Sherman Democrat
1939

Fred Hudson Operates Business Here Since 1883, Holding Local Record
F.W. Hudson, who operates the Sherman Steam Marble and Granite Works, prides himself on having operated a single business longer than any other man in Sherman.
Since 1883 he has been in the monument business in Sherman, when he came to Sherman to set up a monument business with his brother-in-law, J.H. Hilger.
The two men first located on South Crockett at Jones on the site of the present Christian Science church.  They moved the business from there to a location in the 300 block South Travis, just north of the old Methodist church.
Buying out the Gilmore and Scott Marble Works in 1889, the partners erected a building at the southwest corner of Crockett and Jones streets.  The building still stands, with the second floor added later by Walter C. Jones when he bought it.
In 1895 the two men bought the Hernsteadt lot at the present location at Rusk and Lamar, and built the present buildings.
Mr. Hudson recalls that it was on May 15 of the following year, 1896, that Sherman's tornado occurred, and would probably have taken his life and that of several others with him had it not been side trip to get a loaf of bread.  The party had been across Red River in Indian Territory on an outing, and were returning to Sherman about 5 p.m.
They decided to go down the Travis street road so as to go through town and get some bread, and it was this decision which took them just out of the path of the tornado.  Mr. Hudson's house was in the path of the storm but was not destroyed.
His interest in photography drew him into friendship with George Wear, then a young photographer and rubber stamp salesman.  The two men are still warm friends.
Shortly after Mr. Hilger's death in 1912 the company was incorporated with Judge J.A.L. Wolfe, H.L. Hendricks of Farmersville, Mrs. Hilger and Mr. Hudson as incorporators.  Mr. Hudson bought the stock of the remaining stockholders in January 1935 and now owns the company himself.
Mr. Hudson was a member for many years and president for several terms of the Retail Monument Dealers Association of Texas.  His work in monuments has carried him from the time when all stones were carved and cut by hand, making simplicity a necessary keynote, to the present day of power-driven machinery.
Mr. Hudson has several skilled craftsmen employed at his plant, and they use the most modern tools.  A large diesel engine drives a compressor which operates a hammer, plug drills and traveling derrick.
Monuments prepared here have been shipped as far as the Belgian Congo in Africa and several orders have come from Daswon, Alaska.  Stone for the monuments comes from Texas, Georgia, Vermont, Massachusetts, Minnesota and the Dakotas.  It is processed with the latest type sand blasters, polishing mills and surfacing tools.

TONG OIL AGENT HERE 35 YEARS
In October J.D. Tong will celebrate his 35th anniversary as agent for the Gulf Oil corporation in Grayson County, having become agent in 1904 when the company erected its warehouse in Sherman, the first distributing house to be placed in Texas.
The first warehouse was located in south Sherman near the old Southern Pacific section house.  The blocks on which the tanks were built still stand.  In 1918 when the number of automobiles began to increase steadily the company did not have adequate facilities at the old locations and the present location, 407 East King, was occupied.

Sherman History
Susan Hawkins
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