The first structure to be built at 505 South Armstrong Avenue (Highway 91), on the southwest corner of South Armstrong Avenue and West Morgan Street, was the home of Lum and Nancy Williams, constructed before 1900. Subsequently W. M. Boone opened a grocery store at the site. In 1918, Peter Bradshaw took over its operation. S. B. Rush opened a small cafe there in 1924. At last, in 1932, the White Pig Sandwich Shop was opened by J. F. and Ruth Thompson. White Pig 505 S. Armstrong Ave at W. Morgan St. (Located across the street from the Tom-Tom Drive-In) Originally built and operated in
the early 1930s by the Thompson family. In 1936, the McCraw brothers
bought out the business and used it as a springboard for later
ventures. Johnny McCraw took over as sole operator in 1938, while
brother Carl started the Eatwell
Cafe on Main Street. (Another
source says that "John and Athie McCraw took over in the late
1930s and lasted until the late 1950s.")
Left to right : Carl McGraw, Bill Russell, Leland Miller There were a number of other occupants before Cleta Richardson opened her Cleta’s Cafe in the late 1970s. She moved out in the early 1980s, after operating the cafe for a couple of years. Then it was the China Inn for more than a decade. Old-timers still refer to the place as the White Pig, even though officially it ceased to be called that in the mid-1960s. Most recently, the building has housed Girasole's Mexican Restaurant. "The White Pig Stand" by Donna Hunt Source: Calvin Mauldin, "The White Pig Specialized in Good Food," Denison Herald, Nov. 14, 1993. White Pig Stand History Sherman History Denison History Copyright © 2024, TXGenWeb. If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |