The first house built on this corner was likely a frame structure, built before or about 1801, maybe a little later. The second building was of brick construction and build by Isaac Hardesty about 1820-30. The present is a fine brick, five story building, owned by The National Bank of Harrisonburg, on the ground floor of which they do a banking business; the upper floors fitted up as offices which are always fully rented.

This location fronts on South Main Street at the south corner of East Market St. and has always been a popular corner location, being devoted to business purposes as well as for swelling purposes on the upper floors of buildings. In early years Market Street was the East and West Main Street, East Market Street beginning at this corner. In the corporate limits of the city it is still East Market Street, but in recent years has been known also as the beginning of The Spotswood Trail or U.S. Route, 4. It crosses the Skyline Drive at its present southern entrance on top of the "Ridge" at the Spotswood Monument, and on to Richmond, Virginia.

Who built the first house on this location is not known now. According to Mrs. Maria Graham Carr in 1818-1820, it was a "large frame house occupied by William Sites as a dry goods store". In 1820, after several conveyances, it became the property of Mr. Isaac Hardesty, and according to the same authority quoted, he built the second house of brick and in which he lived and had his Apothecary Shop. In 1866, Theresa E. Heller, Executor of Herman Heller bought the property from Isaac Hardesty for $13,050 dollars in Confederate Money. This seems rather singular as by that time the Confederacy was no more. It would therefore seem that the sale was made perhaps at a time during the war when the fortunes of the Confederacy was running high. The Wises became the owners of this property in 1873, at a price of $11,500 and in which merchandising was carried on for a number of years, or until about 1908, when they sold to The Peoples Bank, for $25,000. The present owner is The National Bank which was first organized as The Peoples Bank, and changed its name when it became a national bank. This bank is one of the younger banks in this locality but a strong institution, and its splendid building towering six stories high would be a credit to a much larger place than Harrisonburg. The consideration in the last several conveyances, show the constantly increasing values in real estate in this wonderful little city, and the value of this property today is very much greater than when bought at the price above by the present owners.

Photograph.