1001 Main St History - Museum buildings

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County records. The County has sometimes been in error with respect to the dates of construction of Louisville buildings, and so other evidence is looked to, particularly in a case like this in which the date of 1903 was painted on the building. There is a lack of evidence that would establish the year of construction as either 1903 or 1908, though the building is shown as standing by the date of the 1909 Drumm's Wall Map of Louisville. The evidence points to "circa 1905-06" as being the estimated time when the store was constructed. Today, the information known about its history is mainly from its use as the Jacoe Store from 1923 until 1958. However, before that, it was the location of the businesses of two Italian shoe cobblers. Achille Filacchione (1885-1945) is believed to have first appeared in Louisville records in a 1909 directory in which he was identified as being a shoemaker. The following year, the 1910 census records show him and his brother Alfonso Filacchione (1890-1972) living right next to the Tomeo family, which most likely would be at what is now the Jacoe Store. Achille was identified as being a shoemaker, while Alfonso was a coal miner. According to a family history written by Ada Pellillo Bottinelli, her father, John (Giovanni) Pellillo (1884-1971) was encouraged to come to Louisville in 1914 by his cousin, Archie Gabriele, and his friends, Joseph and Florina Perrella, who were from his town of Bagnoli del Trigno, Isernia, Molise, Italy and who were all already in Louisville. (The Perrellas were also the aunt and uncle of Achille and Alfonso Filacchione, according to a separate Filacchione family history.) Her family history stated, "Since he was a skilled shoe maker (taught by his stepfather), he decided to open a shoe repair shop at [a site] occupied later by Jacoe's grocery store and [that] is currently being used ... as a museum. He and two friends, Archie (Carbone) Gabriele and Alfonso Filacchione, shared a room rented from Michelina Tomeo who lived next door and who also furnished their board. Mrs. Tomeo was widowed, and, as was customary in those days, took in boarders to support her large family." Ada Pellillo Bottinelli also told the Museum staff that her father had his shoe shop in the Jacoe Store. Pellillo later had his store on the first floor of the two-story building next to the Jacoe Store, as shown in the following photo, then in the 800 block of Main Street. 7