Old Mercantile Building
Sonora, Sutton County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Kentucky native Ed R. Jackson (1860-1911), a prominent local rancher and banker, had this two-story Italianate commercial building constructed in 1902-03. Located on the site of an early hotel and a later mercantile store, both of which were destroyed by fire, the limestone structure features an ornate facade of cast iron and pressed tin. First occupied by a mercantile store on the ground floor, it also provided second floor space for offices and a community hall. Other occupants included early lawyers and doctors, and the first established telephone exchange in Sonora. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark--1981
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Kentucky-born rancher and banker Ed R. Jackson erected this two-story Italianate commercial block in 1902–03 on a Sonora site where earlier businesses had twice burned. Built of local limestone and dressed with cast-iron and pressed-tin ornament, it housed a mercantile store below and offices, a community hall, and Sonora's first telephone exchange above. Lawyers and doctors were among its early tenants.
Why it matters
The building captures the commercial optimism of a West Texas ranching town at the moment it wired itself into the modern age.
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Related people
- · Ed R. Jackson
Themes & tags
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