Grimes Garage
110 N. Waco St., Hillsboro, TXThis vernacular commercial building is significant as one of the earliest and best-advertised gas stations in Texas. It was constructed on the main highway between Waco and Dallas by Fred 0. Grimes, Sr., in 1914. A pioneer in automotive service and repairs, Grimes had earlier opened the first garage in Hill County and improvised the first motorized gas pump in Hillsboro. The Grimes Garage, itself, was advertised on billboards all over the state and was known for its elaborate glass-tiled lounges and restrooms. Grimes also worked with various highway associations to organize early routes and main thoroughfares for automobiles throughout the state and served on the Chamber of Commerce Highway Commission for 35 years. His first garage opened in 1906 but failed within a year because of insufficient automobiles in the county. The present enterprise was begun in 1913 and moved to its permanent location the following year.
Bibliography
The Reporter, February 4, 1982.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.