The Fair
Granbury, Hood County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Erected 1888 by Andy Aston for a harness and saddle-making shop. Ironwork was added during a 1906 remodeling, while George Landers was part owner. After harness shop was relocated about 1908, various retail stores operated here, including the grocery of Joe Kerr and several drygoods firms. Notable were "The Fair" and the store of "Blue-Front Riley", a merchant nicknamed for the facade of his earlier store, on the west side of the square.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Andy Aston built this Granbury square building in 1888 as a harness and saddle-making shop, and decorative ironwork was added during a 1906 remodeling while George Landers held a share of the business. After the harness trade moved out around 1908, a parade of retailers filled the space—Joe Kerr's grocery, several dry-goods firms, and the store that gave the building its name, "The Fair." Among the neighboring merchants was one nicknamed "Blue-Front Riley" for the painted facade of his earlier shop.
Why it matters
The building embodies the everyday commercial life of a Texas courthouse-square town, where a single storefront could shift from horse tack to groceries as the community's needs changed.
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Related people
- · Andy Aston
- · George Landers
- · Joe Kerr
Themes & tags
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