Jones County Texas Archives - Early Stamford Businesses - 1940 *********************************************************** Submitted by: Dorman Holub Date: 19 January 2020 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/tx/jones/jonestoc.htm *********************************************************** Stamford American Friday, March 22, 1940Launching Early Stamford Business Establishments Related by Colonel PenickEditorÕs Note: This is the 12th of series of interviews with Col. R.L..Penickwritten by Mrs. R.F. Mahood of The American Staff.ÒI told you about starting Penick-Hughes store building. We had stacked our lumberwest of town on Mr. Ragsdales (Mrs. T.A. UpshawÕs father) section and built shelvingand counters and front at Anson, all ready to go in before the building was actuallystarted. We built a 50x100 foot ironclad building, and in a very short time thatfirst building we brought from Anson was sold and moved to the north side of thesquare, back of the Central West Drug Store. It was used for a warehouse and latertorn down.Right back of our store we built another iron building, 58 feet wide and 100 feetlong. Twenty-five feet of the length belonged to D.O. McRimmon and co., which wasjust east of our lots. Later the warehouse was moved to the railroad right-of-wayjust west of Clark Brothers Feed Store and it burned in 1916.On the third lot from the corner we owned 75 feet and the store just up 50 feet of itÐ we built a shed room and opened up a furniture store.Bank building ErectedThe bank moved into the Penick-Colbert-Hughes building about April 1900, with realbank fixtures and everything and stayed there until the rock building, still the homeof First National Bank was finished in August, 1901.The bank lot was bought right after the First National Bank was organized in October,1900, and work was started on the building, but it was August 1901, before it wascompleted. I was in charge of the Penick-Colbert-Hughes bank for the first ninemonths, or until it was nationalized, and when the assets were turned over to theFirst National Bank, all notes, overdrafts, etc, were guaranteed byPenick-Colbert-Hughes Company. The losses amounted to only 55 cents which was anoverdraft.About the same time we put in a furniture we added the undertaking business and thefirst casket that was ever sold in Stamford was bought by a man who still lives inStamford for his wife, who had died at their home not from Stamford.The D.O. McRimmon building was just east of our store, east of them was Penn andKincannon Saddlers and the Baker-Bryant store.A.Q. BatemanÕs wholesale and retail grocery store was another building on the southside of the square. Lee Putman was manager. He lives at Plainview and travels forsome flour concern.Historic Sledge HallSledge Hall, owned by Dr. Sledge was next of the south side of the square. It was alarge two-story white frame building and deserves more mention than any earlybuilding. It houses the Johnson Bros. drug store on the first floor. The owners wereWalter (whose widow and daughter, Miss Cornelia live here yet) and Curtis Johnson whodied this week. Dr. Sledge has his office upstairs and the remainder was a largeauditorium known as Sledge Hall. This was the social center for the town until theCity Hall was built. Dr. Sledge was so generous with the hall all found a welcomethere.A Union Sunday School was conducted before the churches were built. Probably all thelodges Ð Masons, Odd Fellows, Woodmen as well as the K.P. Lodge Ð were organized andmet there until they secured permanent meeting places. Charlie Brewington and JohnBlackenbeckler (whose widow still lives here) were two of the main organizers of theK.P. Lodge. Charlie Brewington was the first Chancellor Commander and JohnBlankenbeckler was the first vice Chancellor. Among the charter members were abouteight Anson men among them, Judge Walter Chapman, now district judge of Abilene; SidCastles, Mrs. PenickÕs brother, Bert Potts.The womanÕs Lodge corresponding with the K.P. was the Rathborn Sisters and all theprominent women of the town belonged to it. The membership was Miss Irene White,daughter of T.A. White, who lived south of town.Last building on the south was J.N. Ray Grocery Store, Morgan RayÕs Father.Wholesale Grocer OpenedJ.M. Radford Grocer Company was another early business for Stamford. The companybuilt a rock house on the west side of the railroad track, near where the old iceplant was. The manager was Jim Hardie. He stayed for two or three years and left forAustin college and studied for the ministry and became a well known Presbyterianpreacher, holding a pastorate in Dallas now. R.E. McDonald came here as manager ofRadfordÕs when Jim Hardie left.The first delivery wagon that was ever run in Stamford was a milk wagon run byCharlie Woodson, father of Louis Woodson south of town, who lived out on Red MudCreek. Charlie lives in Oregon now. L.E. Larche was the first grocery delivery manworking for D.O. McRimmon and Co.November 1904, R.L. Haynie came to the firm. He was vice president and sales managerof the Stamford wholesale business and was with the company until his death on July11, 1926.Ice Plant openedPickens bottling Works, that had been handling soft drinks, was bought out by C.W.Zug and Jules Norton, who opened the first ice plant in Stamford, but in a short timegot into financial straits and asked me to help them out. I got it financed bydoubling the capital if I would accept the management of it. Zug and Norton were morethan willing for me to do it.The first thing I knew, Norton had the Armour meat account, a flour account andseveral other lines. He was an old grocery man and just could not keep from dabblingin things like that, I found he was making money on it and I was interested and weagreed to run a grocery store. At the end of a yearÕs time, I had paid two 25 percent dividends and had more profits, but I had more business than I could look afterso I was anxious to get out of it. Wooten Grocery Company had decided they wanted astore here, so they struck me to sell, which I did. Col. Hamilton, vice president ofthe Texas Central Railway was one of the stockholders of the Ice Company.