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Downtown San Angelo was a nice surprise on our road trip through the American West. We stopped to visit my good friend Lenny who has lived there for many years.
Lenny, originally from Massachusetts, was a fantastic guide and knew a lot about the local history and attractions. We were lucky to have him take the time to show us around downtown and in the Cultural District. This entry focuses on downtown San Angelo, and doesn’t include the Cactus Hotel or the JL Mercer Boot Co.
History
The first settlement in what is now San Angelo was a short-lived Franciscan missionary in 1632. It was led by friars Juan de Salas and Juan de Ortega and lasted about six months. In 1650, the Castillo-Martin Expedition passed through the area followed by the Diego de Guadalajara expedition of 1654.
The current city of San Angelo was founded in 1867 near Fort Concho, which is covered in another post. Bartholomew J. DeWitt named the settlement Santa Angela after his wife, Carolina Angela. It eventually changed to San Angela, and then San Angelo in 1883 because San Angela is grammatically incorrect in Spanish.
San Angelo grew quickly with the arrival of the railroad in the 1880s. It was a candidate to host Texas Tech University, which ended up in Lubbock. Goodfellow Air Force Base opened in 1940 to train pilots during World War II. It’s now a nonflying base used for cryptologic and intelligence training as well as training for military firefighters.
Producers Livestock Auction Company
The first stop we made on the overcast November day was a short drive from downtown at the Producers Livestock Auction Company. It’s the largest goat, lamb, and sheep market in the country and has been owned by the Cargile family since 1954.
A sheep and goat auction takes place every Tuesday and a cattle auction every Thursday. Unfortunately, there was no auction on the day we visited, but it was still interesting to get a quick behind the scenes look.
O.C. Fisher Federal Building
Next, we headed to historic downtown San Angelo, starting on Twohig Avenue. We paid a visit to the Cactus Hotel and admired the O.C. Fisher Federal Building across the street. It was built between 1909 and 1911 as the San Angelo Post Office and Courthouse by architect James Knox Taylor (1857-1929). It doubled in size with an addition in 1932 but no longer functions as a post office. The building was named for O.C. Fisher (1903-1994), a San Angelo county attorney, state legislator, and US Congressman, serving from 1943 to 1974.
San Angelo National Bank Building
Heading west, at the corner of Chadbourne and Twohig is the San Angelo National Bank Building. It was built in 1927 by architect Anton Korn (1886-1942) in the Classical Revival style. The building was sold to the City of San Angelo in 1967, and acquired by Trimble-Batier-Cobb Insurance in 1981. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places a year later.
Texas Theatre
A few steps further to the west is the Texas Theatre. It opened on November 28, 1929 and was first owned by R&R Theatres of Dallas. It was built in the Mission Revival style but at some point a modern façade covered most of the front.
United Artists bought the building in 1956 and it closed down in 1983. Lee Pfluger purchased the Texas Theatre in 1998 and it closed down again in 2015.
Concho Avenue
From there, we walked back to Chadbourne Street to visit the JL Mercer Boot Co. then continued to Concho Avenue. Historic Concho Avenue was the first street in Santa Angela and the heart of the downtown area. The two blocks running from Irving Street to Oakes Street are lined with shops and restaurants situated in historic buildings.
Among the important buildings are Miss Hattie’s Bordello Museum (1896); the Schwartz & Raas Building (1896); the Johnson & Taylor Building (1895), designed by architect Oscar Ruffini (1858-1957); and the building housing Miss Hattie’s Restaurant (1884) (see below).
Miss Hattie’s
Lenny took us in to quickly see Miss Hattie’s Restaurant. The building was used as the first San Angelo Bank Building. The tin ceiling and brick walls in the main dining room date back to the original construction. The side dining room was built in 1885 as a grocery store.
Interestingly, a tunnel was rediscovered during renovation of the building. Stories were often told of ranchers and farmers coming to San Angelo and telling their wives and families to go shopping while they go to the bank and tend to business. These men would then sneak down a tunnel leading to another building just down the block to a secret bordello, so the rediscovery of the tunnel confirmed the stories. The bordello opened in 1902 and was shut down for the last time by the Texas Rangers in 1952.
The building currently operates as Miss Hattie’s Bordello Museum. Unfortunately, the museum was closed when we walked by. Tours run at 2pm and 4pm Tuesday through Thursday and Friday and Saturday at 2pm, 3pm, and 4pm. They cost US$6 per person (as of April 2024) and last about a half hour.
Eggemeyer’s General Store
Across the street from Miss Hattie’s is Eggemeyer’s General Store. It was fun to stop in and see everything they were selling, from homemade fudge and candy to toys and souvenirs to wine and cooking utensils. It’s got a great atmosphere and it’s a wonderful place to visit.
Murals
We noticed a couple murals decorating some of the buildings along Concho Avenue. One depicted a historic San Angelo scene with horse-drawn carriages and a streetcar. Another was dedicated to the military presence in town, paying homage to the three military outposts operating throughout the city’s history.
Leddy Boots
Finally, although we didn’t stop in, we walked by Leddy Boots. It’s another legendary boot company based in San Angelo. M.L. Leddy bought the local boot and saddle shop in Brady, Texas, in 1922, and the Leddy brothers’ reputation quickly began to grow. Demand was so high that by 1936, they relocated to San Angelo, and eventually opened a second location in Fort Worth at the historic Fort Worth Stockyards in 1941. Leddy’s continues to make handmade boots using the same method since 1922.
