Mart in McLennan County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Watson Feed Store

Photographed by James Hulse, October 26, 2022

1. Watson Feed Store 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 services, 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 1946 and later passed the business on to his son. Today, the building retains its original details including polychrome brick, with pediments, corbelling and pilasters that extend beyond the cornice. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2003 2nd Plaque
Watson feed store, the oldest, continuously operating Ralston Purina Feed Store, continues to be a commercial resource and gathering place for the community.

Erected 2003 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 15253.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Animals • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1903.

Location. 31° 32.496′ N, 96° 50.09′ W. Marker is in Mart, Texas, in McLennan County. It is at the intersection of East Texas Avenue (State Highway 164) and South Main Street, on the right when traveling east on East Texas Avenue. The marker is located on the left side of the entrance to the hardware store. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 308 East Texas Avenue, Mart TX 76664, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Prairies & Lakes Region.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: First Baptist Church of Mart (approx. 0.2 miles away); Site of Organization of the First Baptist Church of Mart (approx. 0.7 miles away); Friedens Cemetery (approx. 5.2 miles away); Trinity Lutheran Church (approx. 6.9 miles away); Friedens Evangelical & Reformed United Church of Christ (approx. 7 miles away); Riesel (approx. 7 miles away); Perry United Methodist Church (approx. 8.1 miles away); Prairie Hill Baptist Church (approx. 8.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mart.

Also see . . . Mart, TX. Texas State Historical Association

Mart, once known as Willow Springs, is a small incorporated city eighteen miles east of Waco on State Highway 164 in the eastern corner of McLennan County. Settlement in the area began shortly after the Civil War. The community was known as Willow Springs in the 1870s, but the name was changed to Mart when a post office was granted in 1880. Residents chose this name because they expected the community to become an important commercial center. In the mid-1880s Mart
Photographed by James Hulse, October 26, 2022

2. The front entrance to the Watson Feed Store with the Marker
had two steam gristmills and cotton gins, a church, two schools, and 150 residents; cotton and wheat were the principal cash crops grown in the area.

(Submitted on October 29, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

The view of the Watson Feed Store and Marker from across the street image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, October 26, 2022

3. The view of the Watson Feed Store and Marker from across the street

Credits. This page was last revised on October 29, 2022. It was originally submitted on October 29, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 434 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 29, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.