrangement that should be considered roughly chronological or roughly alphabetical in some series and sub‐series. Efforts have been made to identify all series which contain sensitive or restricted information,