Watson Feed Store
Mart, McLennan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Ruff Watson (1879-1950) bought this site in 1903 and established the R. Watson Feed Store. He offered a variety of goods and service, including feed, seed, wood, and coal, as well as a slaughterhouse, butcher shop and leather goods store. He built this structure in 1906. His son, Murray Watson, Sr. (1906-1990), renamed the business Watson Feed Store in 946 and later passed the business on to his son. Today, the building retains its original details, including the polychrome brick, with pediments, corbelling and pilasters that extend beyond the cornice. Registered Texas Historic Landmark - 2003
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Ruff Watson bought this Mart corner in 1903 and opened a feed store that grew into a one-stop enterprise—feed, seed, wood and coal alongside a slaughterhouse, butcher shop and leather goods—building this ornate brick structure in 1906. His son Murray renamed it Watson Feed Store in 1946 and passed it to the next generation, and the building still shows off its polychrome brick, pediments and corbelling.
Why it matters
It illustrates the family-run mercantile businesses that supplied the farming economy of Central Texas and shaped its small-town main streets for generations.
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Related people
- · Ruff Watson
- · Murray Watson, Sr.
Themes & tags
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