Athens, TX (1944-1946)
N 32° 12.365 W 095° 51.310
15S E 230870 N 3566855
Built in 1896, the Faulk & Gauntt Building is now a museum operated by the Henderson County Historical Society, at 217 N Prairieville St, Athens, TX. It took a two year turn as Athens City Hall in the 1940s.
Waymark Code: WMZB1F
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/11/2018
Views: 3
While settlers began arriving around 1850, it wasn't until Athens replaced Buffalo and Centerville as the county seat, due to border realignment, that it began to show signs of life. Incorporated in 1856, it was named for Athens, Greece in the hopes that it would become a cultural center. By 1900, Athens had grown and put an infrastructure into place. Cotton remained king until the Great Depression, when farmers shifted to vegetable and livestock production. Today, vegetable production remains, but beef and poultry farming are the principle generators of revenue. In 2017, the population was recorded as 12,704.
Not only is Athens the "Original Home of the Hamburger", but it is also the "Black-Eyed Pea Capital of the World", thanks to the work of J.B. Henry.
As for the building, it is a Recorded Historic Texas Landmark, and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. A 1981 Texas Historical Marker at the entrance provides some history:
An earlier building at this location housed the law offices of Senator J.J. Faulk and Judge W.L. Faulk. In the early 1890s the site was purchased by J.R. Gauntt, a local businessman. The son of pioneer area settlers, he operated a mercantile store, the Chany Tree, with his brother R.L. Gauntt, and later ran a monument business. In 1896 he commissioned the Hawn Lumber Company to build this two-story brick commercial structure near the rail lines, a primary business location in the early days of Athens.
The upstairs area was first occupied by attorneys W.L. and J.J. Faulk. A native of Alabama, William Levin Faulk served as Henderson County judge, district clerk, and director of the Guaranty State Bank of Athens. His cousin James J. Faulk, born in Louisiana, served as county attorney, state representative, district attorney, state senator, special justice of the Texas Court of Civil Appeals, and the first mayor of the city of Athens.
The downstairs area first housed the grocery store of Tom Barber. Other tenants in the Faulk-Gauntt Building have included dentists Dr. Dudley Payne and Dr. Thomas Matthews. The structure was later owned by descendants of W.L. Faulk.
---
The building's Nomination Form (see Web Address) goes into detail about its architectural features, and it also expands upon what is on the Texas Historical Marker, noting that the building is "an excellent example of late Victorian commercial architecture. It is one of the few Athens buildings which remains intact from the prosperous railroad era." It goes on to mention that, "After the closing of the grocery store and professional offices in the early 20th century, the building was unoccupied except for occasional, short-lived uses. From 1909-10 a small manufacturing business was housed there, and from 1944-46 it served as the City Hall of Athens."
The museum has a website. They're open for visits on Friday and Saturday, 10 AM to 3 PM.