Lex Word and the Bon Ton
Kyle, Hays County, Texas
Marker Inscription
For generations this site was the commercial and social heart of the community. Wallace Alexander "Lex" Word (1896-1982) was born in Kyle to William Alexander and Mamie (Sledge) Word, but tragically his father died two months before Lex was born. After graduating from Kyle High School in 1913 as the only male in a class of six, Lex worked in his uncle's bank in Mathis. He later attended Texas A&M College and served in World War I, managing stores in Grayburg and Huntsville upon his return to Texas. In 1926, Word moved back to Kyle and partnered with Alex Kercheville and Jack Sledge to open the Bon Ton, a general store and grocery. Initially located in the historic Masonic building, it soon moved to this location. At about the same time, Word bought out his partners. In 1929, Lex married Taylor native Louise "Bobby" Gossett (1904-2000), who came to Kyle to teach school. He expanded the store in the Great Depression, adding a feed store and hatchery at a time when many downtown businesses closed. A fatal fire here killed Cal "Big Boy" Clark in 1934, but the store was rebuilt. For decades the Bon Ton was a primary community gathering place. The Words were church and civic leaders, active in the First Baptist Church. When Kyle State Bank closed in 1932, Lex helped reorganize the town's only depository as Citizens State Bank. He also opened an adjacent implement store and helped restart the cooperative cotton gin in the 1930s. Lex and Bobby donated space in the back of the Bon Ton for a reading room that was the town's first library in the 1950s. The store retained the Bon Ton name under new ownership until fire destroyed the building in 2002. In 2006, the City of Kyle built a new city hall at this location. (2007)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
For generations this corner was the commercial and social heart of Kyle. Wallace Alexander "Lex" Word (1896–1982), a World War I veteran and hometown boy, opened the Bon Ton general store here in 1926 and soon bought out his partners. Through the Great Depression he expanded rather than retreated—adding a feed store and hatchery as other businesses failed—and helped reorganize the town's only bank when it closed in 1932. The Bon Ton even housed Kyle's first library before fire finally destroyed the building in 2002.
Why it matters
The store embodies the role of the small-town general merchant as banker, civic leader, and community anchor in Depression-era rural America.
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Related people
- · Wallace Alexander "Lex" Word
- · Louise "Bobby" Gossett Word
Related events
- · Great Depression
Themes & tags
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