Firefighters From Three Counties Work to Save Two Historic Royston Buildings Tuesday Night

Fire officials are expected to be in downtown Royston today surveying the damage caused by a fire in two historic buildings.

The fire broke out Tuesday evening around 7:30p according to officials but it is not clear how nor where it started.

The building that housed the Old Corner Hardware Store restaurant was damaged along with a storage building. The restaurant suffered mainly smoke damage, according to Royston Mayor David Jordan. However the building behind it, the old Royston Theatre was completely destroyed, he said.  That building has been used as a warehouse to store furniture for Carroll’s Furniture Store.

Jordan credits firefighters for containing the blaze and keeping it from spreading further.

Jordan said he’s grateful for the help from all of the fire stations in the tri-county area. Volunteer firefighters from all of the Franklin County firehouses, along with the Hartwell Fire Department, Bowersville Fire Department, and Madison County fire departments responded Tuesday night.

The building housing the Old Corner Hardware Store restaurant was originally T. Cunningham’s Furniture Store in 1905, and later also housed Carter’s Hardware in the 1930s.  The second story has an apartment that was also damaged by the fire.

WLHR News will continue to follow this story and bring you more information as it becomes available.