Photograph of McClanahan House entry way. The McClanahan House is the oldest business structure in Beeville. The building, the second store built in Beeville by George W. McClanahan, was erected around 1867 on the east side of the courthouse square, near Poesta Creek. The house served as general store, lodging house, and post office. It was built in the pioneer western style, with southern porches.In 1962, the building was purchased by the Historical Society for $600, and moved to its present site. The building is still the “home” of the society, and meetings are held there periodically.

Photograph of the Maggie Ray McKinney Oil Well in Pettus, Texas in 1929. There are cars parked around the well as people came to the well to see it "brought in." On December 29, 1929 as the Houston Oil Company drilled for gas, the first oil well in Bee County was brought in on the JJ McKinney land east of Pettus. Humble Oil and Refining Company completed McKinney No. 1 Oil Well, Bee County, January 31, 1930. The discovery brought a rush of people to the community of Pettus, and relieved the pressure of the Great Depression. By 1937, the county boasted of 53 gas fields, with 212 wells, and 62 oil fields, with 456 wells, producing 1,863,806 barrels of oil. Oil and gas are still important industries in Bee County.

Photograph of the Fizer home, where G. W. Fizer and his family lived. Mrs. Fizer, sister of H.P. Mathews, was an early teacher in Beeville Schools.

Photograph of the inside of Fritz's Restaurant. Frtiz is standing behind the counter with his fist on his hip.

Photograph of the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio Railroad Beeville depot. The marker for the railroad in Bee County is on the site of the old depot. On June 14, 1886, the first San Antonio and Aransas Pass train arrived in Beeville to a cheering crowd. The arrival of the railroad to Bee County came after Uriah Lott, the man responsible for building the S.A.&A.P. railroad, made a formal railroad proposition to Frank O. Skidmore, a wealthy stockman on the Aransas River, asking for a $100,000 bonus to bring the railroad to Bee County. Mr. Lott appealed to stockmen interested in hauling their cattle to market. The committee in charge of raising the bonus was made up of A.C. Jones and John W. Flournoy. In January 1886 Sheriff D.A. T. Walton showed Mr. Lott around Bee County by buggy, and the committee informed him that they had already raised $55,000. Uriah Lott then headed his railroad through Bee County. After the takeover of S.A.&A.P by Southern Pacific in 1925, the depot became an S.P. station. In 1958, the depot was razed, and the last train left Bee County in 1994. Before the railroad all freighting was done by wagon, and …

Photograph of the George home located on 801 North Adams. The house has raised cottage architecture. In 1890, Will J. and Julia George built their home with lumber from her father, Major J.H. Wood’s house. Cattle baron, J.H.Wood came from New York to join the War for Independence in 1836.

Photograph of Giles Carter's home, located on 306 West Carter Street. Later known as the Lutt’s Place and home of Mrs. A.J. Ryan.

Photograph of a side view of H. F. Matthews' home located on Washington Street. It stood at the corner on Washington Street, across from the Queen Hotel. Also known as the Mathews Building where furniture was sold on the first floor and the second floor was rented. In its present location, it served as the Moose Lodge, the May Rooming House and was owned by Mrs. Ann Reed, owner of the Kohler Hotel.

Photograph of the Hugo Heldenfels home located at 514 North Monroe Street and built in 1886. Hugo Heldenfels and Viggo Kohler formed a partnership known as Kohler & Heldenfels, and operated a lumber yard a the corner of Washington and Cleveland Streets in the 1880's. Mr. Heldenfels was born in Germany, and died in 1896.

Photograph of the inside of a confectionery in Skidmore. At one time Skidmore had two confectionary stories. One was called The Little Gem Confectionary, which was owned and operated by John Galloway. The store sold fish, toilet articles, stationery, Coca-Cola and sundry other items. It was also used for Mr. Galloway’s office since he was the Justice of the Peace. Another confectionary store in Skidmore was Ed Crow’s Palace of Sweets Confectionery, featuring the first popcorn machine and the first moving picture show in the back of the store. Both stores burned in the devastating fire in 1919 that took its toll of Skidmore.

Photograph of the parlor and entry way inside of the McClanahan house. The two story building was the first store erected in Beeville. George W. McClanahan operated a general merchandise store in the 1860's. He was one of the pioneer settlers in Beeville. The building was purchased by the Bee County Historical Society, moved to the 200 block of East Corpus Christi, restored,and is now known as the McClanahan House, home of the Historical Society.

Photograph of the A. J. Turner/Saffold home located on 612 East Corpus Christi Street. Formerly owned by Mrs. A.J. Turner.

Photograph of Jim Little's homestead located on Cadiz Road. This home was built in 1870 on the F9 Ranch, which was granted to Jim Little in 1873. The home is made of cypress and heart pine that came first by steamer from Florida to Saint Mary’s, and was then hauled by ox-cart to the ranch. A kiln on the ranch made caliche bricks for the chimneys. It had a good water well. Travelers such as Mexican horse traders camped on the site. It was a stagecoach stop on San Antonio-Brownville Road until the railroad came into the area in 1886.

Photograph of John Clark Wood's cottage. Near the Creek by the old gin where John Clark Wood and family lived temporarily when they moved from Refugio County in 1888. They built a home on North Adams where they later resided.

Photograph of John Clark Wood's home located at 315 North Adams. John Clark Wood was a pioneer settler in South Texas. The house is the present site is the home of Dr. and Mrs. Frank Dehnisch.

Photograph of Jones Chapel Methodist Church, an African American church that has served the African American community of Beeville for more than 100 years. The church is located on 115 North Leverman Street. Jones Chapel Methodist met in an old school house until they built a sanctuary in 1889, on land donated by Captain A. C. Jones to three former slaves, who served as trustees of the new church. Charter members included Classie Douglas, Ann Felix, Felix Garner, Lawson Glenn, Serena Hodge, Ellen Jones, Ben Lott, Leanna Lott, Mose Lott, J. J. McCloud, Carrie McCampbell, P.M. McCarty, Kimmie Nancy, Elvira Newton, Rebecca Simms, Wesley Simms, I.E. Starnes, George Steward, Katy Ware, Sam Ware, Harriet Williams and Mary Williams. Many of the early members were former slaves. In 1926, the present frame church was built on the original site, where the congregation fervently serves the African American community of Beeville.

Photograph of Leanna Ivory Lott, wife of Mose Lott holding their daughter Nealie Lott. Leanna Lott was a charter member of Jones Chapel Methodist Church. In 1886, her husband, Mose Lott, and Allen Canada build the first school in Beeville for Black children.

Photograph of the Levermann house located on 113 North Monroe.

Photograph of Mrs. Felix Garner, a teacher in the first Lott-Canada School in Beeville. Her husband, Felix, was a charter member of Jones Chapel Methodist Church, which was organized in 1888. She and her husband ran the first Black cafe in Beeville. The cafe was located across from the train depot. Her father, Henry Shaw, lived to be 112 years old.

Photograph of Al Marsden's home located on 211 East Jones. The home was bought from W.S. Gaddy, Baptist Minister, and moved from the center to the side of the block. It was later owned by Mrs. Eldridge Adair and the R.M. Royals.

Photograph of the McCurdy Building, located on Washington Street.

Photograph of the McKinney home located on 211 East Cleveland Street. Built by Robert and Phoebe Porter McKinney on their ranch in northern Bee County in the 1890’s. It was torn down, the boards were numbered, and it was rebuilt again at its present location. The house was occupied by Frank McKinney, former Tax Collector of Bee County

Photograph of the Maggie Ray McKinney Oil Well, the first oil well in Bee County. On December 29, 1929 as the Houston Oil Company drilled for gas, the first oil well in Bee County was brought in on the JJ McKinney land east of Pettus. Humble Oil and Refining Company completed McKinney No. 1 Oil Well, Bee County, January 31, 1930. The discovery brought a rush of people to the community of Pettus. The discovery of oil relieved the pressure of depression. By 1937, the county boasted of 53 gas fields, with 212 wells, and 62 oil fields, with 456 wells, producing 1,863,806 barrels of oil. Oil and gas are still important industries in Bee County.

Photograph of three men standing inside of the Bauer Saddle Shop located at 328 N Washington St. The founder of the Bauer Saddle Shop, Frederick Bauer, a renowned saddler in Germany arrived in Galveston in 1855 and opened his first saddler in Yorktown. The Bauer’s made their famous Bauer saddles for over one hundred years, and worked in several Texas towns before settling permanently in Beeville. Paul Bauer was listed as a saddler in the 1910 City Directory, and his son, Fred, was listed in later directories through 1948. The last Bauer saddle was made by Fred in 1950, the year he died.