Gray's Pharmacy



Company Names, addresses, dates: 1
  Gray's Pharmacy, 950 S. Sycamore St., Petersburg VA (1949-1954) 1,2
  Gray's Drug Store, 1950 S. Sycamore St., Petersburg VA (1955-ca.1986) 1,3
gray_1938
William W. Gray in 1938
Notes:
 William Wilson Gray (1911-1991)4 started the Gray's Pharmacy in Petersburg about 1949.2
The photo of him shown above is from the 1938 yearbook from the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond.

The last year he shows up at 950 S Sycamore Street in city directories was 1954, and in 1955 he shows up at 1950 S Sycamore Street, and the name of his drugstore apparently changed from "Gray's Pharmacy" to "Gray's Drug Store". Also, in the 1955 directory, the Kirkpatric Drug Company was listed at Gray's old address of 950 S Sycamore.1

I don't know when his store closed down, but the last newspaper mention I could find for it was in 1986.3
By 1989, the Walnut Hill Pharmacy had taken over the location at 1950 S Sycamore Street.5
As of this writing (June 2026), that pharmacy is still open at that location.


Bottles:
gray_01 This is a clear 5" screw-top bottle with a label:
upper label: CAMPHORATED OIL, U.S.P. / ...
lower label: GRAY'S PHARMACY / 950 S. SYCAMORE ST. / PHONE 3008 PETERSBURG, VA.


1 Petersburg VA city directories for years: 1866,70,72,76-77,79,82,86,88,91,93,95,97,99,1901,03,05,07,09,11,13,15,17-18,20-22,24,27,29,31,33,35,37,39,41,43,48,50,52,54-55,57,59
2 Richmond News Leader, 20-Oct-1949, p.32 (earliest newspaper ad I could find for Gray's Pharmacy)
3 Richmond Times Dispatch, 4-May-1986, p.189 (latest newspaper mention I could find for Gray's Pharmacy)
4 Find-a-grave entry for William Wilson Gray
5 Richmond Times Dispatch, 23-Nov-1989, p.269 (earliest ad I could find for Walnut Hill Pharmacy @ 1950 S Sycamore)


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This page last updated on June 20, 2026.