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Source Collection
William Nowland Van Powell papers, Special Collections Department, University of Memphis Libraries
Identifier
sc.0258.los_001.009
Description
Panoramic image of the staff of John Gerber's department store at their annual picnic at Riverside Park, Memphis, Tennessee, in 1924. The photographer was Bolton. Mary Herbst, a cashier, is identified in the photograph. John Gerber opened his first store on Main Street in Memphis in 1880. It expanded greatly over the years, eventually taking up most of the block. In 1949, Gerber's added the first escalators most Memphians had ever seen. When retailers began to abandon Main Street in the 1960s, Gerber's struggled to survive. An early-morning fire on December 29, 1968, did more than one million dollars' damage and closed the store for four months. Just three years later, another blaze struck, and again the owners rebuilt and reopened but the store closed for good in 1974. Other stores also closed around the city in the following years.
Date Created
6-9-2021
Date
1924
Recommended Citation
"Gerber's department store staff picnic, 1924" (2021). Images. 1.
https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/speccoll-mss-wnvpowell1/1
Keywords
Department stores--Tennessee--Memphis.
Rights Statement
Archival Statement
This item was created or digitized prior to April 24, 2026, or is a reproduction of legacy media created before that date. It is preserved in its original, unmodified state specifically for research, reference, or historical recordkeeping. This material is part of a digital archival collection and is not utilized for current University instruction, programs, or active public communication. In accordance with the ADA Title II Final Rule, the University Libraries provides accessible versions of archival materials upon request. To request an accommodation for this item, please submit an accessibility request form.
