The picture of Wigginton & Clark's store was taken in 1911, eight years after the store was founded by H. B. Wigginton and Miss Anna Clark, later to become Mrs. H. B. Wigginton. The group in the picture, left to right, are Charley Porter, H. B. Wigginton, Stella Lawrence, Nancye Wigginton now Mrs. Gilbert Rowland one of the present owners, Nellie Renaker, and Kate Vallandingham. This store boasted the first plate glass show windows and first mannequins to be used in Williamstown. Just under the display case of still collars, on which Mr. Wigginton is resting his hand, is a sign advertising Sweet-Orr work clothes, a brand that is still featured by S. M. Wigginton, one of the present owners. The three interested on-lookers in the window are Mrs. H. B. Wigginton, holding her youngest child, E. B. Wigginton, and her mother, Mrs. Jennie Clark. This building, along with others on the west side of Main Street were slightly damaged by the big fire that destroyed the entire block on the opposite side of the street to the present D. H. Restaurant. The fire, according to Sheriff Charles Stroude, started in Rank Caldwell's Grocery and a feed store about 9:30 a.m. on the first Sunday in October in 1912 and soon raged out of control, consuming everything in its path until it reached Mill Street. At the time of the fire an extra gang from the South were laying a double track for the Southern Railroad. Most of the workers were staying in houses back of this store building. In order to save his building, Mr. Wigginton went to these men and promised each of them a new Stetson hat if they would help him save his building. Blankets were pinned together and draped over the front of the building and water was carried from a cistern at the rear of the store up two long long flights of steps, passed out a window onto the lower roof, then lifted to the upper roof  level and carried to the front of the building and poured down over the steaming blankets. This action kept the fire from crossing the street at that point. The fire blistered the front of the building, melted the mannequins in the show window to just two piles of wax, and badly charred a telephone pole in front of the store. This pole remained for many years a grim reminder of the big fire.

Source: Sesqui-Centennial, 150th Year of Grant County, Kentucky
Published by the Grant County Sesqui-Centennial Committee 1970

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