Goodman-Kincaid Building

In the 1940s, the Homestead Restaurant operated out of the Goodman-Kincaid Building.

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Quick Facts

Significance:

Historic Building

Thurmond Walking Tour Stop 5

Standard Dry Goods Company built the Goodman-Kincaid building around 1906. This large structure is the largest building along Commerical Row. The second floor had several offices for businesses including a lawyer. Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Exchange Company had its office there as well.

In Thurmond, there wasn't much flat land at the bottom of the gorge. The railroad used most of this land for tracks, rail yards, and other infrastructure. Building houses on the side of the gorge was difficult. With a population of 300 to 500 people, most residents didn't live in houses. Instead, they lived in apartments over the businesses. Most of the upper floors of the Goodman-Kincaid building were apartments.

The first floor had several restaurants and shops over the years. The most famous restaurant was the Homestead Restaurant. Mrs. Ida McClure owned the Homestead and cooked meals for railroad workers. During World War II, she did her part for the war effort by serving free meals to soldiers on troop trains. Her restaurant closed in 1945 at the end of the war.