190? A. F. EVERS DEALERS IN HARDWARE AND IMPLEMENTS, BILLHEAD DENTON TEXAS EVERS WAS ONE OF THE LAST OF THE GREAT OLD HARWARE STORES IN TEXAS.
- ON THE TOWN SQUARE IN DENTON
- 109 WEST HICKORY STREET
- ESTABLISHED IN 1885, CLOSED IN 2000
- " STOVES HARDWARE AND TINWARE"
- JEWELL STOVES AND RANGES, WISS SHEARS DEALER
- ORIGINALLY CALLED A. F. EVERS HARDWARE, LATER EVERS HARDWARE
- IN THE 1920'S WAS A WINCHESTER STORE
SEE
MY STORE: VINTAGE HARDWARE STORE COLLECTIBLES
ORIGINAL, LETTERHEAD, LETTERHEADS, BILLHEAD, BILLHEADS, HARDWARE. NORMAL AGING FOR THIS PERIOD.
Robert Henry Evers and his brother, Adolph Frederick Evers
moved to Denton, Texas in early 1885 to purchase the existing Fritzlen Hardware
store, located at 109 W Hickory Street on the south side of the Denton square.
Robert Henry had heard about Fritzlen Hardware from a traveling salesman in
Paris, Texas who suggested he buy the place. Robert Henry had fond memories of
Denton from when he worked as a railroad surveyor several years before. He
convinced Adolph to join him in this venture, and together they collected
$2,000 and mortgaged land in Harrison County to cover the costs of the store?s
inventory. The brothers renamed the store Evers Hardware and opened on December
14, 1885.
In 1911, the Evers brothers moved the store a few blocks off
the square, but the customers complained and so they moved back into the
original location two years later. That same year, the Evers brothers reconstructed
the front of the building, replacing the wood-frame with a two-story brick
building. The updated interior of the building included a wood floor, shelving
that extending the length of the building, and an old freight elevator at the
rear. The store sold everything from stoves and barbed wire to buggies and
tractors. In the early years, barbed wire was one of the most popular items
sold in the store.
Along with the hardware store, the Evers brothers formed the
Denton Water, Light and Power Company in 1892 and purchased the first electric
plant. This brought electricity to the square and some of the surrounding
areas. Citizens would pay their utility bills at Evers Hardware and bills were
sorted at a large wooden desk at the back of the store.
After several years, Adolph chose to leave the hardware
business and devoted his time to farming. Robert continued to operate the store
and became very prominent in the Denton community. In 1914, he served as one of
Denton's five city commissioners. He was also a member of the volunteer fire
department, and was responsible for maintaining the courthouse clock.
Throughout the years, the merchandise in the store reflected
the change in equipment and technology. In the 1920s, Evers Hardware was one of
the first stores in Denton to sell radio supplies, instruction books, and sets.
The workers placed a radio in the upstairs window and played music for the
people window shopping on the street below. The people of Denton and the
surrounding areas counted on Evers to stock the latest and best priced
merchandise.
After Robert Henry Evers passed away in 1936 and Adolph
Frederick Evers passed away in 1939, the hardware store?s ownership passed to
Robert?s children. Robert?s children worked in the store as they were growing
up. The oldest son, William, worked in the store until he retired in the 1960s.
Will also maintained a 450-acre pecan orchard outside of town and sold the
pecans in the store, and he even planted the pecan trees on the courthouse
lawn. He dabbled in the development of machines to harvest, weigh, size, and
separate pecans. One year, they yielded 70,000 pounds of pecans! Will Evers is
also credited for planting the pecan trees on the courthouse lawn.
When Will retired, Dolph Jr., the youngest son of Robert
Evers, took over the ownership of the store. When William Evers passed away in
1968, Evers Hardware was considered the oldest operating store in Denton. A few
years later, when Dolph Jr. retired, his nephew Bob Tripp took over the
management.
Over the years, the family maintained the ?old fashioned?
look of the store, keeping the original shelves and mobile ladders, and even
the desk where the Evers brothers kept track of Denton?s utilities. Items
stayed on the shelves until they sold. After a small fire in 1972, Bob Tripp
rebuilt the damaged parts of the store to maintain the original look.
The Evers Hardware Store was the longest continually
operating business on the Denton square until it closed in 2001.
The Evers Building