Uriah Millsaps building

The oldest commercial building in West Monroe can be found on Commerce street. For many years, it was the Trenton Street Appliance Store. The building was built in 1885 by Uriah Millsaps. Uriah and his brother F.F. came to the town of Trenton and set up a mercantile store selling the Tennessee Wagon. When he saw that the railroad bridge was going to cross the river five miles below the town at Cottonport, he bought some land and set up shop. His new building (pictured above with Uriah in his best suit and hat) was set at the prime spot to do business. What is now the back of the building faced the cotton yard where massive amounts of cotton was coming in. Steamboats were out and the railroad was taking its place. Sure enough, Trenton, which had depended on steamboat traffic, disappeared and the little town of Cottonport became the seed that grew into West Monroe.

I drive by this building every week and am delighted at what it has become! The above windows/doorways, which had been boarded up, are now open and the building houses a thriving little shop for Antique Alley. Look for the Coca Cola advertisement painted along the side of this building!