"Texas Treasure" Business Award

The Kerr County Historical Commission is compiling a list of businesses in Kerr County that qualify for the "Historic Business--Texas Treasure" award.
This award recognizes Texas businesses "that have provided employment opportunities and support to the state's economy for at least 50 years."
http://www.thc.state.tx.us/preserve/projects-and-programs/texas-treasure-business-award

The full requirements can be found at the above link, but in general, businesses must have been in continuous for-profit operation in Texas for at least 50 years and must continue to operate the same or very similar business.  The business may have changed hands.  Businesses that have stayed in the same family or have operated from the same place for more than 50 years get special recognition. 

The business gets an attractive certificate to hang on the wall--which it agrees to display. 

Mosty Brothers Nursery, Center Point, est. 1897, is the first business in Kerr County to receive this award.

Here is a list of other for-profit businesses based in Kerr County that appear to qualify.  There may be more. City is Kerrville unless otherwise indicated.

Have been in continuous for-profit operation in Texas for at least 50 years. 

Continue to operate the same or a very similar type of business as it did at least 50 years ago.

Have a continuous record of employment for at least the past 50 years.

Continue to operate as an independent, for-profit business (i.e., it cannot be operating as a subsidiary of or have been absorbed into another business)

Maintain a good business relationship with the state.

- See more at: http://www.thc.state.tx.us/preserve/projects-and-programs/texas-treasure-business-award#sthash.wyOqJbeu.dpuf

• FIRST Insurance Agency of the Hill Country, 1890.
• T. J. Moore Lumber Yard, Ingram, 1892. 
• Kerrville Daily Times, 1910.
• Sanchez Barber Shop, 1911.
• Garrett Insurance,  1918.
• Grimes Funeral Chapel, 1920.
• Camp Rio Vista, Hunt, 1921.
• Camp Stewart, Hunt, 1924.
• Kerr County Abstract Company, 1924.
• Camp Waldemar, Hunt, 1926.
• Camp Mystic, Hunt, 1926.
• Camp La Junta, Hunt, 1928.
• Camp Waltonia, Hunt, 1928.
• Crider's, Hunt, 1926.
• Mosty's Garage 1926. 
• Kerrville Bus Company, 1929. 
• R.C. McBryde Oil, by 1931. 
• Fidelity Abstract and Title,  1936.
• Heart of the Hills Taxidermy,  1937. 
• Kickapoo Kamp, 1943.
• Del Norte Restaurant, 1946.
• The Hunt Store, Hunt, 1946. 
• Mooney Aircraft, 1946.
• Heart O' the Hills Camp, Hunt, 1949. 
• Hill Country Telephone Cooperative, Ingram. 1951.
• Hester Window Coverings, 1951.
• Bernhard's Meat Processing and Market, Ingram,  1952.
• Hill Country Affordable Motors,  1954.
• Hunt-Ingram Gas Company, Ingram, 1955.
• The Rose Shop, 1955.
• Inn of the Hills, 1963.
• Herring Printing, 1964.

If you have others to add to this list, you can comment below or contact me at my blog email address, dgaudier at gmail.com, and I will update this list.

The Boys from Ingram (and Pebble)

Four young men from Ingram died in World War I.  They are Monroe Ernest Dowdy, Louie Robert Floyd, Grover Kile Hollomon, and William A. Johannessen.

Monroe Ernest Dowdy was born February 14, 1888, in Kerr County to Richard Balem and Leila McKeen Dowdy and died October 10, 1918, in France. He was buried at Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial, Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, Departement de la Meuse, Lorraine, France.
He lived in Ingram and worked as a laborer for Ed Ragland in Mountain Home.
Dowdy was a Private, Company G, 127th Infantry, U.S. Army.
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Robert Louis Floyd  (appears in official records as Louie R. Floyd) was born November 9, 1893, to George W. and Mary E. Floyd, and died September 23, 1918, in Texas.  He is buried in Nichols Cemetery. On October 18, 1918, the Kerrville Mountain Sun reported that he had died of pneumonia "Over There".
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Grover Kile Hollomon was born January 15, 1890, in Kerrville, to George R. and Delilah Hollomon and died October 2, 1918, overseas.  He farmed with his father before being called up.
The following appeared in the Kerrville Mountain Sun for July 23, 1920.
"Bodies of two more soldiers from Overseas.
"Friday of last week, the bodies of Harvey L. Merritt and Grover Hollomon were brought from overseas to Kerrville and Saturday were buried at Nichol's [sic] Cemetery near Ingram. Corporal Tracht accompanied the bodies from Hoboken, N.J., to Kerrville and the Ward Undertaking Company had charge of the remains.
"These bodies of dead soldiers are shipped here in the cement casket, which was described recently in The Sun.  The weight of the casket is over 500 pounds. 
Harvey Merrit and Grover Hollomon both died of pneumonia in October, 1918.
"There were a number of relatives to meet the remains at Kerrville and accompany them to the cemetery. "
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Jacob Harvey Merritt was born July 12, 1893, in Kerr County, and died October 10, 1918, overseas.  He is buried in Nichols Cemetery.
Harvey Merritt was a stock farmer.
When he registered for the draft he gave his address as Pebble.  Pebble was west of Hunt along the South Fork of the Guadalupe and it would make more sense to place Merritt on that blog page, but because of the news story above I've added him here.  The Pebble post office closed in 1918.

The November 28, 1918, Kerrville Mountain Sun  reported his death this way: "Harvey Merritt Killed in Action.  Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Merritt of the Upper Guadalupe have received word from Washington advising them that their son, Private Harvey Merritt had been killed in action in the battlefields of France.  Harvey was one of the last of the Kerr County boys to answer the call to service and had been in France only a few weeks when he was killed. Thus another of our splendid young men has paid the supreme sacrifice and added another gold star to Kerr County's glorious banner which will be held with honor and esteem and preserved as an heritage to future generations as a part of the victory that followed our immortal flag across the seas."
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William A. Johannessen was born March 19, 1895, in Blanco County, died October 28, 1917 at Fort Logan, Colorado, of typhoid fever and is buried in Nichols Cemetery. He was a member of Co. L, 1st Infantry Division, U.S. Army. Fort Logan was a recruit depot at that time.

His father James Peter Johannessen was born in Norway.  His mother Elizabeth Loretta Stokes was born in Texas.  The family first appears in the 1910 U.S. Census in Kerr County.  I have not found any other information about him. One of the challenges of researching this surname is that it is frequently misspelled in the newspaper. Some of the variants include Johannesen, Johannesson and Johanneson.

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This record was changed on May 8, 2017, to reflect newly located information about William A. Johannessen.