The J. A. Baker Store
Lockney, Floyd County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Opened 1894; one of the Texas South Plains' oldest mercantile houses still owned by founding family. James Artemas Baker (1859-1917), founder of this store and town of Lockney, was born near Dallas and lived in Hamilton from 1879 to July 1890, when he moved here. Acting postmaster in 1893, and serving by appointment 1894-1901, he freighted and, with help of his wife Alice, ran this store, selling hardware, sundries, dry goods, groceries. Town also relied on Baker's store safe for banking in the early days. After frame building burned, this structure was erected 1914. (1971)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When James Artemas Baker opened his store in 1894, he was helping to found the town of Lockney itself on the Texas South Plains. Serving as acting and then appointed postmaster, Baker freighted in goods and, with his wife Alice, sold hardware, dry goods, groceries, and sundries — and in the early days his store safe even doubled as the town's bank. After the original frame building burned, the present structure went up in 1914, and the business remained one of the region's oldest mercantile houses still held by its founding family.
Why it matters
The frontier general store was bank, post office, and marketplace all in one, and Baker's is a rare survivor showing how a single merchant could anchor an entire town's economy.
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Related people
- · James Artemas Baker
- · Alice Baker
Themes & tags
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