Street Scene   Palacios, Texas
 

Boating Parties   Palacios, Texas

Best Brothers Building
Old Landmark Makes Way For Progress
One of the Oldest Buildings In City Being Demolished Preparing For Progress

One of the land marks in Palacios is being demolished. A brick building standing on the Northwest corner of Block 51--across the street from the post office--was erected in 1910, is now being salvaged. Not many of the present citizenship can remember this location as vacant property.

The first occupant of this site was Mr. T. D. Trick, an early resident of Palacios who operated a transfer and drayage service in Palacios and whose delivery barn was one block north of his home--where now stands the Burton Feed Store. Only the very early settlers can remember this service operation from the Southern Pacific Depot with its jet black horses, "Bob and Smiler" with their shiney brass tipped hames and buckles and hand-tooled black leather harness, meeting the passenger and freight trains daily.

Train service in the early days was the one event each day for the few inhabitants. There were two trains daily--one passenger and one freight. The T. D Trick Truck service met and served the first attendants of the Baptist Young People's Union (better known as the B. Y. P. U.) in 1906 and served on through the years before any automobile service or any automobiles were available. One outstanding service was in 1909, when during the Encampment of the B. Y. P. U. there was a gulf storm which leveled all the tents in the Encampment grounds. Mr. Trick provided relief with his service to those stranded.

Only tents were used to house those encamped on the grounds during the early years and was known as the "Tented City."

When built in 1910, this brick building housed the "Super Market" of that day and was built by Sam and W. C. "Will" Best, brothers and early settlers of Palacios. They sold later to Carter Williamson.

Some of the late occupants were a silent picture show, two hardware stores, the I. O. O. F. Lodge, the Ben Franklin Store and last the Palacios Food Market.

Palacios Beacon, March 10, 1960
 

Copyright 2006 - Present by Carol Sue Gibbs
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