The Cathey Buildings
Quitman, Wood County, Texas
Marker Inscription
THE CATHEY BUILDINGS ATTORNEY, REPRESENTATIVE IN THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE AND PUBLIC OFFICIAL BENJAMIN FRANKLIN CATHEY PURCHASED SEVERAL LOTS FROM THOMAS STEPHENS LOCATED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE PUBLIC SQUARE. BY 1922, CATHEY BUILT SEVERAL COMMERCIAL BRICK BUILDINGS ON THE SQUARE INCLUDING A POST OFFICE AND A MERCANTILE. THE PASTIME THEATRE AND THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER AND PRINTING HOUSE WERE LOCATED IN THE SAME BLOCK. FIRE DESTROYED THREE OF THE CATHEY BUILDINGS IN 1932. A NEW LAW OFFICE WAS THE FIRST TO BE REBUILT FOLLOWED BY THE POST OFFICE. THE LAST BUILDING DESTROYED WAS REBUILT IN 1941 AND CONTAINED FOUR SEPARATE SPACES. THE CATHEY BUILDINGS REPRESENT THE GROWTH OF THE COMMERCIAL DISTRICT IN QUITMAN IN THE 20TH CENTURY. RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK – 2012
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Attorney and Texas legislator Benjamin Franklin Cathey bought lots on the north side of Quitman's public square and by 1922 had built a row of brick commercial buildings — a post office and a mercantile — beside a theater and the local newspaper. Fire destroyed three of them in 1932, but Cathey rebuilt through 1941. The block charts the growth of Quitman's downtown in the early 20th century.
Why it matters
The Cathey Buildings embody the brick-and-mortar rise of the small-town commercial square at the heart of early-20th-century Texas life.
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Related people
- · Benjamin Franklin Cathey
Themes & tags
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