The two-story Bryant Building, built in 1912, was originally owned by brothers Oscar, Emmitt, and Logan Bryant, who sold tractors and farm machinery from the rear garage while the front windows displayed car parts, radios, and appliances. Oscar Bryant, one of the first people in Mount Vernon to own a radio, kept his office and radio shop on the second floor. The building has retained much of its original layout, including a center door, wide stairs to a large second-floor hall, and rooms around the perimeter. Over the years, the upstairs housed businesses including a beauty shop, insurance office, dental office, and doctor office, while the main level also included a drug store and jewelry shop in addition to the appliance store. In 1998, the building was purchased and renovated to become the headquarters for RTEC, a public transportation company. On January 16, 1932, Rockcastle County Sheriff Noah Tipton was shot and killed in the doorway of the Bryant Building by William Hunter Burchell after stopping to talk with his friend, retired Sheriff John Griffin. Hunter, a prison corrections officer who had disputed with Noah at the courthouse earlier that day, shot him at close range with four bullets. Noah Tipton was buried at Elmwood Cemetery, and his wife, Lillie Tipton, was named his successor four days later, becoming the second female sheriff in the Commonwealth. Although Hunter was arrested and convicted, he was soon pardoned by Governor Ruby Laffoon in what appeared to be partisan politics.