Mountainair in Torrance County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Willard Mercantile Company
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 10, 2023
1. Willard Mercantile Company Marker
has been listed in the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1916.
Location. 34° 31.23′ N, 106° 14.421′ W. Marker is in Mountainair, New Mexico, in Torrance County. Marker is at the intersection of Broadway (U.S. 60) and North Summit Avenue (New Mexico Road 55), on the right when traveling west on Broadway. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 101 Broadway, Mountainair NM 87036, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Shaffer Hotel (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Mountainair (approx. 0.3 miles away); Salt Mission Trail (approx. 0.7 miles away); a different marker also named Mountainair (approx. 0.7 miles away); Quarai Ruins (approx. 6.1 miles away); Crossroads/El cruce (approx. 9.1 miles away); Abo Ruins (approx. 9.1 miles away); Fred Sisneros' Grave/Don Federico (approx. 9.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mountainair.
Regarding Willard Mercantile Company.
this page online
In 1905 Charles Ilfeld from Las Vegas, New Mexico … built a mercantile in Willard in Torrance County and hired B.J. Jackson as its manager. Before the business was completed, Ilfeld decided to merge with John Becker from Belen. They named the business the Willard Mercantile Company …
Charles Ilfeld built a second store c.1916, also called the Willard Mercantile Company, on Broadway in Mountainair. The name was soon changed to the Mountainair Trading Company, which became the largest store of its kind in Mountainair and the region.…
In the 1930s the name was changed to the Hanlon Mercantile Store when Earl Hanlon, who worked as the bookkeeper at the Willard Mercantile Company in Mountainair, purchased the company. He then closed the Willard branch stores in Willard and Encino. In the late 1930s Joe Lawson purchased the store and changed the name to Lawson's Mercantile Store. Lawson transformed the store from a general mercantile into a department store.…
Joe Lawson decided to semi-retire when his son, Fain, returned from the Second World War. Fain managed the store until the 1960s when he left to work for the Rural Electric Company. Joe returned to work and operated the store until his death in 1969.
Also see . . . Willard Mercantile Company (PDF)
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 10, 2023
2. Willard Mercantile Company Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on November 4, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 4, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 53 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 4, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
