Old Wells' Store
Cleveland, Liberty County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Center section built about 1875 by D. W. Proctor & Company; later operated by L. L. Wells. This structure and earlier one on same site each served as general mercantile store. this building was center for visits and exchange of local news at "Tarkington's Prairie" community. Building has been used as post office, wagon stop, credit house, and voting place. Was located on Old Nacogdoches-Lynchburg Trail, a 19th century thoroughfare. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1968
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built about 1875 by D. W. Proctor & Company and later run by L. L. Wells, this general mercantile store stood on the Old Nacogdoches-Lynchburg Trail, a busy 19th-century thoroughfare. It replaced an earlier store on the same spot and became the hub of the Tarkington's Prairie community, where neighbors traded goods and news. Over time it doubled as post office, wagon stop, credit house, and polling place.
Why it matters
The country store captures how a single crossroads business could serve as the commercial and civic heart of a rural Texas settlement along its old trade trails.
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Related people
- · D. W. Proctor
- · L. L. Wells
Themes & tags
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