Skip to main content
Menu Close Menu

Historic Columbia

Donate
  • FAQs
Upcoming Events

Navigation

  • Tours
    • House Tours
      • Robert Mills House and Gardens
      • Hampton-Preston Mansion and Gardens
      • Mann-Simons Site
      • The Museum of the Reconstruction Era
      • Modjeska Monteith Simkins House
      • Hours and Pricing
    • Garden Tours
      • Garden Database
    • Offsite Tours
      • Walking Tours
    • African American History Tours
    • Online Tours
  • Education
    • Field Trips
      • House Tours
      • Walking Tours
      • Early Adventures
    • Traveling Trunk
    • Homeschool Friday
    • Scout Troops
    • Summer Camp
    • Adult Education
  • Preservation
    • Current Projects and Initiatives
      • Bull Street Campus 
      • Columbia's Green Book Sites
      • Veterans Administration Regional Office
      • Women’s Club of Columbia
    • Preservation Awards
    • Resources for the Public
      • For Property Owners
      • For Neighborhoods
      • Take Action!
    • LGBTQ Columbia
  • Support
    • Corporate Support
    • Donate
    • Membership
      • General Membership
      • Palladium Membership
      • Corporate Membership
    • Volunteer
    • Partners and Donors
  • Rent a Venue
    • Gardens of the Woodrow Wilson Family Home
    • Seibels House and Garden
    • Robert Mills Carriage House and Gardens
    • Gardens of the Hampton-Preston Mansion
    • Recommended Vendors
    • Contact Us
  • About
    • Blog
    • Board Members
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
    • Gift Shop at Robert Mills
      • Online Store
    • Local History
      • Columbia Jewish Heritage Initiative
    • Newsletter
    • Staff Directory

Donate

  1. Home
  2. Online Tours
  3. Waverly
  4. 2317 Gervais Street

2317 Gervais Street

2317 Gervais Street

Former Site of Waverly 5¢ & 10¢ Store

George A. Elmore, entrepreneur-turned political activist, is remembered as a photographer and cab driver who operated several neighborhood establishments including a 5¢ & 10¢ store that once stood here, a gas station and two liquor stores. Elmore’s ventures faltered in 1947, following his successful lawsuit for the right to vote in the state’s Democratic Primary, closed then to blacks. He died twelve years later after facing threats and experiencing financial ruin at the hands of suppliers who refused to extend credit and restock supplies in retribution for his activism.

  • George Elmore poses outside the Waverly 5 and 10 Store

    George Elmore poses outside the Waverly 5¢ and 10¢ Store, circa 1945. Image courtesy Cresswell Elmore

  • Waverly 5¢ & 10¢ Store Marker

    Site of Waverly Five and Dime Store, 2018. Historic Columbia collection

Directions:

    Previous1225 Oak Street

    Next2100-2300 Blocks of Gervais Street

    Newsletter Signup

    newsletter signup

    Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for events, news, and updates from Historic Columbia!

    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Flickr
    Historic Columbia

    © 2022 Historic Columbia

    Administrative Offices
    1601 Richland Street
    Columbia, SC 29201

    Tours
    All historic house and garden tours start at the Gift Shop at Robert Mills.
    1616 Blanding Street
    Columbia, SC 29201

    Questions? Call (803) 252-7742.

    Website by Cyberwoven