Lewis J. Wilson Building
Navasota, Grimes County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A native of Connecticut, Lewis J. Wilson (1832-1895) moved with his parents to Grimes County in 1851. His father Samuel opened a general merchandise business in Anderson. Lewis managed the store until 1861 when he left to serve in the Civil War. After the war he returned to Anderson and opened a mercantile store in partnership with W. R. Howell and John Quincy Yarborough. They completed construction of this brick building in 1871 for a second establishment. Wilson was the sole proprietor by 1881 and continued to manage the business until his death.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Connecticut-born Lewis J. Wilson came to Grimes County as a boy in 1851 and grew up in his father's Anderson merchandise store, leaving only to serve in the Civil War. Returning afterward, he opened a mercantile business with partners and in 1871 completed this brick building for a second establishment. Wilson became sole proprietor by 1881 and ran the store until his death in 1895.
Why it matters
The building embodies the merchant class that rebuilt commerce in small Southern towns after the Civil War, where a general store was often the economic center of community life.
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Related people
- · Lewis J. Wilson
Themes & tags
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