| In 1914, Cox moved to Charleston and bought the George Ort Department
Store on Capitol Street. That store became the first in a chain of 21 A.
W. Cox stores in
West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky. With Wehrle B. Geary, he
founded The Diamond, which became one of West Virginia’s finest
department stores, and the nearby Daniel Boone Hotel, the city’s
foremost hostelry. Both ventures were important in the development of
downtown Charleston, and the buildings remain city landmarks today. |
