According to the December 23, 1905, Kerrville Mountain Sun, M. A. Calloway, "a former resident of this place" had just purchased a lot on San Antonio Street from Mr. James Crotty and planned to begin "the erection at once of a stone business house thereon". I was fascinated to read in Gerald Witt's 1986 book The History of Eastern Kerr County, Texas that "[t]he walls are fifteen inches thick and and are made of rocks, mortar, and caliche sand. Apparently, construction forms were filled with a rock and mortar mix to build the walls."
If this was indeed a cast-in-place concrete building, it was not a common technique at the time.
The book goes on to say:
This building has been used as a store at various times and some people remember attending movies there. For years it was the warehouse of the Bandera Farmers and Ranchmen's association and was filled with wool and mohair. In 1970 Connie Woodell restored the building and opened Valley Western Store.In 1973 Connie and Fred Woodell sold the property to Lloyd C. Woodbury who ran his taxidermy business here until moving to Ingram in 1978. In 1981 Dick and Jeannine Tuma moved their business, Mesa Bronze Foundry, here. The Tumas no longer own the business, but it is still functioning as a bronze foundry at this location.
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