Historical Marker
C. Eckhardt and Sons Building
Historical marker location:
144 W. Main St., Yorktown, Texas
( Main and Eckhardt Streets, Yorktown)
Marker installed: 1965
Erected 1876. Had iron shutters, elevator, walls 25 inches thick.
Housed general mercantile store begun by pioneer Caesar Eckhardt family in 1848, soon after founding of Yorktown.
Wagons brought in goods from seaport of Indianola. Gold and silver hidden under potatoes were sent to San Antonio to purchase other supplies.
During the Civil War, wife ran the business while the husband and two sons served the south.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1965.
In the late 19th century, Texas became known for its cattle drives, in which cowboys would move herds of cattle from Texas to railheads in Kansas and other northern states. The cattle drives were dangerous and difficult work, but they played a key role in the development of the American cattle industry.