Townsend Furniture -- forerunner of longtime furniture business

During the 1800s and 1900s, most merchandise anyone would want to buy could be found in downtown Cape Girardeau or the Haarig area of Good Hope. Broadway was predominately the street of beautiful homes.

In 1905, a young man, William Richard Townsend, brought his family to Cape Girardeau from Indiana and founded the Second-Hand Furniture Store in 1914 after spending time in ministerial service for the Pentecostal denomination.

Townsend, born in Kentucky on Oct. 18, 1873, married Mary A. Woesner in 1892. The couple's children were: Pansy, born 1896, who became Mrs. Henry Batten; "Essie," 1899, (Mrs. Bascom Patrick); Loren "Jake" and Goldie, 1907, (Mrs. Ben Bullard).

After 62 years of marriage, Mary died, after which William married Myrtle Robinson.

William Townsend had a good eye for used furniture. The business was a successful bargain store that enhanced a housewife's pocketbook; not all could afford the hand-carved furniture coming on the river from New Orleans or St. Louis.

The Patrick Furniture store front at 42 N. Main St. before moving to Kingshighway.Submitted photo

The Patrick Furniture store front at 42 N. Main St. before moving to Kingshighway.Submitted photo

The Townsends, including son Jake, had various downtown locations on Water and Main streets for their furniture businesses, one address being 19 N. Water, present location of Port Cape Girardeau Restaurant. It was a large, three-storied brick building that over the years housed many entities, including furniture stores. Before the floodwall, downtown flooding required all the furniture to be moved to the upper floors. One family story is that during the rising water, the second story landing of the furniture store made an excellent place to throw in a fishing line to catch fish from the Mississippi.

Jake Townsend, operating separately from his father, ran Townsend Furniture Store until he was called into service during World War II. Unfortunately, after returning home, he died of a heart attack, leaving his wife, Maud, and son, Loren Jr., and relative, Henry Batten, to run the business.

Jake's cousin, Peyton Patrick, also a veteran of the war, operated a furniture business in New Madrid, Missouri. Peyton and his wife, Katy, wanting to move back to Cape Girardeau, bought Jake's and Henry's partnership in 1946. The business was renamed Patrick Furniture and was located at 42 N. Main St.

Fast forward to the year 1964. Peyton Patrick decided to purchase property on North Kingshighway where Cape Girardeau was expanding and move his business from the downtown.

On May 14, 1965, the 91-year old patriarch of the furniture business, William Townsend, died of cerebral thrombosis. The Rev. Joe Schoults from the Bethel Assembly of God was in charge of the funeral. Townsend was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery.

Upon Peyton Patrick's retirement, his daughter, Carolyn, and husband, Tim Young, moved from St. Louis in 1977 to become new owners of the Kingshighway landmark. As it has evolved their sons, Patrick and Michael, and granddaughter, Mallory, have joined the firm carrying on the family legacy.

Pat and Michael Young have now expanded the furniture business to Paducah, Kentucky, which their sister, Laura Young Eck, and the fourth generation, Cy Young, are managing.

Their ancestor, William Richard Townsend, would be very proud of how far his furniture beginnings have gone.