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Our most famous customer at Woodbury was Abraham Lincoln, who traveled as a circuit lawyer and often stopped at the circuit court in Danville.

Lincoln frequently purchased medicine, books, and stationery there while lodging at the McCormick House on West Main.

Illiana Medical Equipment & Supply
Since 1846 "Still One of a Kind "

History

The business was founded in 1846 by James A Sconce. The store then carried both books, medical items and food. In 1850, Dr. William W. R Woodbury bought half the business for $563.61 and the drug store became know as Sconce & Woodbury.

Three years later, Woodbury & Co. was formed when Sconce left and two other partners were added.

Woodbury took over in 1857. His motto was "Do as near right as you can"


 

 

 

 

Dr. William W. R Woodbury

     In the late 1850s, rent for the drug store was $75 a year. Merchandise came by river or    canal to Perrysville, IN., and Covington IN., and then was brought over land by wagon.

A shopper could find items with the following prices: Sugar 8 1/3 cents a pound; eggs 6 1/4 cents a dozen; castor oil, $3 a gallon; quinine, $5 and ounce; whiskey, 10 cents a quart; oysters, $1.50 a can; putty, 12 1/2 cents a pound; and tobacco, 37 1/2 cents a pound.

A booklet about the company's history put together in 1911 cited two memorable events: One was the marriage of Woodbury to Maria Williams the daughter of Amos Williams, who helped start Vermilion County and was the first postmaster in 1827.

The second event was the arrival of the Great Western Rail­road in 1857, sparking life into the young town and helping in­crease it's population from 736 to 1,632 by 1860.

Woodbury was such an ardent admirer of Lincoln's that he named the building  housing the drug store Lincoln Hall in 1859.

When Woodbury died in 1901, his sons - Amos Gardener Woodbury and Charles M.-- continued the pharmaceutical business at the Main Street location. Woodbury's two daughters founded Woodbury Book Co.. in 1900 at 4 N. Vermilion. Although the bookstore has kept the Woodbury name, it has had different owners and now is located on N. Gilbert Street.

From 1905 to 1915, the drug store employed a pharmacist named Thomas A. Gulick, who was the grandfather of Tom Gulick the firm's current owner. The grandfather left Woodbury and worked at several other pharmacies in town before establishing his own business.

The elder Gulick operated three or four drug stores at different times and different locations until 1936, when he bought Woodbury Drug Co. T. A. Gulick purchased Woodbury's for his son Lee "Bud" Gulick who, had just graduated from the University of Wisconsin as a pharmacist. Shortly after the purchase Lee Gulick was killed in an automobile wreck. T. A. also owned Gulick Drug Co. at North and Vermilion - owning two stores in the middle of the Depression was a remarkable feat, J. T. Gulick said.

 In 1937, the two businesses were consolidated into one store on West Main.

    The younger Gulick bought the business in 1953 and bought Carson Pharmacy in 1971.

    Although Woodbury on Main Street was routed by urban re­newal in 1960s, and now is being absorbed into another business, it's history hasn't been lost in the shuffle. Gulick said when he was preparing to move in 1968, he came upon some prescription records dating back to 1874.

Some of the old files were destroyed, but Gulick has preserved the business' history-- the photographs, booklets, and stories.
 

 
After running two drug stores for several years in two different locations, and after operating Woodbury Drug for 26 years, Gulick said, "Its about time I changed it to my name." In 1979 he merged Woodbury Drug and Carson Pharmacy into one building at 912 N. Vermilion  where it still is today (Gulick Pharmacy).

Right after merging these two drug stores, Gulick, his wife Loretta, and son Steve formed Illiana Medical Equipment- and Supply a home medical equipment company, providing home medical equipment such as oxygen, hospital beds, wheelchairs, etc. for patients at home. This business is also located at 912 N. Vermilion.
 

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