For the next three stories, we will look at The Hotel Perkins, a grand hotel that stretched from the corner of Rye Cove Street (where the tourism office is now) all the way up Main Street. near where the old Hudson’s Drug Store was located. The back of the elegant hotel bounded with Slusher Street. The Hotel Perkins was a wooden structure of quite considerable length, with three rows of cement steps leading to a white railed two-story veranda.
On October 3, 1891, J. F. Perkins purchased the property from Z. T. Dobyns and J. S. Tompkins, who were serving as special commissioners for the sale. Perkins paid $1,500.00 for the hotel, which was less than ten years old.
There is no doubt that Perkins’ wisest business decision was hiring Nathan and Will Loggins to serve as waiters at the hotel. In the United States Census’ from 1900 all the way to 1940, the Loggins twins were employed at The Hotel Perkins. Many of the patrons credited Nathan and Will for their enjoyable stays at the hotel; the brothers were well-liked and efficient.
Betty Clark recalled in an article for the Enterprise the wonderful meals and gracious hospitality of the Hotel Perkins. “The food was served family-style on four long tables covered in white, cotton tablecloths. They served three meals a day that were announced by the ringing of a bell.”
Nathan John Loggins, Sr. and Charles William “Will” Loggins were born on the 31st of August 1878 to Nathan “Reed” Loggins and Millie Morris Loggins. Reed was the local barber and the family lived near Stuart. When Reed and Millie’s children were grown, Millie went to work as a cook at The Hotel Perkins. Millie’s daughter Gusta, the sister to Nathan and Will, worked as a waitress at the hotel until her untimely death at age 38.
Nathan married Miss Annie Rucker on the 30th of June 1908. Nathan and Annie had eight children. Will married Miss Edna Johnson and they had four children. Nathan passed away at the age of 84 on April 3, 1963, and Will lived to be 94 years old, going to Glory on the 26th of February 1973.
Nathan and Will Loggins will always be remembered as vital to the success of The Hotel Perkins. Thank you to Ron Martin for contributing research and information for this story.
Woody may be reached at rockcastlecreek1@gmail.com.