National Register Listing

Smithville Commercial Historic District

a.k.a. See Also:Smithville Residential Historic District

2nd, 3rd, and Main Sts., Smithville, TX

Mc Caskill Building at 118 Main was constructed two years later in 1897. and today remains in a relatively unaltered state. The west side of the 200 blocks was also developed prior to 1900, and Dr. J. H. E. Powell was responsible for building many of these buildings. The construction boom did not go unnoticed by the townspeople. The Smithville Times reported the progress achieved during 1898 took time to "note the growth of just one item in the past year--brick buildings." The paper went on to list six newly erected commercial structures.

Because of Smithville's close link with the railroad, some of the enterprises along Main catered to railroad men. At least one structure served as a boarding house in 1900, and as many as 5 different saloons were operating simultaneously downtown before Prohibition. The remainder of the buildings, however, were occupied by 7 groceries, 4 dry goods stores, 2 furniture stores, a restaurant, a bakery, and a pharmacy to name just a few of the businesses thriving along Main Street at the turn of the century.

As Smithville entered the 20th Century, the town's future seemed promising. The optimism prevalent throughout the country at the time abounded in Smithville. The city's economic boom continued into the 1900's and several more commercial buildings were completed including two of the district's more prominent structures, the Old Masonic Temple Building and the Rabb and McCollum Building. Main Street's significance was enhanced when a bridge was erected over the Colorado River in the early 1900s, which simplified access to the railroad depot from Main Street and significantly increased traffic along this thoroughfare. Historical research indicates that no structures within the district boundaries were vacant in 1900 and only one building was unoccupied in 1905.

Another significant development in the city during the early 1900s was the formation of two banking institutions. The First National Bank, located at 115 Main received its first charter in 1904. The bank, however, closed its doors after only a few years. The other, the Bank of Smithville, was formed much earlier but did not receive a state charter until 1907. Then it was renamed the First State Bank of Smithville. Originally operating out of the Yerger, Hill, and Son Store, the bank relocated across the street.

The city's population reached 3,167 in 1910, but by this time, the boom had already peaked. (The city's population has remained at the 3,000 level for seventy years.) During the 1910s only two more important buildings were erected, the New City Hotel and the Electricity and Water Building. The hotel fulfilled the city's desperate need for overnight accommodations. It was later renamed the Pines Hotel. The Electricity and Water Building, as its name indicates, housed the offices for the city's utilities. The telephone offices, however, were located on the second floor of 207 Main.

The commercial area looked much as it does today at the close of the 1920s. The only significant change was the burning of the Opera House at 210 Main in 1930. The Winns Store was erected on the Opera's site.

Smithville's prosperity, like the rest of the nation, suffered during the 1930s. Some government operations were conducted in a few of the buildings, but local businesses were hurt by the hard times. Economic activity picked up after World War II and has continued up to the present. With the discovery of oil nearby, Smithville's future once again seems bright.

Local significance of the district:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1982.