More history on Everett &
Sons,
First State Bank and the Liberty Theatre
The above page was published in The Courier in 1933 and offered a history of
the then 25-year-old Everett and Sons store in downtown Conroe on Simonton
Street. The store existed in that spot until the late 1990s and eventually
became a hardware store. After being unable to save the structure and two
others on the corner of Simonton and Pacific Streets because they were
deemed unsafe, the buildings were demolished last weekend. The Courier
offers a little more history on the businesses and the buildings here.
Photo: Photo Courtesy Larry Foerster / Montgomery County Historical
Commission
The
employees of Everett and Sons outside the store
on Simonton Street in downtown Conroe.
With an initial investment of $500, Henry Bascom Everett opened Everett Cash
Grocery at 108 Simonton in Conroe in 1908, selling fresh food, dry goods,
livestock feed, hardware and other necessities of the era.
Though the name of the store and goods it sold changed as it was passed down
to other family members, from 1908 through its closure in 1997, it was a
staple of commerce in Conroe community.
In a previous Courier article, Patti Everett, great granddaughter of H. B.
Everett, said there was always a sense of pride and integrity at the store.
“I worked there at Christmas and during the summer months,” recalled Patti.
“But dad was hard on me because I was clumsy and had a habit of breaking
more than I sold.”
She remembers as youth that a large bell hung in the store and Mr. Mark
would ring it at precisely at 6 p.m. to let people know the store was
closing.
“It was a big honor to get to ring the bell,” she said. “All of us kids
wanted to be the one to pull the cord and make the bell ring.”
The bell signaled the closing of the doors, but Patti said that the store
remained open until the last customer had an opportunity to conclude their
business.
“There was a lot of pride among the employees,” said Patti. “They were very
loyal and respectful of the family.”
First State Bank and the Liberty Theatre
First State Bank and the Liberty Theatre were also on the same block as
Everett Hardware store.
Banks Griffith established a bank at 102 Simonton Street along the railroad
tracks.
The wooden structure burned in the Feb. 21, 1911 fire.
Photo: Photo Courtesy Larry Foerster / Montgomery County Historical
Commission
The old First State Bank building and old Liberty Theatre in
downtown Conroe at Pacific and Simonton Streets. These buildings were torn
down over Memorial Day weekend when it was established the structures were a
danger and could not be saved.
Griffith’s First State Bank at 102 Simonton Street had just received its
state charter on Feb. 11, 1911.
On April 21, 1911 The Courier reported that the new two-story, brick First
State Bank building was complete facing Simonton Street along Pacific
Street.
It opened on May 15, 1911 as the first chartered bank in Conroe, according
to a narrative by Montgomery County Historical Commission Chairman Larry
Foerster..
On Aug. 25, 1911 The Courier reported that William Munger Conroe, son of
Isaac Conroe, would be building a one-story brick building next to First
State Bank. The building later served as a silent movie theater which opened
around 1916.
In a May 20, 1912 advertisement in The Courier, Griffith advertised that
women could be independent if they opened an account with his bank - a move
that was no doubt controversial as women were not yet permitted to vote or
serve on juries at the time.
Following the stock market crash in 1929, First State Bank of Conroe merged
with Farmers & Merchants State bank which was located down the block in the
Gentry Building, according to Foerster.
After Everett Hardware closed in 1997, the old bank, theater and store
buildings were sold to Norman “Bo” Meyers who operated an antique store and
auction operation in the building for several years.
The property was most recently owned by Larry Miller who operated the Lone
Star Telephone Company and Credit Loans, Inc. in the old First State Bank
building.
The buildings had recently been gutted with only the exterior walls
remaining. The future development of the site had not been finalized as of
this week.
Conroe Courier, June 13,
2019 |