The White Elephant Restaurant & Saloon

ca 1900
Corner of Rusk & Main

The “Club Rooms” upstairs were operated by Charles Clymer and Enoch Hughes (operating as Clymer & Hughes) in the 1880’s. 

The White Elephant Restaurant would have been in the partial picture of the taller building to the left.  The saloon was in 301 and 303
W. Main and the restaurant was at 305 W. Main (east half of the building 305 - 307 building).  The White Elephant Livery is behind the
tall building and is seen on the right side of the picture.  There may have been a funeral parlor in part of that location which is now the Chawse Drive-In Bank facility.

White Elephant Restaurant
Christmas Day Menu
1887 
 

The historic building in about 1910 was located on two of the original Denison city lots at 301 and 303 West Main, at the northwest corner of  West Main and Rusk streets. 

This building was heavily damaged by a fire on Christmas Eve of 1944.  By October of 1945, a new and more modern store was completed.  In 1961, the historic lines were lost after a complete remodeling project when a cement shell covered this structure and the expanded space of a building next door at 305 West Main, acquired from the Esler Paint Store in the 1950's.  A few years later, in January of 1967,  the building was destroyed by a spectacular fire while thousands of people watched as they gathered around the site.  (source: Denison Library's microfilm of the January 15, 1967 edition of the Denison Herald)  From 1896 to 1967 the Madden Department Store (originally Madden, Graham & Co.) was located here, except for a few years in the 1950's when the building was occupied by Dunlaps, a department store.

The present day building, 301-305 West Main and shown lower right, was completed by Tobe and Angie Madden in 1967.  Lilley's Department Store and Apple Furniture were previously located in this building from 1968 to recent years. 

 Prior to the Madden's Store opening in 1896, Hibbard Bros. Grocers was located here for about three years.

 From 1884 to 1892 the White Elephant Saloon and Restaurant was in business at this location under a number of different proprietors.  The saloon, billiards, and restaurant were on the first floor, and club (gambling) and sleeping rooms were on the second floor, according to the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of 1885 and 1892.

The Sunday Gazetteer
Sunday, May 4, 1884
pg. 4

Mr. Owen McCarthy has finally, after a good deal of coaxing, rented his handsome new two-story 50 foot front brick business house on the corner of Main street and Rusk avenue for a "White Elephant."  The lesees are Messrs. Epstein and Westheimer of this city, and Fleming Bros. and Gabe Burgauer, of an establishment of the same sacred name recently dedicated in Fort Worth.  The price paid is $4,000 a year....

 The building was owned by Owen McCarthy, and later his heirs, from 1876 until the early 1900's.  McCarthy operated his hardware business here from about 1876 to 1883. 

Owen McCarthy's name is on the cornice at the center top of the old building. 

Token from the White Elephant
When it was issued, M.E. Fleming was the proprietor of the saloon.

Nice round 31mm white metal trade token from the White Elephant saloon in Denison, Texas.  
This is a very nice and hard to find Texas elephant pictorial.
Sold for $474.00

M.E. Fleming & Co. is only listed in the Denison Directory for the year of 1885.  
By 1887 he is listed as running the Headlight Bar & Billiard Hall.

Obverse:  WHITE ELEPHANT / (elephant) / DENISON, TEX.
Reverse:  M.E. FLEMING & CO. / 12½ ¢ / PROPRS

White Elephant Saloon Timeline

1881
The Owen Hardware Company was the first to use the site at 301 West Main Street, but J. T. WOOD bought the property in 1881 and built a new structure there, calling it the White Elephant Saloon. The building would keep its historic look for more than eighty years.
1884
JIM McINTIRE - "From Ft. Worth I went to Denison where I played the games at the White Elephant saloon.  The officers of Denison were all right, and I stayed there for two months."  McIntire was wanted for the murder of two French squatters on some ranch land in New Mexico and "Special Officers" came to Denison to arrest him.  He was tipped off and hired a horse from the White Elephant Livery and rode to the second station out of Denison on the Texas Pacific Railroad.  He bought a ticket to Shreveport, Louisiana, and took the first train.  From Shreveport he travelled by boat to Baton Rouge and completed his trip to New Orleans by Mississippi River Boat.  (McIntire, Jim.  Early Days in Texas : a Trip to Hell and Heaven, c1902)
1887-1888
*White Elephant Saloon (Wood, Meadows & Co.), 301 West Main Street.  *Wood, Meadows & Co. (Drew B. Wood, Joe P. Meadows, James A. Meadows), proprietors of the White Elephant Saloon, 301 West Main Street at the corner of Rusk Avenue. Drew B. Wood (Wood, Meadows & Co.), rooms at 314 West Main Street. Joe P. Meadows (Wood, Meadows & Co.), resides 15 miles northwest of the city. James A. Meadows (Wood, Meadows & Co.), resides at 509 West Crawford Street.  *GEORGE CAMPBELL (colored) works at the White Elephant Saloon; he lives with Edward Campbell (colored), who works the coal shute at MKT Railway and lives at 322 East Day Street.  *BERNARD DANIELS works at the White Elephant Club Room; he resides on the north side of Walker between North Austin and Burnett avenues.  *JOHN C. CROSBY works at the White Elephant club room; he resides at 807 West Main Street. Source: City Directory
1889-1890
*The White Elephant Restaurant (J. T. WOOD, proprietor), 301-303 West Main Street *JAMES [T.] WOOD is proprietor of the White Elephant Restaurant, 301 West Main Street. He lives at 706 West Main Street. Also living there is BENJAMIN WOOD, bartender at the White Elephant Saloon. *Wood, Meadows & Co. (DREW B. WOOD and JOE P. MEADOWS) are proprietors of the White Elephant Saloon, 301 West Main Street at the corner of Rusk Avenue. Benjamin Wood is bartender there; he lives at 706 West Main Street, with JAMES WOOD *DREW B. WOOD (Wood, Meadows & Co.) boards at the White Elephant and rooms at 314 West Main Street *JOSEPH P. MEADOWS (Wood, Meadows & Co., proprietor of the White Elephant Restaurant) boards at the White Elephant Restaurant. *J. A. MEADOWS lives at 509 West Crawford Street. *CHARLES CLAYMER Claymer [sic] works at the White Elephant; he lives at 929 West Morton Street, at the corner of Chandler Avenue. *OTTO GENSEKE works at the White Elephant; he lives at 315 West Woodard Street. Wood & Little (GEORGE D. WOOD and THOMAS M. LITTLE) are proprietors of the Crescent Hall Saloon, 302 West Main Street. *GEORGE D. WOOD (Wood & Little) boards at the White Elephant Restaurant and rooms at 302 West Main Street, above the Crescent Hall Saloon. *JOHN A. COLLETT boards at the White Elephant restaurant. John Collett is proprietor of a meat market and lives at 209 West Woodard Street. The meat market could be Denison Meat Market, 116 West Main Street; or Gate City Meat Market, 311 West Main Street. *THOMAS M. LITTLE (Wood & Little, owners of the Crescent Hall Saloon, 302 West Main Street) lives at 623 West Shepherd Street. *H. O. WOOD is proprietor of the Bon Ton Restaurant and Delmonico Hotel, both at 107 West Main Street. “Bon-Ton Hotel and Restaurant. *ELMER BELL, Manager. The Leading Family Restaurant. First-Class Meals Served to Order at All Hours, Day or Night. Furnished Rooms in Connection. Ladies and Family Guests Accommodated. Fish, Oysters and Game in Season. Commutation Tickets Furnished to Permanent Parties. The Public Respectfully Invited to Call. Terms $1.00 to $1.50 per day, $5.00 to $7.50 per week.” Source: City Directory
1891-1892
*JAMES WOODS (colored), porter, Clymer Hughes & Co.; lives at 224 West Chestnut Street. *THOMAS CALLOWAY works at the White Elephant club rooms. No other information given. *EDWARD COLLINS, works for Enoch Hughes; lives in house of Peter Collins, 1400 North Brown Avenue. *ROBERT A. FARTHING works at the White Elephant club rooms. He lives at 217 South Burnett Avenue, at the corner of Crawford Street. *JOHN SCHUELL works at White Elephant club rooms. Lives at 302 East Shepherd. *J. HARVEY THOMPSON works at the White Elephant club rooms. He rooms over 202 West Main Street. *THEODORE TOBIN works at the White Elephant club rooms. He resides at 117 West Woodard Street. *CUTLER & MEADOWS own the “White Elephant” saloon, 301 West Main Street at the corner of Rusk Avenue. Partners are James A. Meadows, who lives at 509 West Crawford Street; and Wyatt T. Cutler, residing at 331 West Bond Street at the corner of Burnett Avenue. *HARRY H. NELMS is bartender at the White Elephant Saloon; Harry lives at 729 West Chestnut, at the corner of Armstrong Avenue. *ALFRED WILLIAMS (colored), porter, White Elephant Saloon; lives in the home of Sandy Fifer (colored), east side of North Mirick Avenue between Bond and Walker streets. Sandy Fifer is a moulder’s helper at Knaur & Son (Denison Foundry and Machine Shop), 413-417 West Chestnut Street. *The firm of CUTLER BROTHERS owns Cutlers’ Saloon, 230 West Main Street at the corner of South Rusk Avenue. Proprietors are Thomas Cutler, who lives at 109 West Morton Street; and Wyatt T. Cutler, who lives at 331 West Bond. *The White Elephant Restaurant, 303 West Main Street, is owned by ELMORE P. FOSTER, proprietor. He lives at 423 West Woodard Street. *CLARENCE FOSTER is a clerk at the White Elephant Restaurant. He lives with E. P. Foster. *SAMUEL JACKSON (colored), cook, E. P. Foster; lives at the rear of 227 West Morton Street. *TOBE FIFER (colored) is a “waiter at E. P. Foster.” Elmore P. Foster is proprietor of the White Elephant Restaurant, 303 West Main Street. No residence is given for Tobe Fifer, but Sandy and Tobe are the only Fifers in the City Directory for this year. Source: City Directory *HIBBARD BROS, 315 W. Main
1893
Sunday Gazetteer Denison, Texas Sunday, February 19, 1893 LOCAL CONDENSATIONS   Wednesday, February 15 Work began today on the removal of the White Elephant bar and restaurant fixtures from the old stand, corner of Main street and Rusk avenue, to 108 Main street. By late February the Hibbard Bros had moved their grocery stock to new quarters in the White Elephant Building on the corner of 301 W, Main street and Rusk Avenue. (The Sunday Gazetteer, Sunday March 5, 1893, pg. 4)
1895 - 1896
1896 Denison City Directory: 301-303 W. Main February 1, 1896 : 100- 02 W. Main

White Elephant of Denison, 1884 - 1892

    

Way We Were ~ Entertainment

Denison History

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