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Four images of old Pampell's

February 8, 2014, 3:00 am
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Little Tourists and a patient horse.
Before its sad recent decline, Pampell's was an important part of the Kerrville community. Graduations were held there, upstairs.  Dances, too, including square dances "called" by Louis Schreiner.  Movies were shown upstairs.  There was an "Opera House" up there as well, though I think that meant something quite different in those days.  I think it meant a space where performances were held.  I know live performances were staged there, including performances by traveling "Chautauqua" groups.
In my own youth, during the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, Pampell's was a drug store and soda fountain.  A part of each work day was spent there; my father would often walk down there with a customer or family to "have a Coke." 
I remember other regulars, too.  The Mosty brothers, Leroy and Tony, from Mosty's Garage.  Merrill Doyle, the artist, was often there.  Dad often met Joe G. Russell there, too.  Mr. Russell was another fine artist in our community.
The Hoods, Bob and Carolyn, were the owners then.  Virgie Morriss worked the register opposite the soda fountain, and Emmie Kneese worked the long soda fountain.  Ms. Emmie made me many a milkshake; Ms. Virgie sold me many a Hersheys bar.
These images, for the most part, are from an album Lanza Teague shared with me long ago.

Young tourists: Virginia, Dorothy, and Margaret.
Note the Pampell's building is a painted frame building.

A buggy in front of Pampell's. Note the Candy and Bottling Works sign.
Note, also, the front has been stuccoed.

A sleepy Water Street, sometime just before World War I.
I have the old Victrola Pampell's sign in my collection.
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The Sheltons: a ranching family

February 10, 2014, 3:00 am
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A young Bobby Shelton and his mother, Sarah Kleberg Johnson Shelton
on horseback at the King Ranch in South Texas.
It is difficult to enter the doors of the Pinnacle Clubhouse at Comanche Trace and miss the distinctive "S" etched into the glass.  Most people notice the old brand, and I'm sure most people know what the "S" stood for: Shelton.  But few are likely to know that family's story, or that the "S" decorating those large glass doors comes from the last name of the son of a small-town doctor.
Robert ("Bobby") R. Shelton and his family built the impressive structure, atop the highest point of their Kerrville ranch, as headquarters for the Shelton Ranch Corporation, breaking ground for the structure in early December, 1979.   The beginning of the building was a front-page story in the Kerrville Mountain Sun, featuring a photo of members of the Shelton family; along with Lee Jennings, then mayor of Kerrville; Julius Neunhoffer, then county judge; the wife of our congressman; and the chairman of the local chamber of commerce.  All were manning shovels, though, given the terrain on most of our hilltops, I'm guessing dirt was brought up the hill for them to turn; otherwise they would have just hit limestone.
It was a happy day for the Shelton family, and it was a happy day for Kerr County.
Given the splendor of the structure, you'd think happiness and gain was a theme for the Shelton family, but in fact the family dealt with more than its fair share of loss.
Bobby Shelton's mother, Sarah Kleberg Johnson Shelton, was a granddaughter of Richard King, the founder of Texas' famed King Ranch.  Shelton's grandparents, Alice King Kleberg and Robert Kleberg inherited 800,000 acres in 1925; their five children incorporated the King Ranch in 1934, and Sarah was one of those five children.
Bobby Shelton's mother, Sarah, was a tomboy and only wanted to ranch.  She married a cowboy named Henry Belton Johnson Jr., who died shortly after the birth of their only son, Belton Kleberg "B" Johnson.  Later she married a Kingsville doctor, Joseph Shelton, who also died shortly after the birth of their son, Robert Richard "Bobby" Shelton, born in 1935.  And then Sarah died, the victim of a car accident, in 1942.
The two half-brothers, "B" and "Bobby" were raised by their aunt and uncle, Helen and Bob Kleberg.  Bob Kleberg led the King Ranch for many years, and both half-brothers expected to have a leadership role in the ranch after him.
But the ranch's board selected someone else to lead the ranch, and both half-brothers left the King Ranch to start their own enterprises.  Each left with considerable resources; their shares in the King Ranch were purchased from them.  Bobby Shelton chose Kerrville as the headquarters of his new operation, Shelton Ranch Corporation.
The Shelton Ranch Corporation was a big operation: there were four ranches in Kerr County.  Los Manzanos was the Shelton's home; Comanche Trace was a quarter horse ranch; Los Premiados, a cattle ranch; and South Fork Ranch.  Operations included ranches in south Texas, Florida and Montana.
Asked about the Shelton Ranch Corporation, Bobby Shelton described the business as "one dealing with training and breeding of American Quarter Horses, the raising of Santa Gertrudis cattle, and widespread farming in our agricultural businesses." The company also held interests in real estate and energy-based businesses.
The family called the hilltop headquarters building at Comanche Trace Ranch "La Cumbre," which meant, according to the newspapers of the day, "the culmination," though in other places it's translated as "The Peak."
It was a grand structure, especially for Kerr County.  Designed to accommodate 40 employees, its three different levels boasted over 20,000 square feet.  It contained offices, a cafeteria, a dining room, and an outside dining deck.  There was a rock wall with a waterfall, a library, and a historical gallery.
The bricks used in the driveway areas had a historical past, as well. "90,000 bricks...were used at the Ft. Worth Stockyards and are over 75 years old." The bricks are over 100 years old now.
The architect for the building was Lloyd Jary, and the building was constructed by Guido Brothers of San Antonio.
I remember, during the summers home from college, delivering printing to the ranch headquarters.  It was a very busy place up there.
Bobby Shelton's wife, Fronie Kempe Shelton, was an important part of the company.  She was a graduate of Stephen's College, and president of her graduating class.  She had a strong interest in the breeding of a historical strain of Texas Longhorn cattle.  I have fond memories of Mrs. Shelton, and of her generosity in our community. I also remember, when seeing her around town, she was often with one or more of her children: Bobby and Fronie Shelton had nine children.
The last time I saw Bobby Shelton was back when I was mayor, in the early 1990s.  He hosted a group of us on a visit to the apple orchard he'd planted, and it was quite an operation.  I remember the apples trees growing on trellises, designed to make it easier to pick the apples. The old horse show barn at Comanche Trace was converted into an apple sorting and packing facility.  If it hadn't been for a vicious fungus in the soil, Phymatotrichopsis omnivora, Shelton might have succeeded in establishing a whole new industry in Kerr County.
Bobby Shelton died fairly young, passing away in 1994.  In the short 15 years he lived in Kerr County, he made many contributions to our community, including to the history of our area.
This story originally appeared in the Lifestyle of Comanche Trace and the Texas Hill Country magazine October 2013.
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Fairy Tale Architecture for Mrs. Florence Butt

February 21, 2014, 3:00 am
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Built for Florence Butt in 1932, this home at 719 Earl Garrett Street
in Kerrville features unique rockwork and originally sported
a very interesting design  and treatment of the roof's shingles.
 Click on any image to enlarge.
719 Earl Garrett, Kerrville.  I believe the woman at the front corner
might well be Mrs. Florence Butt, who began a grocery business
in Kerrville in 1905.  The business proved successful.

Another view of 719 Earl Garrett Street, Kerrville.
Note the stalagmites atop the chimney.
For many years I've admired the two homes in the 700 block of Earl Garrett Street in Kerrville which now house the offices of the H. E. Butt Foundation. A friend shared these photographs with me last week, showing the Mrs. Butt's house soon after it was constructed.
The homes were originally built in 1932 for Mrs. Florence Butt, and a similar one next door for her son, Eugene.  Mac Mull, the "head architect of the grocery company," designed the homes.
These early photographs show off the wooden shingles which "were curved at the eaves and doors, and layered in places to create a waved effect." I think the effect is interesting -- and makes the roof look thatched.

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An immigrant's gift.

February 24, 2014, 3:00 am
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Schreiner Institute, Kerrville, as it appeared in the late 1920s.
In the early days of Kerrville there was a young immigrant with little formal education. His life was not an easy one: he lost his parents when he was young, and was on his own at 16. There were many years of hardship and even poverty for the immigrant and his family and some traces of his homeland never went away. Even late in his life he spoke with a slight accent, a faint echo of his first language. Some of his manners were a bit foreign, too.
Yet he loved Kerrville and Kerr County and his actions proved his feelings for our community.
The immigrant was a hard worker, and he was smart. His business acumen was phenomenal. He was not trained in business; his father had not been a businessperson; he was never an apprentice, learning from a mentor. But he was a gifted businessman, with an eye for value, and he was an excellent merchant. He built a great fortune,
His customers liked him, and his community trusted him: they elected him to several public offices, including county treasurer.
Late in his life, after providing for his large family, he gave a lot of his wealth away, in gifts large and small, mostly benefiting the community of Kerrville and our neck of the Texas Hill Country.
The gift which has touched the most lives was his gift which started a school on the outskirts of Kerrville, a preparatory school for boys.
The immigrant had the idea for the school before World War I. He announced his plan: he would donate $250,000 to establish the school, with the provision work on it could not begin until the war was over and at least a year had passed from the signing of the peace treaties.
In those days $250,000 was an enormous amount of money, much greater than it is today. In the years after the announcement about the school, the immigrant added to his gift; the total he gave for the school eventually added up to a little over $550,000.
It wasn't until 1922 that construction on the school began. Three buildings were erected: a three-story main building, a dormitory, and a headmaster's house. The architectural style of the buildings was described in the Kerrville Mountain Sun as "English Colonial," a style "which is specially adapted to the rugged surroundings and has the further advantage of being very homelike."
When the cornerstone was dedicated, the immigrant was there.
In September, 1923, almost 90 years ago, the school opened its doors to students. Again, the immigrant was there for the festivities.
That immigrant, of course, was Charles Schreiner; the school he started was Schreiner Institute, which is today known as Schreiner University.
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There were several speakers at the opening of the school, and two in particular stand out: J. E. Grinstead, who was a newspaperman and writer, and Dr. J. J. Delaney, the first president of the school.  Their remarks were reported in the September 20, 1923 edition of the Kerrville Mountain Sun.
Grinstead was a favorite local speaker at the time. He'd come to Kerrville at the turn of the century because his wife was ill with tuberculosis, and in a few short years he owned the newspaper, was elected mayor, then school board president, and later state representative. He published a magazine, and spent his later years writing pulp westerns. He authored much of the image and myth of the Texas hill country.
"A year ago," Grinstead said at the opening of the school, "this spot was an open field. A crop of grain had been harvested from it, and I used to take walks out this way and think it was a dreary place. And now, look at the beauty of it! Almost like the story of Aladdin and his wonderful lamp. When you think about how it came about, quite as wonderful. From the rough surface of a field, within a few months have sprung these magnificent buildings. True, there were many artists and artisans at labor, but in effect every brick, stone, tile and shingle was placed by a single man. A man who devoted his life to service. He was half a century accumulating the materials for this great institution, and it was he in effect who, having the materials at hand, raised on this eminence a wonderful monument to service. From this gift of Captain Schreiner, there is a wonderful lesson for you -- the lesson of service. Of service to God, to your country, and to your fellow man.
"The building of the real edifice, the most beautiful thing of all, is just begun. You men of the first year of the Schreiner Institute are the foundation and corner stone of that more beautiful building, that shall grow and grow throughout the generations to come. A building of men whom, wherever they may be found, shall look back with pride and pleasure to the days they spent in this institution. You have opened the book, in which is to be written the history of Schreiner Institute. The pages are blank and white. Write upon them with the pen of inspiration, drawn from earnestness of purpose. Emulate, throughout your labors here, that splendid example of the unselfish service shown by the founder of your school."
J. J. Delaney presented an oil portrait of Captain Schreiner to the school, and remarked "it is far more to us than a reminder of a man who gives generously of his wealth that the youth of Texas may have the opportunities of education. It should be a constant inspiration to high endeavor to every man who passes through these halls.
"It is easy to envy Captain Schreiner the 'opportunity' and 'luck' and complain of our disadvantages. Young men, the 'luck' of Captain Schreiner was to return after four years' hard service in the Civil War with nothing but what he had in his own spirit except a noble wife and two small children. His 'opportunity' was to wrest a living for them from an untamed wilderness with his bare hands or starve.
"The opportunities for you today are a hundredfold larger and the same qualities which have brought success to him will bring abundant fulfillment of any worthy ambition that burns in your hearts.
"I wish that we might inscribe under this portrait just these words, 'Integrity, Industry, Economy,' for it is to these and not to easy fortune his success is due."
At the end of the dedication program one member of the school's faculty called the students together and led fifteen cheers for Captain Schreiner and for Schreiner Institute.
That's how the school started: with cheers for the immigrant and for the school he founded.
This story originally appeared in the Comanche Trace Lifestyles Magazine August 2013.

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What's missing?

February 26, 2014, 3:00 am
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Howard Butt's business card, from around 1957.
What's missing?
Perhaps it's just the old printer in me -- but when I came across this 1957-era business card of Howard Butt's, I noticed something was missing.  Can you spot it?  It's something you'd find on most business cards today.
If you think you know the answer, put it in the comments section below.  If you receive this update as an email, and you'd care to play, click HERE to visit the site; put your answer in the comments section, too.

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Early days at Kerrville's Schreiner Institute

March 1, 2014, 4:30 am
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The 1923 Schreiner Institute football team.
H. N. "Jack" Stevens is on the back row, wearing a band on his head.

My long-time friend Capt. Jack Stevens sent this to me recently, and I thought it was so full of good information, I asked if I could publish it here.  ~ Joe

An interview of H. N. "Jack" Stevens, 
an early Schreiner Institute student,
by his son, Jack M. Stevens 
“The letter I received from Dr. J. J. Delaney in the spring of 1923 probably did more to change my life than any other one thing,” so says H. N. “Jack” Stevens who lives in Hartshorn Estates off the Harper Road in Kerrville. Stevens, who was at home in Smithville, Texas, when the letter arrived, had been observed by Dr. Delaney playing football for Tivy High School and with a Kerrville town team made up primarily of ex-Tivy football players. The letter invited young Stevens to enter Schreiner Institute in its first year on a football scholarship. It also offered summer employment before school began at the Westminister Encampment adjacent to the campus.
Stevens recalls that while he had been thinking about Texas A. & M., he was so pleased with the opportunity offered by Dr. Delaney that he immediately wrote back “will accept if I can bring a good fullback too.” And that’s how Stevens and his close friend, C. M. “Dutch” Flory, left Smithville for Kerrville in the early summer of 1923 – nearly 57 years ago.
There were several other prospective Schreiner football players working at the Westminister Encampment that summer. Stevens remembers that he and his friend Dutch Flory shared a tent as living quarters. One of his jobs was to meet the train that arrived from San Antonio daily about noon. He used a Ford Model T roadster that had a flatbed built on the back. Fresh butter was brought by train from Comfort each day and had to be picked up at the Depot along with baggage for arriving Encampment visitors.
The only buildings in use when Schreiner opened in September were the President’s home, Dickey Hall and the Administration Building (now the Weir Building). None of the streets were paved and Stevens said he spent many an hour hauling gravel to put the roads in shape. Most of the football boys lived in a house in the Westminister Encampment while they awaited completion of the Barracks under construction near the Presidents house. When asked if the Barracks had a name, Stevens said all he could remember was calling it “The Barracks.” Each room had a coal burning stove for heat.
Stevens was one of two college freshmen enrolled as part of the 86 man student body. Everyone wore uniforms and were put into one of two companies: A and B. There was a military formation before each meal. The two companies formed in front of the Ad Building and marched into the basement where all meals were served. Classes were held on the first floor of the Building. Bugle calls from reveille to taps provided the proper summons for all activities. Uniforms were olive drab in color with “cavalry type” pants with leather puttees. Free time was at a premium. If you were an officer (Stevens was the first Captain of Company B) you had the privilege of leaving the campus on Wednesday afternoon from after classes until evening meal. Otherwise you were “off” from Saturday noon until 10PM and again on Sunday afternoon until evening meal. Everyone attended Church. One of the most popular places on campus was Dr. Delaney’s home because he had the only telephone available for the Cadets to call friends. There were no school sponsored social activities on Campus.
An old photo album shows 30 young men in football uniforms posed on the steps of the old Ad Building. With their coach, J. J. Oehler, they formed the first football team for Schreiner Institute. Stevens, who played quarterback, was the captain of this first team. Each player suited up in his own room since there was no gym or field house at the time. The practice field and the football field were the same – the parade ground where the Gus Schreiner Student Center is now located. There were no grandstands. Spectators either sat in their cars parked around the field or stood along the sidelines. There was no band and no cheerleaders or drill team as we know them today. The football pads worn by the players were skimpy by today's standards but injuries were few even though the pace of the game was extremely active and hard fought.
One of the high points of Stevens’ Schreiner career occurred before the School was opened officially. Dr. Delaney decided that on July 4th, 1923, an American flag should be raised on the flag pole newly installed on the roof of the Ad Building. The only problem was that the line used to raise the flag on the pole had become tangled and a knot prevented it from moving freely through the pulley at the top of the pole. So Dr. Delaney and young Stevens crawled onto the roof of the Ad Building and Stevens climbed to the top of the pole, untied the knot, and the American flag was hoisted at Schreiner for the very first time.
Stevens remained in Kerrville after leaving Schreiner. He retired from the furniture business in 1968. He said that driving through the modern campus at Schreiner unleashes a flood of pleasant memories. “Schreiner has come a long way since 1923,” Stevens stated, “and I am confident the future for Schreiner will be just as exciting.”
Post Script: H. N. “Jack” Stevens passed away in Kerrville December 5, 1983. He was 79 years old. This article originally appeared in 1980 in Schreiner's publication “The Scene.”

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Florencio Benavides Sanchez's bar-restaurant-pool hall

March 5, 2014, 3:00 am
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Florencio Benavides Sanchez's Bar-restaurant-pool hall, Kerrville
Robert Puig sent me the following in an email earlier this week:

Hello Mr. Herring,

I love your old photos of Kerrville . You doing a wonderful job of preserving Kerrville History.

I have attached an old photo of my grandfather, Florencio Benavides Sanchez's Bar-restaurant-pool hall . It was located at 209 Jefferson St.  The old structure is part of my grandmother Petra Ayala Sanchez 1920's house. Today this property is owned by my cousin, Lilie Vargas Gonzalez. It is one of the houses that was not demolished by the H.E.B. Construction.

This photo was taken around 1910. The two men standing in the door way are left to right: Gregorio Michon Ayala and my grandfather Florencio. They were both barbers and entrepreneurs : Gregorio owned an operated the Sunset Auto Bus line before the Petersons started Greyhound Lines Service. Florencio ran a series of bars, restaurants and grocery stores but competed with Ramon J. Castillo and later with Pinky Lewis'"Red and White Store" at the corner of Lemos and Schreiner. 

I would be nice if you could post this picture on your site. Maybe someone in Kerrville can identify the other three men in the photo.

Later in the 1950's, my uncle Florin Ayala Sanchez had a barbershop here for years. Don't confuse Florin Bowles Sanchez with this Florin. They were best of friends. Both were barbers.

There is a funny story about these Florins. After they returned from military services, they decided to go cut hair in Winters, Texas, during the cotton picking season. There was great money to be made. On the way back home after the season, they were stopped by the local police for driving too fast. The police officer came over to the driver window and ask for his drivers license and name:

To diver: What's your name and what to you do for a living? "Florin Sanchez and I'm a barber."

To passenger:  ( same question) "Florin Sanchez and I'm a barber too."
Officer:  (setup) Are you guys b.s. ing me! I'm taking both of you smart a***s downtown where you can tell me the truth.

Both Florins showed the officer their driver's licenses and the policeman broke up laughing.

Florin Bowles Sanchez's son, Louis Sanchez is a barber too.

If anyone can help Mr. Puig identify some of the other men in the photo, that would be great.  Just use the comments section below.

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Our river valley

March 8, 2014, 4:45 am
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Click on any image to enlarge
Guadalupe River, near Kerrville,
March 1, 2014
Weston Building, Kerrville
Sunset, February 20, 2014, near Kerrville
Schreiner Mansion, Kerrville
No history writing today.  Just a few images I thought you might enjoy.  I took each of the photographs used to create the images above.
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Aerial view of Kerrville, ca. 1932

March 13, 2014, 4:00 am
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Aerial view of Kerrville, around 1932
Click on image to enlarge

There are so many things I like about this photo.  For fun, let's see if you can find the following landmarks.
  • The Kerr County Courthouse
  • The Blue Bonnet Hotel
  • Train freight cars
  • The building which housed the very first H-E-B store -- Mrs. Florence Butt's first store was in a rented building.
  • Notre Dame Catholic Church
  • First Baptist Church (trick question)
  • First Presbyterian Church
  • St. Peter's Episcopal Church
  • First United Methodist Church
  • Schreiner Bank
  • Schreiner store
  • Charles Schreiner Mansion
  • The A. C. Schreiner home
  • Pampell's
  • The Arcadia
  • The Comparette house
  • The Tivy Hotel (and bonus points for spotting the outline of where the Tivy Hotel until very recently stood, just before this photo was taken.)
  • The Ice House
  • The St. Charles Hotel
  • The Union Church
  • The Secor Hospital (later, the Kellogg Building)
  • Parsons Hall
  • The Favorite Saloon building
Several of you will likely notice the Sidney Baker Street bridge has not yet been constructed, nor the old Post Office at the corner of Main and Earl Garrett streets.  If you had been brave enough to fly about eighty years ago, this is what you would have seen from above Kerrville.
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Hill Country Philanthropy

March 15, 2014, 4:45 am
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A very generous gift, indeed.
Kerrville and Kerr County have long been home to generous families, from the very first days of their founding to the present day.
Recent gifts make the news, as the Cailloux Foundation, the James Avery Foundation, the H. E. Butt Grocery Company, and the Peterson Foundation provide support to worthwhile causes, but it's my opinion the most valuable gift ever given to the citizens of Kerrville came from an source few would guess, and was a gift few would remember.
Before revealing the gift I think benefited the most people in Kerrville, let's consider some of the major gifts to our community, from today to long ago.
The Cailloux Foundation, of course, has had a major impact on our community.  The Cailloux Theater project, which renovated the old Kerrville Municipal Auditorium, transforming it into a first class performance facility, comes to mind first.  What had been a rather plain theater, with bad acoustics and an odd, mostly flat concrete floor (built that way so dances could be held there) saw big changes about a decade ago.  The facade was changed as a lobby was added.  Theater seating was added, along with an orchestra pit and redesigned stage, complete with an orchestra shell.  While many contributed to the project, the Cailloux Foundation provided most of the financial support.
More recently, the Cailloux Foundation was instrumental in the redevelopment of the 700 block of Water Street in downtown Kerrville, funding the demolition of the old Sid Peterson Memorial Hospital, the design of a new square, inducing the construction of a purpose-built Kerrville City Hall, and the renovation of the old Charles Schreiner Company buildings.
The hospital, which stood vacant for far too long, was removed to make way for the new Peterson Plaza.  The plaza was designed, in part, to be like a town square; when the city government decided to build a new city hall on the site it came closer to that intent.  Coupled with Schreiner University's recent ownership of the old home of Captain Charles Schreiner, and the renovation of Captain Schreiner's store, along with the excellent work on the Kerrville Arts and Cultural Center, the 700 block became quite a gem for our community.
This came about because of the generosity of the Cailloux Foundation, though you can find other examples of their efforts.  Donations to the Notre Dame Catholic School, and to Our Lady of the Hills Catholic high school gave each new gymnasiums.  Annual scholarships to worthy students have provided college educations for those who might not otherwise have furthered their schooling.
The James Avery Foundation has also been at work in the 700 block of Water Street, and was a major contributor to the conversion of an old Great Depression-era post office into a thriving space for art, the Kerr Arts and Cultural Center.  This heavily-visited site has new exhibits on a regular basis, and provides space for seasoned and new artists to display their work, to take art classes, and to offer their work for sale to the public.
Other causes supported by the James Avery Foundation include the Peterson Regional Medical Center, Riverside Nature Center, and the American Red Cross, along with many other causes.
The H. E. Butt Grocery Company has been generous to Kerrville and Kerr County since its founding here in Kerrville in 1905.  I've heard many stories about the generosity of the company's founder, Florence Thornton Butt.  She truly had a heart for those less fortunate than herself, even before her store could be considered a genuine commercial success.  Stories abound of her taking gifts of fruit and food to families in need; indeed her generosity more than once put the growth of the company at risk.  In its earliest days, when there was just one small store here in Kerrville, Mrs. Butt would often provide groceries to hungry families at no charge.
In the late 1960s, her son Howard and his wife Mary gave our community a library, in honor of their families.  In recent years, Florence Butt's grandson provided for the renovation of that library.
For many years the Hal and Charlie Peterson Foundation was primarily focused on funding the needs of the Sid Peterson Memorial Hospital, but few realize the breadth of the giving of this quiet Kerr County foundation.  Last year the Peterson Foundation distributed over $1.2 million dollars to area charities, schools, medical clinics, and arts groups.  Beneficiaries last year ranged from the City of Kerrville to the Hill Country Arts Foundation, from Schreiner University to Habitat for Humanity.  If it's a worthwhile cause in Kerr County (or in surrounding counties), very often the Peterson Foundation will be an active supporter.
Captain Schreiner was also generous with Kerrville and Kerr County, from establishing a fund for roads, still in use by Kerr County, to establishing what is now Schreiner University.  Schreiner University, in particular, stands out among Captain Schreiner's many contributions to this and surrounding communities.  For nine decades hill country students have improved their lives at the Kerrville campus.
Kerrville's founder, Joshua D. Brown, was also generous, even as our community was just getting started.  In 1856, in return for designating "Kerrsville" as the county seat of the newly-formed Kerr County, the first commissioners court required Brown to donate plots of land for public use: four acres for a 'public square,' on which today's Kerr County Courthouse sits; 'one choice good lot fronting the public square for county use;' one lot in suitable place for a public church;''one lot in suitable place for public school house;' and 'one lot in suitable place for jail.'
Despite these important gifts, I think the most valuable gift ever given to the citizens of Kerrville came from a man born in Canada in 1818.  He served in both the Texas legislature and in the California legislature, and wore the gray uniform during the American Civil War.  Though he and his two sisters took an oath to never marry, late in life he married a Kerrville widow, much to his sisters' chagrin.  (One sister never forgave him.)  He used to race horses in the area around what is today Broadway Street, between the Cailloux Theater and Schreiner University.  In the final years of his life, he operated a small hotel.
His name was Joseph A. Tivy, and because of his keen interest in public education, he pushed Kerrville to form a lasting system of public education.  He donated the land for a public school and lead the young community during its establishment.
In 1842, well before Kerrville existed, Joseph A. Tivy acquired the 'military' grant of Thomas Hand, a site he'd seen when he served as General Surveyor of the Texas General Land Office.  After serving with Jack Hays in the Texas Rangers, and adventures in California during the Gold Rush, and after service in the Confederate States Army, he and his two sisters moved to Kerrville, in 1872.
Free public schools were crucial to the development of our community.  When Tivy donated 16.67 acres for such schools, out of the old Thomas Hand tract, it was determined the only entity which could accept the gift was an incorporated city.  So, in 1889, the City of Kerrville was incorporated, and Tivy served as Kerrville's first mayor.
Other gifts have played an important role in our community, to be sure.  But it's my opinion the gift of free public schools, enjoyed by Kerrville school children for almost 125 years, has had the most lasting impact on our community.
Generous gifts are a long-held trait of the people of the Texas Hill Country.  During this season of giving, I hope we all learn from the example of those who came before us.
This story originally appeared in the Comanche Trace Lifesytyle magazine in December, 2013.
~*~
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Kerrville's Ice Plant, right on the Guadalupe River

March 22, 2014, 5:00 am
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Roller Mills and Dam, Kerrville
The multi-story red brick building is the old Ice Plant

Click on either image to enlarge

How the site appears today.
I'm old enough to remember the old Ice Plant, which was in the 800 block of Water Street in downtown Kerrville.  If you were on Washington Street, driving toward the river, after crossing Water Street, you'd just about hit the Ice Plant before driving over the bluff.
When I was a boy, it was a rite of passage to crawl into the basement of the old Ice Plant and explore the subterranean tunnels and rooms.  Most of those rooms are still there, beneath the parking area for One Schreiner Center.
Today only the basement of the structure remains, and has been converted to an "observation deck," with a nice view of the river.  In the second photo above, you can barely see the basement walls.
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Kerrville teen groups, late 1960s.

April 25, 2014, 4:00 am
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Here are some photos from the late 1960s -- all Kerrville photographs, with lots of people in them.  I'd certainly appreciate any help in identifying the folks in these images.  Please advise me in the comments section below.  If you get this post via email, please click HERE to get to the comments section.

Kerrville Daily Times paper boys, late 1960s.  I've seen this posted elsewhere,
but it turns out I have the negative.... I recognize Barry McCollom, and the Voelkel brothers.
Do you recognize any of these young men?

Athletes visiting the Kerrville Kiwanis Club.

I'm thinking this was part of a play -- but I'm not sure.

Some Tivy tennis players.
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Plowing a Kerrville field using people for power

May 1, 2014, 4:30 am
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It's not every day you see a field being plowed using human power, but this series of photographs suggest it's possible.  It took me awhile to figure out this series of photographs, but I finally did: it's the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Kerrville's First United Methodist Church, when the congregation moved south of the river.
Groundbreaking ceremony, First United Methodist Church, Kerrville,
for the construction of their new campus south of the river, mid-1970s

Groundbreaking ceremony, First United Methodist Church, Kerrville

Groundbreaking ceremony, First United Methodist Church, Kerrville

Groundbreaking ceremony, First United Methodist Church, Kerrville
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How did Waltonia get its name? When did the 2nd Division visit Kerrville?

May 3, 2014, 4:00 am
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Lots of fun history stories in this April 22, 1926 edition of the Kerrville Mountain Sun.
Click on image to enlarge

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700 block of Water Street in Kerrville, 1928

May 23, 2014, 4:45 am
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A kind reader of this blog shared these images with all of us. I'm always thankful for the generosity of those who visit the site.  I hope you enjoy these images!
Click any image to enlarge
700 Block of Water Street, June 1928.  Note the bus in all three photos.
From the TxDot Photo Library.
700 Block of Water Street, June 1928.
From the TxDot Photo Library.
700 Block of Water Street, June 1928.
From the TxDot Photo Library.
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Memorial Day

May 26, 2014, 4:30 am
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I often ask newcomers to our community who they think Sidney Baker, Francisco Lemos, and Earl Garrett were, and the answers range from "early settlers," to "philanthropists," to "politicians."
They were, in fact, young men from Kerr County who died in World War I.
Bob Bennett’s book on Kerr County history tells the story like this:
Francisco Lemos
“The glad news that the gigantic armies facing each other on the long battle front in France had agreed to a an armistice reached Kerrville early in the morning of November 11, 1918. Soon after dawn the noise of celebrating began and the din brought people into town by the hundreds. Before noon downtown sidewalks and streets were packed with people and automobiles driving up and down the thoroughfares. Everybody was wildly hilarious with joy.
“Guns were fired, whistles were blown and bells were rung. Schools were suspended for the day. The old town fire bell in a tower on the corner now occupied by the Blue Bonnet Hotel played its part in the noisemaking. Men and boys climbed up the tower after breaking the rope used for ringing, and with hammers kept the bell clanging for hours.”
That old fire bell was on a wooden tower on the southern corner of the intersection of Water and Earl Garrett streets, next to the Heritage Star today.
Sidney Baker
And yet, as those men and boys were ringing the old bell, striking it with hammers and mallets and sticks, joyous that the “war to end all wars” was over, the intersection had a different name: it was the corner of Water and Mountain streets.
You see, the town didn’t know some very sad news.
Earl Garrett
The very next day, November 12, 1918, Mrs. E. W. Baker received word that her son Sidney had died in the Argonne battles on October 15, 1918; Judge and Mrs. W. G. Garrett learned about a week later that their son Victor Earl had died November 4, during the last week of the war; the relatives of Francisco Lemos learned late in that month that he had died September 15, 1918.
The town that had sung and fired shots in the air and laughed and danced in the street now hung down its head and mourned.
It was decided the three fallen heroes would be remembered with streets renamed in their honor.  They were not the only Kerr County boys to die in World War I, but they were the ones honored in this way.
The Kerr County War Memorial. Click to enlarge, to read the names.
Photo source: shermanandcompany.com
The names of those from Kerr County who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country are listed on the Kerr County War Memorial.  This weekend is a good time to stop and remember them, to visit the memorial and read their names.  They were, most of them, very young.
I knew one of the men listed there: Robert (Glen) Chenault, who died in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive.  As a high school student, he worked for my parents in our family's print shop.  He and my dad spent hours together, and the conversations were often about very deep subjects.  At the request of Chenault's parents, it was my dad who actually identified Glen's body, after it was shipped back from the war.  I was six when Glen died, but I have fond memories of spending time with him.
That we owe the men listed on the monument a great debt goes without saying.  But we also owe their families, sweethearts, and friends a debt, as well.
New names will be added to the monument soon, names of those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sadly, more names after those will likely be added as well -- as more young men and young women give up life so the rest of us can enjoy freedom.
Memorial Day is a day to remember them.

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Blue Bonnet Hotel and 800 Block of Water Street, Kerrville, 1928

May 29, 2014, 4:45 am
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A kind reader of this blog shared these images with all of us. I'm always thankful for the generosity of those who visit the site.  I hope you enjoy these images!
Click any image to enlarge
800 Block of Water Street, Kerrville, June 1928
From the TxDot Photo Library
800 Block of Water Street, Kerrville, June 1928
From the TxDot Photo Library
800 Block of Water Street, Kerrville, June 1928
From the TxDot Photo Library
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It's been awhile

August 9, 2014, 3:00 am
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Thanks for all of the emails you've sent during the absence of posts here.
I really appreciate the concern so many of you expressed.  I am indeed well and happy -- this blog has been neglected only because we've been so busy at the print shop. I think I can sneak in a few posts before I hit the pile of work on my desk.
Since my last post, I've had some interesting additions to my Kerr County history collection.  Take, for instance, the little scrap of ephemera pictured below:
Click to enlarge image
Request for Payment, Kerr County, 1893
It's a little hard to read the handwriting, so let me attempt to decipher it:

John W. Vann
Sheriff and Tax Collector
Kerr County
Kerrville, Texas 11 14 1893
Mr. McFarland
Dear Sir:
Please pay Mr. J. W. Vann $2.00 ?crifs?
due me - Holding election
at Centre Point. G R Moore

Despite the age of the piece, it's in relatively good condition.  I'm thankful to the Wallers for sharing this with all of us.
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St.Charles Hotel -- March 9, 1927

August 11, 2014, 3:00 am
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Most weeks several new items for my Kerr County history collection come into the print shop.  During the weeks since my last posts here, a great number of items have arrived.
Click on image to enlarge
Guest register, St. Charles Hotel, Kerrville, March 9, 1927
This sheet is interesting, at least to me, for several reasons.  In the upper left corner, someone has written "Rotary Luncheon, $28.50," and since this is Wednesday's register sheet, I'm guessing the Rotary met on Wednesdays, just as they do now.  The letters in the "Time" column: D, L, and S -- I speculate they stand for Dinner, Lunch, Supper -- but that really doesn't make sense.  Perhaps one of you can figure out that one.
Lastly, I think the signatures are interesting.  Penmanship was so important in those days.
Thanks again to the Wallers for sharing this with all of us.
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World War II - era Tivy High School yearbooks

August 16, 2014, 4:30 am
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As you know, I collect historic items from Kerrville and Kerr County, and I'm thankful to all of the people who are kind enough to share their items with me.  This past week Glen Lackey brought by several of his high school yearbooks, and they're really great.
The dedication of the 1944 yearbook is especially poignant -- many of the recent Tivy graduates were in the armed forces.
Click on either image to enlarge
Tivy High School yearbooks, the "Antler," for 1944, 1945, and 1947
Dedication page, 1944 Tivy High School "Antler."
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