Fredericksburg Parent

22 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • April 2025 In the late 19th- and early 20th-centuries, this building and the building next door were owned by Ella Hicks, a lifelong resident of Fredericksburg—and the deed for the property was entered in her name alone, even though she was mar- ried at the time. "It was unusual for a property deed to be entered in the wife's name instead of the husband's, unless the wife were particularly wealthy," writes John Johnson for the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation's marker report on 302 Princess Anne Street. "However, Mrs. Hicks' parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Toombs, were of moderate means." Ella Hicks bought the property in 1889. There was one structure on the lot—a small building constructed around the time of the Civil War that the owner operated as a grocery store. Ella and her husband at the time, Richard Hicks, continued to operate the grocery store at 304 Princess Anne Street. In 1889, she built another structure on the property, which is the current dwelling at 302 Princess Anne. According to Johnson, it's a scaled-down replica of the brick house next door, but Ella added "many interior refinements" such as "a brick floored basement, six handsomely carved fireplaces, and an ornate front door." growing up on historic ground WRITTEN BY ADELE UPHAUS Above: Ella Hicks Purcell owned both these buildings, operating a grocery store out of the one on the right. Photos by Adele Uphaus. Ella outlived one husband and married Alexander Purcell in 1907. Purcell took over the grocery business—although according to the recollections of Sidney Armstrong, a long- time City Council member who grew up in the neighbor- hood—Ella did most of the work. "[Armstrong] recalls that Ella Hicks Purcell ran the store and waited on customers while Mr. Purcell, neatly dressed in suit and tie, sat in the back," Johnson wrote in the marker report. "He usually smoked a cigar and always wore his hat whether he was inside or out." According to Johnson, another resident of the neighbor- hood, John Russell, recalled Ella Purcell as being "a very strong-minded person." In addition to running the grocery store, she continued to accumulate real estate in her own name—eventually up to 25 properties—that she rented out. Russell recalled that she was "very strict with her tenants." 302 PRINCESS ANNE ST. Women were the original and longest-term owners of this property.

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