Old Pharr City Hall
Pharr, Hidalgo County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This structure was completed in 1911 by the Pharr Townsite Co., operated by John C. Kelly (1862-1937), a co-founder of Pharr. It housed the first bank, the post office, a confectionary, a drugstore, and the first irrigation and canal company. The building became the first City Hall in 1916, when Pharr was incorporated. Due to a shortage of policemen during the Depression, an electric light was placed on top of the building to alert officers to trouble. When the city government moved in 1951, the Old Pharr City Hall housed businesses and offices and was used for civic meetings. (1984)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Completed in 1911 by the Pharr Townsite Co. under co-founder John C. Kelly, this Rio Grande Valley building first packed in the town's bank, post office, a confectionary, a drugstore, and the irrigation and canal company that made Valley farming possible. It became Pharr's first City Hall when the town incorporated in 1916. During the Depression, short on policemen, the city mounted a rooftop light to summon officers to trouble.
Why it matters
The building traces how irrigation and townsite companies conjured whole communities out of the South Texas brushland in the early 20th century.
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Related people
- · John C. Kelly
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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