Groppe Building
West, McLennan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
One of the first German settlers in the area, August Groppe, Sr. (1840-1919) had this structure built in 1892, the year the town of West was incorporated. A prominent cotton farmer and businessman. Groppe hired local brickmasons and used bricks that were made near West to construct the first brick building in the town's business district. The late 19th-century structure has housed numerous businesses, including a dry goods store, grocery, and drugstore.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
August Groppe, Sr., one of the first German settlers in the area, had this structure raised in 1892—the very year the town of West was incorporated. A prosperous cotton farmer and businessman, Groppe hired local brickmasons and used bricks made near West to build the first brick building in the town's business district. Over the following century the building housed a succession of enterprises, from dry goods store to grocery to drugstore.
Why it matters
German immigrants like Groppe helped build the commercial cores of Central Texas towns, and their durable brick storefronts marked the passage from frontier settlement to established Main Street community.
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Related people
- · August Groppe, Sr.
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
West
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