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, 1940 Launching Early Stamford Business Establishments Related by Colonel Penick EditorÕs Note: This is the 12th of series of interviews with Col. R.L..Penick written by Mrs. R.F. Mahood of The American Staff. ÒI told you about starting Penick-Hughes store building. We had stacked our lumber west of town on Mr. Ragsdales (Mrs. T.A. UpshawÕs father) section and built shelving and counters and front at Anson, all ready to go in before the building was actually started. We built a 50x100 foot ironclad building, and in a very short time that first building we brought from Anson was sold and moved to the north side of the square, back of the Central West Drug Store. It was used for a warehouse and later torn down. Right back of our store we built another iron building, 58 feet wide and 100 feet long. Twenty-five feet of the length belonged to D.O. McRimmon and co., which was just east of our lots. Later the warehouse was moved to the railroad right-of-way just 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 it Ð we built a shed room and opened up a furniture store. Bank building Erected The bank moved into the Penick-Colbert-Hughes building about April 1900, with real bank fixtures and everything and stayed there until the rock building, still the home of 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 was completed. I was in charge of the Penick-Colbert-Hughes bank for the first nine months, or until it was nationalized, and when the assets were turned over to the First National Bank, all notes, overdrafts, etc, were guaranteed by Penick-Colbert-Hughes Company. The losses amounted to only 55 cents which was an overdraft. About the same time we put in a furniture we added the undertaking business and the first casket that was ever sold in Stamford was bought by a man who still lives in Stamford 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 and Kincannon Saddlers and the Baker-Bryant store. A.Q. BatemanÕs wholesale and retail grocery store was another building on the south side of the square. Lee Putman was manager. He lives at Plainview and travels for some flour concern. Historic Sledge Hall Sledge Hall, owned by Dr. Sledge was next of the south side of the square. It was a large two-story white frame building and deserves more mention than any early building. It houses the Johnson Bros. drug store on the first floor. The owners were Walter (whose widow and daughter, Miss Cornelia live here yet) and Curtis Johnson who died this week. Dr. Sledge has his office upstairs and the remainder was a large auditorium known as Sledge Hall. This was the social center for the town until the City Hall was built. Dr. Sledge was so generous with the hall all found a welcome there. A Union Sunday School was conducted before the churches were built. Probably all the lodges Ð Masons, Odd Fellows, Woodmen as well as the K.P. Lodge Ð were organized and met there until they secured permanent meeting places. Charlie Brewington and John Blackenbeckler (whose widow still lives here) were two of the main organizers of the K.P. Lodge. Charlie Brewington was the first Chancellor Commander and John Blankenbeckler was the first vice Chancellor. Among the charter members were about eight Anson men among them, Judge Walter Chapman, now district judge of Abilene; Sid Castles, Mrs. PenickÕs brother, Bert Potts. The womanÕs Lodge corresponding with the K.P. was the Rathborn Sisters and all the prominent 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 Opened J.M. Radford Grocer Company was another early business for Stamford. The company built a rock house on the west side of the railroad track, near where the old ice plant was. The manager was Jim Hardie. He stayed for two or three years and left for Austin college and studied for the ministry and became a well known Presbyterian preacher, holding a pastorate in Dallas now. R.E. McDonald came here as manager of RadfordÕs when Jim Hardie left. The first delivery wagon that was ever run in Stamford was a milk wagon run by Charlie Woodson, father of Louis Woodson south of town, who lived out on Red Mud Creek. Charlie lives in Oregon now. L.E. Larche was the first grocery delivery man working for D.O. McRimmon and Co. November 1904, R.L. Haynie came to the firm. He was vice president and sales manager of the Stamford wholesale business and was with the company until his death on July 11, 1926. Ice Plant opened Pickens 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 time got into financial straits and asked me to help them out. I got it financed by doubling the capital if I would accept the management of it. Zug and Norton were more than willing for me to do it. The first thing I knew, Norton had the Armour meat account, a flour account and several other lines. He was an old grocery man and just could not keep from dabbling in things like that, I found he was making money on it and I was interested and we agreed to run a grocery store. At the end of a yearÕs time, I had paid two 25 per cent dividends and had more profits, but I had more business than I could look after so I was anxious to get out of it. Wooten Grocery Company had decided they wanted a store here, so they struck me to sell, which I did. Col. Hamilton, vice president of the Texas Central Railway was one of the stockholders of the Ice Company.