Cen-Tex Wool Mill Historic District

The Cen-Tex Wool Mill Historic District is significant as one of the last remaining properties in San Marcos representing the cotton and wool producing and processing industries that once dominated the local economy. As a major employer, the mill was for many years a driving force in the economic development and growth of the town. The mill property is identified with early twentieth century efforts by Texas business interests to develop a statewide cotton processing industry in the 1920s and a wool and mohair processing industry beginning in the 1930s. The historic property boundaries associated with the industrial buildings are nearly intact, with a parcel associated with wastewater storage and property once associated with worker housing exhibiting no historic integrity. The buildings, constructed over the period 1924 through 1952, are primarily organized along either the railroad spur that runs through the western edge of the site or along Uhland Road, which forms the district's southern boundary. The repetitive use of durable materials and simple architectural forms helps to create visual continuity among the industrial structures and link the scattered complex of buildings together into a cohesive historic district. Beginning in 1940, the mill complex provided an integral function in the processing of wool and mohair in Texas. The property illustrates the process of managing materials, labor, and equipment to produce goods and services. This property is nominated for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A in the area of Industry at the local level of significance. The site is associated with significant events contributing to broad patterns of history in the region.