Post-Civil War Business Boom
The wake of the Civil War brought some sweeping changes to the city of Waco, changing the lives of a vast majority of its citizens. In the decades to follow Waco expanded as a popular city of industry with innovators and business owners setting down roots in Central Texas. Local demand allowed merchants to grow and railroads connected the centrally located Waco to major cities all over Texas and beyond. Fred Gildersleeve immortalized the working life of the people of Waco through his photography.
In the decades following the Civil War industry in Texas began to gradually emerge from its war-time decline. The Slayden-Kerksey Woolen mill (or Sladen Kirkey Wollen Mill as the photograph is marked) was built in 1885 for making fabrics for men’s suits and was one of the largest and single most important mills in Texas at the time. Production at businesses like woolen mill not only helped develop Waco’s economy, but all of Texas. The photograph shows a street view of Slayden Kerksey Woolen Mills, at S. 13th & Mary Streets.
During the Union’s blockade of the Confederate States, John Baylis Earle was able to smuggle machinery for a cotton mill into Texas from England through Mexico. After the defeat of the South in 1865, cotton continued to become the dominant industry of Waco. The construction of the Waco Suspension Bridge and the Waco Tap Railroad cemented the link between what was previously an East and West Waco divided by the Brazos River. With the two sides of the city linked, a growing transportation system, and an increased number of workers, Waco’s cotton market was ripe for expansion. The East Waco Cotton Mill pictured stood as an early historic business that allowed Waco’s economy to grow and flourish in a post-Civil War and rapidly industrializing era. The photograph’s front caption reads, “East Waco, Cotton Mill built by J.B. Earle during the Civil War – machinery brought from England via Brownsville.”
Although not the most joyful of industries, undertaking or funerary services, were a necessary step in the wheel of life for citizens in Waco. The John Falk Undertaking Co pictured was one such company dedicated to providing a much-needed service. The Gildersleeve photo above shows a front street view of the John Falk Undertaking Co. Building at 420 Franklin Avenue.
In earlier or less wealthy companies, horse-drawn carriages were used as hearses to transport bodies for undertaking companies. This carriage is led by a white horse which stands center in the photograph. Business owners used whatever means at their disposal to provide funerary services to the community, and some might even have specific areas of expertise or zones they worked in. This specific photograph has a caption at the top that reads “E.M. Compton with hearse used for potter’s field burials.”
Although the specific date is not known between this motorized and the previous horse-drawn hearse, they should be relatively close in time period. Wealthier or more well-established undertaking or funerary companies could afford extravagant and efficient motorized vehicles as the one pictured. The photograph shows a four-wheel motorized vehicle with the words “W.F. Co.” printed on the side door. The rear of the vehicle lacks windows and instead has funerary ornamentation.
The iconic Old Corner Drug Store was located at 329 Austin Avenue on the bottom floor of the McClelland Hotel, and is most famously known as the birthplace of the soft drink, “Dr Pepper.” Carbonated soft drinks during the early 20th century were thought to have medicinal properties, and so many drug stores popped up around Waco as business owners saw opportunities to profit and provide for the community.
Although medicinal and health related goods were a staple of such stores, they also sold general goods and were social areas for adults and youth alike. This photograph shows the front window of the Old Corner Drug store filled with advertisements for Niles and Moser’s handmade cigars. Various quantity and prices are advertised in the shop front.
Not every business aimed to provide goods for local Waco residents, some were focused on recreational services. This photograph captures a gathering of viewers at the Cozy Nickelodeon, a theater owned by Paul Jacobs circa 1910. Paul Jacobs was one of several property owners in Waco that realized the entertainment and business potential of this new form of media. They knew that by bringing together large diverse groups of people and charging them to view projected films a profit could easily be made. Owners would even hold special themed nights or specials to attract customers, which is most likely why a “Merchant’s Matinee” sign can be seen in the background. The “Cozy” was one of several early theaters in Waco and was located at 604 Austin Avenue adjacent to another Nickelodeon, “The Elmo.” The two of these theaters were connected in a very early version of a multiplex mall type building.
The businesses in Waco were not necessarily tied down to city limits, many of them were well known throughout the state and sold their goods to other major cities. The R.T Dennis and Co. was a key Central Texas furnishing company that was based out of downtown Waco. The company delivered as far as Houston and Dallas using motorized vehicles such as the one depicted here.
Not only was Waco home to its own local businesses who sought to provide for their families and earn a living, but larger companies saw the economic advantage of owning Central Texas property by the Brazos. This photograph of a Pierce Fordyce Oil Assn. Warehouse on Jackson Street at the river is a prime example. Pierce Fordyce Oil Association was a Fort Worth based oil company that likely used the Brazos and developing railroads in and around Waco to transport their shipments across Texas and beyond. The back-side caption reads “1983 location of Oasis Water Co” which likely could refer to a later local business that used the historical space many years after this photo was taken.
Waco was not one to fall behind when it came to technology, and in the late 1890s and early 1900s the Underwood Typewriter No. 5 was considered top of the line. The Underwood Typewriter Co was based out of New York, showcasing the large reach local Waco businesses like Amicable Life Insurance Co had in their dealings. The photograph shows two men posing on either side of a stack of Underwood Typewriter marked boxes. A banner on the front of the stack reads “Delivery of 32 underwood typewriters to the Amicable Life Insurance Co. – ‘The Machine You Will Eventually Buy.'” The caption on the front of the photograph reads “A record sale – 1911.”
The Texas Cotton Palace was a landmark of Waco history, it acted as a celebration to the influential cotton economy of the south. The gathering place consisted of exhibit halls and parade areas over a large plot of land. It brought the local Waco community together as well as drawing crowds from all around Central and the larger area of Texas. The Texas Cotton Palace stood as a testament of all the industry and business showcased in these Gildersleeve photographs. Pictured is the famed 10,000-seat-capacity coliseum constructed to house the Cotton Palace’s numerous concerts, plays, and pageants.
Gildersleeve’s photos offer a fascinating look into Waco’s cultural and commercial past. The following photos explore other facets of Waco and Texas history not covered in this part of the exhibit.
Additional images from the Lockwood Gildersleeve Collection:
