OLDEST Extant Commercial Building - Roanoke, TX
N 32° 59.972 W 097° 13.718
14S E 665484 N 3652629
Built in 1886, the old Silver Spur Saloon at 114 N Oak St, Roanoke, TX, is the city's oldest extant commercial building. Today, it is home to the Roanoke Visitor Center and Museum, open Monday through Saturday from 11 AM to 7 PM.
Waymark Code: WMWA26
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 07/31/2017
Views: 1
The old saloon is a Recorded Historic Texas Landmark, and a 2009 Texas Historical Marker provides a sound-byte:
Swedish stone mason Lawrence Olson constructed this building for brothers R.M. and B.S. Snead in 1886; they built it to house the Silver Spur Saloon. The building was sold upon R.M. Snead's death in 1911 and later served as a hardware store and grocery. The two-story building is the oldest extant commercial building in the community, with a main façade of cut sandstone quarried from local ranch land, arched windows and keystones, a belt course and corbels of limestone, and side and rear load-bearing walls composed of rubble stone. Metal threshold plates are inscribed with the Snead brothers' names.
Also known as "The Rock Building," this one is a contributing building to the Central Roanoke Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register's Registration Form (see URL) provides some background (heavily edited):
One of the earliest buildings constructed was a hotel and saloon. The building, still extant at 114 Oak Street, was constructed in 1886 by Lawrence Olson. He arrived in the area from Stockholm in 1870. Olson became a naturalized citizen in 1895. The saloon was managed by the Snead brothers. Local lore has Sam Bass as one of its regular visitors.
Mr. Snead's rock building was a hotel and saloon. Local legend indicates that it was a brothel. Apparently, the building next door (112 Oak) was two stories and housed a bank at this time. Upstairs there was a door between the two buildings. This allowed patrons to come into the bank, go upstairs and pass through to the brothel without detection. The door is still in evidence. In later years, the building was used as a grocery, the site of future mayor Hugh Jenkins' hardware store (before he constructed his own building across the street at 200 N Oak), and cafe. The structure at 112 Oak is now only one story due to a fire.
FIRST - Classification Variable: Item or Event
Date of FIRST: 01/01/1886
More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
|
Visit Instructions:As a suggestion for your visit log, please make every effort to supply a brief-to-detailed note about your experience at the Waymark. If possible also include an image that was taken when you visited the Waymark. Images can be of yourself, a personal Waymarking signature item or just one of general interest that would be of value to others. Sharing your experience helps promote Waymarking and provides a dynamic history of your adventures.