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Lucille Mims Johnson Bradley, 100 went home to
be with her Master, Jan 12, 2014. Visitation,
Friday, 11:30-5 Collins & Johnson and 6-8 pm
First Missionary Baptist Church, 614 Ave H,
Conroe, TX, Rev. Ernest Rucker, Pastor.
Services, Saturday, 1 pm, West Tabernacle, 1900
FM 2854, Conroe, TX, Rev. A.R. Shelton, Pastor.
Rev. Ernest Rucker, eulogist, Rev. William
Denman, officiant. Interment Rosewood Cemetery,
Conroe, TX.
Mrs. Bradley was a long time member of the
community, educator in the CISD, church
vocalist, musician and a active community
leader. She will be missed by many.
- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/courier/obituary.aspx?n=lucille-mims-johnson-bradley&pid=169119666&fhid=19406#sthash.Vky1CZuu.dpuf
Lucille Mims Johnson Bradley, 100 went home to
be with her Master, Jan 12, 2014. Visitation,
Friday, 11:30-5 Collins & Johnson and 6-8 pm
First Missionary Baptist Church, 614 Ave H,
Conroe, TX, Rev. Ernest Rucker, Pastor.
Services, Saturday, 1 pm, West Tabernacle, 1900
FM 2854, Conroe, TX, Rev. A.R. Shelton, Pastor.
Rev. Ernest Rucker, eulogist, Rev. William
Denman, officiant. Interment Rosewood Cemetery,
Conroe, TX.
Mrs. Bradley was a long time member of the
community, educator in the CISD, church
vocalist, musician and a active community
leader. She will be missed by many.
- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/courier/obituary.aspx?n=lucille-mims-johnson-bradley&pid=169119666&fhid=19406#sthash.Vky1CZuu.dpuf
Lucille Mims Johnson Bradley, 100 went home to
be with her Master, Jan 12, 2014. Visitation,
Friday, 11:30-5 Collins & Johnson and 6-8 pm
First Missionary Baptist Church, 614 Ave H,
Conroe, TX, Rev. Ernest Rucker, Pastor.
Services, Saturday, 1 pm, West Tabernacle, 1900
FM 2854, Conroe, TX, Rev. A.R. Shelton, Pastor.
Rev. Ernest Rucker, eulogist, Rev. William
Denman, officiant. Interment Rosewood Cemetery,
Conroe, TX.
Mrs. Bradley was a long time member of the
community, educator in the CISD, church
vocalist, musician and a active community
leader. She will be missed by many.
- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/courier/obituary.aspx?n=lucille-mims-johnson-bradley&pid=169119666&fhid=19406#sthash.Vky1CZuu.dpuf
Judge Foster Building the oldest
law office in downtown Conroe
By Brad Meyer,
Contributing writer
|
Courtesy Photo The location of the Foster Building
and Quinn Drug Store as the space
looks today along West Davis Street
across from the Montgomery County
Courthouse
|
Beneath the contemporary exteriors of a pair of buildings on the
north side of the square — the central business district of
downtown Conroe surrounding the Montgomery County Courthouse —
lies a rich history of early law, nickel sodas and the essence
of life in a simpler time in America. |
Like much of the commercial space in the downtown area, the
Judge Foster Building and the adjoining Charlie Quinn Drug Store
location in the 200 block of West Davis are now occupied by
attorneys. The modern exteriors, however, don’t detract from the
important role these buildings played in the history, growth and
development of Conroe. |
Courtesy Photo
Judge
William N. Foster, born in 1872.
His law office
was built in 1910 and the
structure is the oldest law
office still standing today
|
Built in 1910 by Judge William Neblett Foster, born 1872, the
structure is the oldest law office still standing today. Foster
and his partner, Judge William Williams, had law offices on the
second floor — leaving the ground level space available for a
variety of retail operations throughout the following century. |
Courtesy Photo
Judge William Williams had
law offices on the second
floor of the Judge Foster
Building leaving the ground
level space available for a
variety of retail operations
throughout the following
century
|
The single story brick building next door was constructed
sometime after 1920. It housed a number of business, including
Whitt Brogdon’s Drug Store, but most locals recall as the
Charlie Quinn Drug store that operated until the owner retired
from the pharmacy trade. |
Courtesy Photo
Foster Building and Quinn
Drug Store next to the First
National Bank building on
the courthouse square in
July 1920, prior to the
large fire that destroyed
most of downtown area on
Feb. 21, 1911. The First
National Bank building
maintains a similar look
today at the corners of Main
and Davis streets.
|
“Back then as well as now, lawyers want to have offices as
close to the county courthouse and the district clerk’s office
as possible,” said attorney and former Conroe Mayor R. A. Mickey
Deison. “It was common for lawyers and doctors to have offices
on the second floor of a building and leave the ground floor for
various retail shops and businesses.” |
Courtesy Photo
Downtown Conroe following a
major fire on Feb. 21, 1911.
The courthouse, First
National Bank building and
Judge Foster Building are
all that remained in the
left of the photo. Mostly
due in part that they were
brick structures while the
others of the time were
lumber.
|
The Judge Foster Building was constructed less than a year
before a massive fire destroyed much of downtown Conroe in
February 1911, but the structure survived in large part because
it was built of brick rather than lumber. |
The first floor of the building house a number of retail and
service businesses over the years, including a Goodyear Tire
store and Southwest Furniture. |
The Charlie Quinn Drug Store was one of five pharmacies
surrounding the Montgomery County Courthouse — the others being
Carter’s Drug, Capitol Drug, Scott’s Pharmacy and Clark’s Rexall
Drug. |
“This was back when downtown Conroe was the central shopping
area for the county,” said Steve Kasmiersky. “Back then there
were no malls, no Internet and no online shopping. If you wanted
to buy something, you went to town.” |
Courtesy Photo
The location when
Southwestern Furniture was
doing business in the spot
in December 1965.
|
In addition to filling prescriptions, early drug stores
offered a variety of shopping opportunities for sundry items,
notions and household necessities. They were also a good place
to grab a sandwich, a cold drink and talk with neighbors about
the news of the day. |
“Most of the drug stores had a soda fountain and they had
specialties — things they were known for,” said Kasmiersky, who
enjoyed regular visits to the soda fountains and lunch counters
in the mid-60s. “Carter’s had great ice cream sodas. Quinn’s had
great grilled cheese sandwiches.” |
Dr. Bill Quinn, now a local dentist, recalled working for his
father at the drug store when he was 12 and 13 year old. He
would sweep the floors, empty the trash and make frequent visits
to the soda fountain where five-gallon containers of Swift’s
Premium ice cream were housed. |
“I’d mix different types of soda syrup and ice cream for my
friends,” he recalled. |
Back in the day, many sodas were hand mixed, explained Quinn.
The soda attendant — or jerk — mixed a shot of syrup with
carbonated water to make soft drinks like Coke, Pepsi, root
beer, green rivers and other drinks. The system allowed patrons
to customize their drink by varying the ratio of syrup to soda
water. |
Quinn recalls the lunch counter served grilled sandwiches and
barbecue. Coffee and small soft drinks were a nickel. The drug
store lunch counters were popular places for local attorneys and
county workers to get lunch, according to Deison. |
“Dad had one of the earliest air conditioning systems in
Conroe in the store,” recalled Quinn. “He also liked baseball
and used to have the radio on so customers could hear the games.
A lot of times people would hang out and listen to the game and
chat at the store.” |
For Conroe residents going through hard times, Quinn
remembers his dad filling prescriptions on credit if they had no
money. Most, he said, paid their bill eventually. Honor was an
important part of life in Conroe. |
Quinn eventually sold the building when he retired in 1972.
Later that decade the new owner, Dan Madeley, arranged to have
new, modern facades installed on both buildings. Considering the
age of the buildings, experts are doubtful whether the
structures could be restored to their original brick exterior
appearance. |
The look may have change, but the historical legacy of the
buildings lives on, a tribute to a different time in Conroe —
long gone, but not forgotten. |
For information on
Conroe and Montgomery County history, visit www.heritagemuseum.us or
call 936-539-6873. |
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|
Conroe Courier |
July 13, 2014 |
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