The F. J. Mitchell Printing Corporation was last located at 310 S. Fifth Street. Across the street from the printing company was the warehouse of the Westinghouse Corporation. All these buildings are now gone. This property is now part of Ethyl Corporation.

It is unknown when the business began, but Forrest J. Mitchell served his apprentice ship in Richmond. The company had previously been located on Governor Street and also on Main Street.

F. J. Mitchell Printing Corporation moved to the Fifth Street location about 1930 from 405 E. Cary Street, where the shop was lo cated in the basement of the Mitchell home. This house was a large, three-story plus base ment residence which had been owned by Captain W. Gordon McCabe, C.S.A.

Captain McCabe was the Adjutant to Colonel William Pegnam, Chief of Artillery for Lee's Army. Colonel Pegnam was killed in the last days of the Civil War near Peters burg and McCabe's account of this can be found in Douglas Southall Freeman's, Lee's Lieutenants. After the War, Capt. McCabe operated a boy's school at the home on Cary Street.

The dining room furniture now owned by John S. Mitchell came from this house. When the house was demolished, the inside wood work, wainscotting, and chandeliers were sold to the foundation for the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg.

The shop was of medium size, containing a double-page flatbed press, two job presses, two linotype machines, binding equipment, etc. It employed approximately five or six people, depending on the work load. The business closed during World War II, about 1944.

Readers are invited to send their family photos and stories to the editor for publication.
Attach to e-mail or ask for instructions on postal mail. E-mail to Editor.

Published and Copyrighted, March 1, 2000 © Betty Naff Mitchell.