The building known as Wire Hardware was built as a general store in 1895 for William Wallace Welsh after his original store was destroyed by fire, according to peerlessrockville.org. Keeping safety in mind, the building is all brick with a cast-iron front.
The store is in the Queen Anne style, with an ornate cornice, stepped facade and patterned slate roof.
Frank and Porter Ward operated the business for two decades after Welsh died at the end of World War I. Paul F. Wire and his partner leased the store in 1944 and Wire bought the store 20 years later. Goods offered included agricultural implements, clothing, food, seed, shoes, coal, hardware materials, and appliances. One of his sons bought the store in 1982 and the business relocated in 1990.
Peerless Rockville Historic Preservation Ltd. took title in 1993. Wire Hardware is designated as a Rockville Historic District and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. A century’s worth of business records from the store can be found in Peerless Rockville’s archives, organized and stored for future generations.
