Photograph of Washington Street in the late 1930's. Looking north on N.Washington Street from the 100 block.

Photograph of the corner of Sullivan and Fourth Street. There are stores and shops along the street, such as "Skidmore Drug Co.," "Restaurant & Baggage Room," and "W. R. Miller Co. General Merchandise." Dr. I.N. Thompson's office was located in the Elite Hotel. A devastating fire in 1919 took its toll of Skidmore. A large block of business houses burned to the ground at the time, and it is thought to have started in an empty saloon. Businesses burned in this fire were the Elite Hotel, W.R. Miller’s Dry Goods Store, Andy Tedford’s Saloon, Gus Staples’ Garage, Howard Faupel’s Barber Shop, M.M. White’s Store, Mrs. Murray’s Café, Midway Saloon, Galloway’s Confectionery, Kemp’s Tailor Shop, a millinery store, Borcher’s Hardwar Store, and Ed Crow’s Palace of Sweets Confectionery, featuring the first popcorn machine and the first moving picture show in the back of the store.

Photograph of a group of men of the Swan Store in Normanna. Mr. and Mrs. C.I. Swan and family moved from Illinois to Normanna in 1889. For many years they were leaders in the community, and he is known as the “father of Normanna”. Mr. Swan served as county commissioner of Precinct Two for several years. Mrs. Swan taught in the Normanna Public School. She also organized the Normanna Country Woman’s Club, the first country club to federated in Texas. He died in 1918, and she in 1935. The store in the picture was owned by John Swan. Pictured from left to right are Dayton Roberts, James W. Robinson, Jim Sheive, Jim Moore, Sam Bridge, Dolph Garner, Henry Nutt, John Swan, Kay Smith, Mr. Lawrence, and Llywelyn Roberts (barefoot boy).

Photograph of the first telephone operator of Pettus. In the early 1900's a switchboard was installed in the Roberts Hotel in Pettus with Miss Lula Roberts as operator. Gradually nearly every home in the area had a telephone. The local switchboard was discontinued in January 1969.

The two-story building was built on the site of the present courthouse by Viggo Kohler in 1878 for a bid of $3,425. The lumber used to build it was hauled from St. Marys in Refugio Co. It had a 40X50 ft. rock foundation with a portico 8 X 18 ft. The portico had four octagon columns made from eight-inch square solid timbers. The county officials moved in on May 12, 1879. It was destroyed by fire on January 15, 1911. While a new courthouse was being built the auditorium of the Grand Opera House served as a temporary courthouse.

The two-story building was built on the site of the present courthouse by Viggo Kohler in 1878 for a bid of $3,425. The lumber used to build it was hauled from St. Marys in Refugio Co. It had a 40X50 ft. rock foundation with a portico 8 X 18 ft. The portico had four octagon columns made from eight-inch square solid timbers. The county officials moved in on May 12, 1879. It was destroyed by fire on January 15, 1911. While a new courthouse was being built the auditorium of the Grand Opera House served as a temporary courthouse. Note the windmill on the courthouse grounds. The public well, powered by the windmill, furnished water for the building and for the public water troughs provided for the farmers and ranchmen so they could water their horses. Many remembered dipping their fire buckets in the horses' drinking trough in the heart of town.

Photograph of the Thompson Building located on 108 West Corpus Christi Street across from the courthouse. The Thompson Building built in 1892 in the Victorian style, was the first brick building in Beeville. The building was built by grocer, J.C. Thompson (1836-1905) of brick from the Calavaros kiln near Elmendorf. Upstairs in 1892 was the law office of Lon C. Hill, who later founded Harlingen. The “Beeville Light Guard” was later housed on the second floor. Acquired in 1910 by Eureka Telephone Company, the building was Beeville’s communications headquarters from 1912 to 1920 for Southwestern Telegraph and Telephone Company, and then for Southwestern Bell until 1957. In 1957 it was restored for the law offices of John N. Barnhart. Facing the courthouse, the proud old building displays a historical marker, and at the top of the facade, the date “1892”

Photograph of Tom Lyne's house located on 1701 North Madison. W. C. Stephenson designed the house. In 1910, Tom Lyne moved his family to Beeville from Live Oak County. Because he loved the railroad, he built his house near the tracks north of town. As a cattleman he took advantage of the SA&SP line in Bee County. He drove his cattle from his ranch in Live Oak County across the Nueces River into Beeville to ship them off to market in San Antonio. The house is now owned and occupied by the William B. Mosers. Mrs. Moser is a granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Lyne.

Photograph of the Turner Wilson home located on 100 North Buchanan.

Photograph of Jessie McKinney, Buck McKinney, Virginia Rensler, and another individual sitting at the edge of the Twin Mills swimming hole.

A 1930's era photograph of a group of young women at the Twin Mills Swimming Hole.

Portrait of A. V. Schvab, a jeweler and operator of the Kohler Hotel. Hotel Kohler, built in 1932 was a three-story structure located at the corner of Washington and Cleveland Streets.

Photograph of William Charles Stephenson. In 1908 W.C. (Bill) Stephenson settled in Beeville, and moved his family here from Buffalo, New York. In 1912 Stephenson and fellow architect, F.W. Heldenfels designed the present courthouse. Stephenson also sculpted Lady Justice, who stands atop the clock dome of the courthouse. Unlike most representations of Justice, this lady reigns from her top-of-the-dome perch, not with a blindfold, but with her eyes open. Stevenson called his Lady Justice an “enlightened justice” a representation of what Justice should be. He thought the lady should have both eyes open to see who might be trying the tip the scales of justice one way or other. She has the mandate of the law (“scroll of records”) hanging on a staff in her left hand and the torch of knowledge in her right. She is made of zinc and covered with a coating that resembles copper. Since Stephenson gave permission to make copies of his work, there may be other “Stephenson Justices” scattered throughout the country. In 1925, Mr. Albert Praeger made plans to turn the second story of the Praeger hardware store into apartments; they would be the first downtown apartments in Beeville. William Charles Stephenson was …

Photograph of W. E. Maddera's, superintendent of Beeville's school system, home. As superintendent of the Beeville school system for 34 years, William Eldridge Madderra (1870-1936) was responsible for much of the development of the town's early educational programs. Madderra, for whom a local school building is named, purchased this house in 1907, three years after its construction, and lived here with his wife, Donna (Irwin), until his death. The house features late Victorian detailing and a three sided-bay to the right of the porch. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1983.

Photograph of the Washington Saloon. An early saloon in Beeville.

Photograph of members of the Welder Family. Included in the picture are Louisa Welder, her daughter Mrs. Mary O’Connor along with Henry Welder, Jim O’Connor, and Chrys Wood. In 1874 Tom Welder, son of Thomas and Louisa Welder of Refugio Co., moved to Bee County and took up ranching. He drove horses, mules, and cattle to Louisiana and Kansas, and was a rancher his entire life. He served as Bee County Commissioner for twenty-two years and was Vice President of the Beeville Bank and Trust. Other Welder family members ranched in Bee County, and the Welder Family is known throughout South Texas as ranchers, businessmen, and community leaders.

Photograph of the historical marker dedicated to the West Side School for Mexican Americans. The West Side School for Mexican Americans, also known as Jackson School, was built in the early 1900’s. A two-room frame building served students until 1932, when it was replaced with a brick schoolhouse that stands today. In the 1940’s, the American GI Forum and League of United Latin American Citizens fought against inequality in schools. Their cases in Texas courts and the U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education ended the legal segregation of schoolchildren. However, by 1938, high school students from the West Side School had already been integrated with A.C. Jones High School. Integration of all Mexican American students was peacefully completed by the mid 1950’s. Long after this second school’s ipso facto case of segregation was remedied in the 1970’s, the building continues as the Adult Education Center and as a reminder of the teachers and students who worked to improve the lives of the Mexican-American population.

Photograph of Wilbur Ray's home located on 211 North Buchanan Street.

Photograph of William McCurdy's home located on East Cleveland Street. Mr. McCurdy was the publisher of the Beeville Bee, Beeville’s first newspaper. The home is owned by Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Garza.

Photograph of Glen Clare on horseback working cattle on the Wood Ranch Southeats of Beeville. Across the bottom of the picture are the words "The Wood Ranch, with Glen Clare, southeast of Beeville."

Two photographs of Viva downs in Beeville, Texas. The top photograph is of two horses on the race track. In the bottom photograph, the winning horse, Zipolo Honey, and his jockey stand beside the horse's owner Santos Jaramillo along with the horse trainers, Pancho Garza and Pete de Luna. In 1937, Santos Jaramillo started Jaramillo Cattle hauling with a bob-tailed truck. He soon had a fleet of big cattle trailers, taking cattle to market from ranches all over South Texas, and even by ferry from St. Joseph Island. After WWII, the railroad’s agricultural customers began to see the advantages of shipping by truck. While shipping by rail was less expensive, trucking was faster. Without the regulations of having to stop to feed and water the cattle, the truckers took cattle from the ranch to market in half the time.

Lady Justice, sculpted by W.C. Stephenson, is lowered from atop the clock dome for repairs after Lauron Fischer and her fellow 4-H’ers raised $30,000 for the lady’s rejuvenation. The restorations were done by the Dallas Museum of Art. In March of 2005 Lady Justice was returned to the dome. Unlike most representations of Justice, this lady reigns from her top-of-the-dome perch, not with a blindfold, but with her eyes open. Stevenson called his Lady Justice an “enlightened justice” a representation of what Justice should be. He thought the lady should have both eyes open to see who might be trying the tip the scales of justice one way or other. She has the mandate of the law (“scroll of records”) hanging on a staff in her left hand and the torch of knowledge in her right. She is made of zinc and covered with a coating that resembles copper. Since Stephenson gave permission to make copies of his work, there may be other “Stephenson Justices” scattered throughout the country.

An illustration of the 2008 Sesquicentennial Seal for Bee County donated to the Bee Picayune as a modification of the 1858 Centennial Seal designed by Lincoln Borglum. . As in the original 1958 Borglum seal, Bee County is projected from its geographical location in Texas. The jet on the seal represents the importance of Chase Field, the Hereford bull represents the importance of the Cattle Industry to the economy of Bee County, the cotton bale represents the importance of agriculture, the oil field represents the importance of oil and gas production in the county, the broom represents the Fortuna Broom Factory and other businesses in Bee county.

Saint Rose Cemetery was designated a Texas Historical Cemetery during a dedication ceremony in August 2008. Dr. Barbara Welder, chair of the Bee County Historical Commission, spoke at the dedication which was attended by Lawrence Oaks, Executive Director of the Texas Historical Commission. This historical African American burial ground was formally deeded in 1921. However, some burials took place prior to that; with the earliest known burial being that of a former slave, Nancy Williams, dating from 1901. Among the prominent individuals interred here are Mose Lott and Allen Canada, the two men who built the first Beeville schoolhouse for African Americans; several veterans of conflicts dating back to World War I; and Mrs. Mary Canada, who was a mediator between the black and white communities during the “incident free” desegregation of the Beeville Independent School District.