Before I started as the new Assistant Main Street Coordinator/Small Business Specialist, Debra Drescher sent an email to me hesitantly asking if I would be interested in accompanying her to East Texas with only four days experience under my belt. Without pausing, I agreed knowing it would be an excellent learning opportunity for me, and since I grew up in Tyler, I always enjoy a nostalgic trip back into the Piney Woods. One of the components I like best about the Main Street program is relating to the public and appreciating with them that their history is important no matter the size of their city. I was eager to meet the folks behind these towns and revel in in our common passion for communities, historic preservation, and economically healthy downtowns.
Although I actively volunteer for Preservation Austin, I constantly interact with people who do not appreciate historic preservation and community history. Many do not grasp the importance of saving structures and their associated history for future generations, and the value in these important artifacts is often overlooked. On every stop of this trip, the shared zeal of each of Main Street communities for their historic downtowns pleasantly surprised me. Moreover, not only did they want to see the potential of their downtowns recognized, they wanted us to see the community as a whole, including the people who lived there and hear their stories. Just as importantly, they were clear about the challenges and issues they face and wanted to talk about ideas for addressing them as well.
The first stop on our adventure was Palestine. Growing up in East Texas, I must have visited Palestine dozens of times, but viewing the downtown through the eyes of historic preservation and the people who lived there was a new experience for me. We began at the Magnolia Café, and the quaintness of their Main Street instantly charmed me. The beautiful buildings that I never really looked at until now fascinated me. From the Texas Theatre to the City Shoe Shop, I could tell this was a well loved downtown with a story to tell. At the Charles Dicken’s Fine Jewelry store, we found a historical marker denoting Kolstad Jewelers, believed to be the oldest retail store in continuous operation by its founding family in the state of Texas. Instant confirmation of the importance of this Main Street was heartwarming.
We spent the remainder of the day meeting with the new Main Street Manager, Greg Laudadio, and the advisory board. The historic preservation officer, Jacob Morris, was kind enough to give us a brief tour of not only Main Street but the beautiful neighborhoods surrounding it as well. Palestine’s historic resources duly impressed me, and I was equally amazed that the city had a full time preservation officer. The enthusiasm shared by all of the people we met was outstanding. It was very apparent that they all cared for their community and historic preservation, and the obvious pride for their city that each person displayed was enjoyable and made me eager to explore more Main Streets.
The regional diversity I discovered within East Texas made this trip exceptional. Our next stop was Carthage, where we met Cindy Deloney at her office in the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame Museum; I was instantly thrust into the history of great Tex Ritter and his association with Panola County. We were able to meet with Tommie Ritter Smith, who runs the museum and serves as Chamber of Commerce President and Tommie’s husband, who crooned some Tex Ritter tunes for a tour group. The affable welcome to Carthage was the perfect way to kick off this visit. We dined at the Texas Tea Room, which is located in a historic bank building. To my delight, they had the old safe in the lobby, connecting the history of the building with the present business.
Texas Country Music Hall of Fame
Old bank safe in the lobby of the Texas Tea Room
Our final stop was in Henderson, and I was blown away by the robustness of the Main Street there. A variety of businesses occupied the buildings, and people were bustling about all over downtown. We met with Main Street Manager, Stephanie Kimbrell, and then former Main Street Manager, Suzanne Cross, took us on a tour. We stopped in the historic Opera House that now houses the Henderson Civic Theater, and met with people from the community that were setting up for a dress rehearsal. The building itself was amazing, and the people were extremely friendly and welcoming; I had forgotten how gracious East Texas hospitality can be. After that, we went to a training session, where about twenty people attended to learn more about Main Street. Between the enthusiastic people at the Civic Theatre and all the passionate people in the training, I realized Henderson’s successful Main Street is a direct result of its compassionate and civic-minded supporters.
Henderson Main Street
I appreciated my ETX expedition and my first swim in the Main Street pool. Preserving the lesser-known histories that define small communities reveals the uniqueness of the past and casts insight into how Texas became the icon that it is today, and everyone that I met involved in the Main Street program understood that completely. It was refreshing that every person that I met already “got it,” and that initial hurdle I so often encounter was not put in the way. To be able to work with like-minded people who want to realize the potential of Texas Main Streets as much as I do made me realize that this job is going to a great fit for me. This trip just wet my appetite though – three down, eighty-five to go!
- Sarah Marshall