Site of Worthy Store
Donie, Freestone County, Texas
Marker Inscription
At this location in 1906, Alabama native Dillard Monroe Worthy opened a general merchandise store. He was later joined by his son, Roy, and the business became D.M. Worthy & Son. It provided residents with essential items and included farming materials, butcher and blacksmith shops, funeral supplies and lumber. D.M. Worthy had other interests as well, serving as first president of Guaranty State Bank (later Donie State Bank) and opening other businesses. He was also instrumental in bringing a spur track of the Trinity & Brazos Valley Railway near Donie. The store closed soon after he passed away in 1930, but Roy reopened it in 1939. Roy Worthy died in 1956, and the store remained in operation for several more years before it burned. (2007)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1906 Alabama native Dillard Monroe Worthy opened a general merchandise store here, later joined by his son Roy as D.M. Worthy & Son. It supplied the surrounding countryside with everything from farm goods and lumber to butcher, blacksmith, and funeral services. Worthy's reach extended beyond the counter—he helped found a local bank and worked to bring a railway spur near Donie—and after his death in 1930 the store reopened under Roy until it eventually burned.
Why it matters
The country general store was the economic and social hub of rural America, and this one reflects how a single enterprising family could shape a small town's commerce, banking, and transportation.
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Related people
- · Dillard Monroe Worthy
- · Roy Worthy
Themes & tags
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