Welcome to Memphis, Texas, county seat of Hall County.
It all started in 1889 when four guys formed a company and platted a town. They had a law office, a store and boarding house but no name. Then one of the guys went to Austin and he saw a letter accidentally addressed to Memphis, Texas along with a notation that no such place existed. He applied and was granted the name. They got their post office in 1890.
In 1893, they replaced a wooden temporary courthouse with this beautiful building. Unfortunately, they outgrew it pretty quickly and it was demolished to make way for a new courthouse on the same site.
In 1923, this is the courthouse that replaced the one from 1893. It's not quite as flowery but it's got a lot of character. It's in under renovation, which I find encouraging. In fact, it seems like all of downtown Memphis is under construction. There's not much happening down there at the moment.
This is the First National Bank of Memphis. It's a gorgeous building! Memphis was an agricultural hub. They, too, were on the Fort Worth and Denver Railway line. Cattle and cotton were shipped from here daily. Unfortunately the FW&D train depot is gone.
This two-story building off the Courthouse square was once a Montgomery Wards mail order and retail store. The ground floor was where customers could pick up their catalogue orders that would have come in by train. They could also place orders here. The store would have closed in the 1950s as retail department stores would have come into fashion.
Greene Dry Goods Co was a father and son operation that opened in 1909. They supplied clothing, fabrics and household items to the families in the area. The business ran out of steam and closed in the late 1960s. The building doesn't appear to have anything current going on.
Generally speaking, I haven't been putting churches in these blogs, not because I don't like them. I do but they don't always seem to fit into a story. This building was just too gorgeous to pass up. It's a block off the town square and it's the First Presbyterian Church of Memphis. The congregation started when the town started in 1890. Their church was completed in 1911. I assume it's still a working facility. The Presbyterians sure know how to build a distinctive looking church.
This is the Hall County Jail. It was built in 1910. The top floor was for jail cells and the bottom was a residence for the Sheriff and his family. The facilities became outdated in the 1960s and the county moved the jail to another building. It is now a B&B. You rent the whole place. It's 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms along with a kitchen and living area. The bedrooms are old jail cells that still have the bars and steel doors. I saw photos and it looks a little creepy to me.
There are about 2,500 people that live here. For a grocery store, they have something called a Thriftway and, of course, Dollar General. There aren't any fast food or national restaurant chains. I would imagine that residents need to drive to Clarendon for that. Hall County and the Memphis ISD are the bigger employers.
It looks like Memphis is fixing itself up and when finished, will be a cute little town. I'm hoping all the empty retail space on the square will be repurposed for something useful. If you're in the area, check it out!
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