Continuing our Historic Downtown Walking Tour we will continue to look at the historic developments in the vicinity of The 1895. The lots to the East of The 1895, which Vision Historic Preservation Foundation also owns and has plans to develop into Parking and an Arts Park, once housed many different buildings and businesses. Prior to the City Hall & Opera House being constructed, the 1885 Sanborn Map reflects a “Lumber Pile” on the site of The 1895. Several lumber companies existed in Rockdale according to the Sanborn Maps, indicative of the ample supply of this natural resource and the growth and construction of the times.  On the East lots were two dwellings, a Doctor’s Office, and the Max Hotel next to the building which last housed the Antique Queens, which in 1885 was a Wholesale & Tin Shop and Hardware & Crockery.

As early as 1891, the Max Hotel disappears, and a wooden Dwelling is annotated on the Sanborn maps as being located on the lots east of The 1895 directly to the west of was the Wicter & Coffield General Store and Saddlery.  As of 1925 it was still listed on the Sanborn map as a Dwelling and it appears in several photos of the time.  At this site east of The 1895 was the Wolf House – Mr. & Mrs. A. Wolf owned and operated the Wolf Hotel just a block away on Main & Milam.  The Wolf family, who were prominent in the community, made this house a central part of their lives, contributing to the social and cultural fabric of Rockdale.

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Signally a shift in transportation and the popularity of the new automobile, as early as 1925, also on these east lots was annotated a Gas Station.  This station surely also served the new gas-powered fire trucks. In the post-WW2 era, George Lumpkin owned a Sinclair and Magnolia Gas Station and Car Dealership on the East Lots where he operated for many years as a successful businessman and involved citizen.

Also on this east lot was Joiner’s Hamburgers. This beloved local diner was situated between Sinclair and the Antique Queens building and was famous for its delicious hamburgers. It served as a favorite hangout spot for locals, where friends and families would gather to enjoy good food and great company. Joiner’s Hamburgers is fondly remembered by many in Rockdale, illustrating the vital role that local eateries play in fostering community spirit.

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Across Cameron Avenue from The 1895 has traditionally been a business district as well.  At the SE corner of Burleson and Cameron on the 1885 Sanborn Map is annotated a brick building with Agricultural Implements downstairs, and a “Public Hall” on the second floor. Heading east toward Main Street, was a Lumber Wholesaler, a Crockery/Hardware store, and a “Redding & McGuire Livery” (or stables). This same SE corner in 1891 is labeled as Books & Stationary, and going eastward, a Meat Market and Bakery, Tin & Carpenter’s shop, Grocery, “Steam Printing”, and the Livery is now a Lumber Warehouse.

In 1901, the SE corner building is labeled as LH Porter’s Novelty Works and is annotated as having gasoline-powered equipment. East of this were a Furniture Store, a Tailor and Dressmaker, a business labeled as “Steam Printing” and a Livery was once again in operation. 

In 1906, the SE corner building is labeled as “Express” and in 1912 the next building east was labeled “Express Office”.  We haven’t had time to research, but it has made us curious as to whether there had been another newspaper office in Rockdale that perhaps did not survive. 

It should be noted that gasoline engines, steam powered equipment, and oil/gas lamps of the times were the source of many fires. This frequently explains the loss of buildings (sometimes entire blocks) as even brick buildings were not immune to fire because they often had wood beams that would collapse in a fire.  Perhaps that is why, as previously mentioned, in the 1920s, this SE corner building where Rockdale Signs currently operates, was a wooden building when the Rockdale Reporter relocated there from The 1895 City Hall.  Sometime between 1912 and 1925 it became a wooden structure .. and on the 1925 Sanborn Map the third building eastward from the SE corner of Burleson & Cameron was an empty lot.

An early 1900s photo still shows the 2-story building on this SE corner. The street is filled primarily with horse carriages & wagons, but an early Model T car is visible between the Wolf Home and The 1895 City Hall.  Also visible in this photo is the domed roof of the Bank at the corner where Corona’s is located today – putting the date as after 1906 (as it wasn’t labeled a Bank until the 1912 map), but perhaps slightly later than 1912 as the Livery changes to a Garage between the 1912 and 1925 Sanborn maps. This Garage is further representative of the advancement of the automobile in the 1920s. 

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West of Burleson along the Cameron Corridor were a number of Residential wooden dwellings as early as the 1885 Sanborn Map.  One such home was that of J.F. (Jule) Coffield which is believed to have been located where Lee’s Landing last operated. That home was torn down many decades ago to build a gas station.

There also once stood a home at the NW corner of Burleson and Cameron and has been home to several businesses.  In recent decades it was the Botts Title Company and is now the Main Street Bookshop which has flourished and is contributing to the revitalization of Downtown as a Book Store & Coffee Shop, bringing authors and events to Downtown.

Main Street Bookshop was proud to be a partner in Vision Historic Preservation Foundation’s Sesquicentennial Heritage Celebration Historic Walking Tours.