JAMESTOWN, N.C. — You may have noticed some action going on at intersection of the Main St and Guilford Road in Jamestown.
Back in the day, Hughes Oil, was an iconic filling station and it’s been standing abandoned for years since it closed in the 1990s.
“Finally after looking at multiple opportunities, I think we’ve found something that’s going to be very good for the town,” shared Will Ragsdale, property owner with Ragsdale Brothers, LLC.
Black Powder Smokehouse, a local catering company specializing in traditional smokehouse staples, is hoping to bring it back to life.
“It’s kind of one of those ‘Why not this spot?’ because it’s such a great location, it’s the first thing you see when you come into Jamestown, it’s been here, there’s history,” said co-owner Keith Henning.
“People started asking us to do catering and I’ve been a chef for 22 years so it was just kind of the normal progression,” he added.
Since 2017, Black Powder Smokehouse has been working to renovate the property with the owners and turn it into their first brick and mortar location.
“Why not take a building that has been here almost as long as the long rifles have been here and incorporate the both together and build off that history,” shared co-owner Ryan Herring.
According to Ragsdale, the filling station was built between 1919 through 1920.
“Unlike the many Sheetz and different convenience stores we have now, it was the only place in town,” Ragsdale said, recalling his trips as a child with his wagon to exchange soda bottles for candy.
Herring explained that preserving history has been part of their business starting with their name honoring the former rifle industry of the town.
“The name that we chose for our company, Black Powder Smokehouse, goes back to the days when Jamestown was making the long rifles here in town,” Herring explained.
Henning, Herring and Ragsdale hope to preserve as much as they can of the old building and the things it held.
“It’s pretty important for people that we are keeping some of the past, keeping the porte-cochere, keeping the roof, keeping some of that old fabric and building round it with something new,” Ragsdale explained.
Henning says thought he enjoys the food scene in Jamestown, he’s excited to change it up a bit with a family-friendly spot.
“It’s a great date night location right now and we wanna add that family component,” he said.
Black Powder Smokehouse is expected to open this summer.
“Best part of my morning is going to be coming in, firing up the smoker and having a cup of coffee and getting ready for the day,” Henning said.
