War Memorials

Most people probably think of the monument on the courthouse grounds when they think of a war memorial in Kerr County. Some also think about Francisco Lemos, Sidney Baker, and Earl Garrett, the World War I soldiers for whom three Kerrville streets are named.
There are at least two others. One is the Cailloux Theater which I wrote about here. Another is the Butt-Holdsworth Memorial Library which I mentioned here.
Today I am writing more about the B-H Memorial Library.
 
In the January 11, 1957,  Kerrville Times, in the column called "Brother Red Sez", the author pointed out that $26,000 had been collected some twelve years earlier to be used as a War Memorial.  The Memorial had not been built and he argued for using the money to build a library for Kerrville.  At the time it was housed in two rooms of the Schreiner Mansion,  the rest of which served as the Masonic Temple.  They wanted to take over the space that the public library was in, but the library had no place to go.  Plans had been drawn but fundraising was going very slowly for a memorial library for Kerr County. This was a county wide effort as reported in the November 14, 1957, Kerrville Mountain Sun.   

The April 3, 1958, Kerrville Mountain Sun reported, "Out of a desire to have the new building to stand as a memorial to deceased Kerr County veterans of all wars, the sponsors have designated the proposed structure as the Kerr County Memorial Library." Even though the public library in Kerrville is designated as a memorial to all deceased Kerr County veterans--not just Kerrville veterans, the County Commissioners at this time will not financially support the Butt-Holdsworth Memorial Library.  The name of the library was originally the Kerr County Memorial Library.  The fundraising for the library was a county-wide effort with many clubs, individuals, and businesses making donations.

The Kerr County War Mothers Association took on the responsibility of collecting the names of Kerr County men who died in the service of their country. The list was to include the names of men who died while their families were residents of Kerr County, or who went to the Armed Forces giving Kerr County as their home.
When in 1958 the library moved from space in the Schreiner Mansion to the former Pentecostal church on Water Street, a bronzed plaque was hung in the entrance to the Memorial Library. 

This war memorial is older than the Memorial Auditorium, erected 1960, which became the Cailloux Theater,  and older than the memorial on the Courthouse square and yet it seems forgotten.

As for that $16,000... I'm not sure if it went to the Memorial Library, or to the Memorial Auditorium.  When I find that information I'll update this site.

720 Water Street

This commercial building was a 1948 addition to the Schreiner store.  Erected by J. G. Rosson, the architect was Bartlett Cocke of San Antonio.
The report on this new project appeared in the February 19, 1948, Kerrville Mountain Sun.
"A Ladies Ready to Wear structure will be built on Water Street, adjoining the present store, completely filling the 47 foot space now used as a parking lot.  This building will be 100 feet deep, and will be of one story construction.  It will have the same type of architecture as the present building with cut stone top and a thoroughly modern front."

The aforementioned parking lot was laid on top of the old rails for the spur line that ran to the wool warehouse.  In April 1948, while it was under construction, the adjoining wool warehouse was destroyed by fire. The warehouse was rebuilt, but that must have added an interesting twist to the new construction.
At the same time this building was going up the grocery store on Earl Garrett was enlarged adding, according to the newspaper, "36 feet at the side, and made 20 feet longer." The total space for the expanded grocery was 8000 square feet.
Read about the Schreiner Cash and Carry Grocery here.  
On the day the expanded grocery opened in August 1948 there was a live radio broadcast from a Fredericksburg station as well as food giveaways.

I never had the opportunity to shop at Schreiner's, but I was told that this was always the Ladies' Ready to Wear department until the store closed a few years ago.
 

Nugent Building

Construction began on this contemporary commercial building at 832 Main Street, Kerrville, in November, 1964. It features a double arch over the entry and red ceramic tile walls. When the building was completed in early 1965, it became the temporary home of the Post Office. In July, 1966 the Post Office moved back to newly renovated quarters in the Federal building at the corner of Earl Garrett and Main Streets.
The January 13, 1965, Kerrville Mountain Sun printed a photograph of a crane erecting a column for the Nugent Building.  The cutline reads:
This guy Guido must have a good thing.  His tall cranes have been in Kerrville five times during the past six months, assisting with erecting buildings.  This picture shows one of the columns for the Nugent building at the corner of Main and Washington Streets.  The same cranes have been used for erecting the lights at Antler Stadium, on the Peterson Hospital, and even the new water tower at Mooney Aircraft.
 
Low bidder I'm sure.  Now if I just knew Guido's last name I might be able to learn the name of the contracting company.

The first occupant after the Post Office moved out was Drue A. Dunn who announced the opening of his office "for the practice of Public Accountancy at 832 Main" in the February 1, 1967, Kerrville Mountain Sun.  Dempsey Tegeler Co. Member New York Stock Exchange also moved in at about the same time.
This building has been home to many small businesses, mostly professional offices, ever since.

343 West Main Street

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ca 1932 Kerrville tax office photo

2013

This house at 343 West Main Street in Westland Place was erected in 1928 for U. S. and Lena Bounds.They purchased the lot in December 1927 from the Kerrville Development Company for $300 and started work on the house shortly after.  She was a member of the Christian Church and often entertained church groups in her home. Her husband was a plumber.  The 1930 census and several San Antonio city directories gives his name as James U. S. Bounds, but he is only referred to as U. S. Bounds in newspaper mentions.

In 1934 the Kerrville Mountain Sun ran several advertisements for "Alberty's Food for TB".  This concoction, which claimed to be a homeopathic remedy for tuberculosis, was sold at two places in Kerrville--at the C.C. Butt Piggly Wiggly and at 343 West Main.  There is no indication that this was a shop selling anything else--only Alberty's Food. The Boundses may have been reps for the product.  At the same time they were operating Nu-Deal Loans and Insurance, offering personal secured loans and insurance of various types.

They moved to San Antonio in July 1935.  They later rented the house to Harper Rawlings who taught vocational agriculture in the public schools for  a few years before moving to Marfa.  By 1940 the Boundses had sold the house to Mack and Leona Morgan. He was proprietor of Five Points Package Store. They owned this house the longest.  Leona lived here four more years after Mack died in October 1961.  After she sold the house, the property changed hands and occupants on a regular basis. Since the names of the occupants as shown in the city directory and the names of the owners as recorded in the deed records rarely match up, it must have been a frequent rental.

It is now houses a small business.