Historic views of South Lafayette Street in Greenville show the east side from the 300 block north circa 1930 and the 200 block in earlier and later periods, reflecting the town's development. In Greenville's early years, many buildings used awnings to block the sun and help regulate building temperatures. A scene from the 1920s captures the street's bustle, likely a Memorial Day parade reported in the May 25, 1928 edition of the Greenville Daily News as marching from south to north along Lafayette Street. An early photograph of the 200 block includes the Sander's House Hotel, one of Greenville's earliest hotels, which operated from 1867 to 1917, and shows Si Plunkard, a popular traveling entertainer who came to Greenville in June of 1893. The same buildings appear again in a more modern view from the 1960's. Buildings at 200 to 204 South Lafayette were built in 1870 for J.J. Shearer, a local businessman who helped organize Greenville's first gas company in 1875, and 206 to 208 were built in 1872 for John Lewis, an attorney and early member of the Greenville Board of Education.