|
A church was
organized in Coleman in 1886, recognized as
the Christian church, with
sixteen charter members: Mrs. C. N. McFarland,
Mrs. Bolinger, Mr. and Mrs. Bird Lewis, Judge
and Mrs. Evans, Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Blackburn,
Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Stobaugh, Mr. and Mrs. A.
Petty, Mr. and Mrs. E. T. Harbour, and Mr. and
Mrs. Ratcliff. After meeting at several
locations over the next few years, the
congregation purchased a lot at the corner of
South Commercial Avenue and East Elm Street,
now 312 South Commercial Avenue, and built a
wooden frame building in 1895. The church grew
rapidly. At the end of 1896 members numbered
98, and at the end of 1896 there were 130
members.
A disagreement arose among the membership,
chiefly because of dispute over the use of
musical instruments in the church and the
method of support of foreign missionaries. This
“unhappy division,” to quote church history
accounts, occurred country-wide
during the period of 1895-1900.
Church records show that in
1897, this
contention ended in Coleman with about one-third of the members of the
church removing themselves. This
group were called the Non-Progressives, and
began meeting in the courtroom and organized
the Church of Christ. They built a frame
building about 1910 at 401 South Concho
Street.
The larger group, called
Progressives, stayed in the same building at
what became 312 South Commercial Avenue and
in 1913 became the First Christian Church.
|
|
Drawing from a commemorative plate
of the Coleman Christian Church
|
Christian Church from a postcard, dated August
1906, sent from Coleman to Blanket, Texas
and reads "Our home and Christian Church,
Coleman, Tex."
|
| The
above left picture, shows a Coleman street
fair in 1916, with a carnival set up in the
background and a horse show in the
foreground. At the distant right is
seen the First Christian Church in the
process of being built. The picture at
the above right is a close up view of this
church, enlarged from the left picture. |
First Christian Church, built in 1916, picture
taken about 1925.
|
First Christian Church, picture taken in the
1920s.
|
|
In 1916, the decision
was made to build a new church building at the
same location. To help raise money for this
project the women’s organization catered many
meals and sold baked goods. The last service
in the little frame building was held in June
1916, and workmen began tearing it down the
next day. Again the congregation held services
in the Courthouse until the new building was
completed. The cornerstone of this second
building, which was constructed of cream
colored brick, was laid, with appropriate
ceremonies, August 28, 1916. The basement of
the building housed classrooms and the
fellowship hall and many church and public
meetings were held here.
|
| "In 1929, the First Christian
Church was located on the northwest corner
of South Commercial Avenue and
West Elm Street (now
312 South Commercial Avenue).
Rev. Fred Ross was the pastor." (Coleman City
Directory, 1929 - Hudspeth.) |
|
1930 map
|
1948 map |
| In 1958, the choir was
seated to the south of the congregation. There
were classrooms of adults and several of
younger children, beginning with younger
children and advancing into junior high and
high school. The classrooms in the basement
could be accessed by stairs from the outside
or inside. |
In March 1953,
members of the First Christian Church were
making plans to build a new building in the
1400 block of South Commercial Avenue. Dr. A.
M. Fischer, chairman of the building
committee, said the building of the new church
would hinge on the sale of the old church
building and property in the 300 block of
South Commercial Avenue. Apparently it was not
sold at this time. In 1956, the church offered
to sell their old church building and property
to the City of Coleman, for a city hall and
auditorium, but this proposal was declined.
Ground was broken in September 1961 for
the new First Christian Church, covering the
1600 block of South Commercial Avenue. Clyde D.
Allen, chairman of the building committee,
stated the general contract was being handled by
White and Everett of Abilene. The building cost
about $122,000.00, and was brick with laminated
wooden arches in the sanctuary. The Sunday
school department and church office sections of
the building were one story with flat roof
design. Total length of the structure north and
south was 163 feet in the shape of the letter
“T.” The first service in the new building was
held on Easter Sunday in 1962. The old First
Christian Church building was torn down in June
1962 after the new building was finished. |
|
W. F. “Willie”
Campbell, a Coleman High School graduate had
been with the Owl Drug Store since 1936,
beginning as a fountain clerk. He received his
Bachelor of Science Degree in Pharmacy from
Southwestern State University in Weatherford,
Oklahoma. Willie was the assistant manager of
the Owl Drug Store when it reopened in 1944.
Oplin Saunders was born in Sterling
County in 1907, came to Coleman in 1908, and
began working in drug stores in 1926. He
graduated from Baylor Pharmacy School in
Dallas in 1927. After working at Coulson Drug
Store, No. 1 and Bowen Drug Store, he moved
down the street to the Owl Drug Store in 1941,
purchasing stock in the store. He was promoted
to manager, succeeding Joe B. Hedleston who
had resigned. In 1949, he and W. F. “Willie”
Campbell purchased the Owl Drug Store.
He and Oplin Saunders bought
the Owl from the Bowens in 1949. He sold his
interest to Oplin in 1954. In 1964,
Oplin built a new Owl Drug Store (below) at
the site of the old First Christian Church
at 312 South Commercial Avenue. Saunders
retired from the pharmacy business when he
sold the business to Jim and Linda Caldwell
in 1976.
The Caldwells purchased the Owl Drug
from Oplin Saunders in April 1977,
consolidating the two pharmacies, closing the
Cross Pharmacy location and moving the
business to the Owl Drug location on South
Commercial Avenue. Jim Caldwell became
interested in weight and power lifting in
college at the University of Texas. In 1978,
Caldwell held the oldest bench press record in
the State of Texas, which dated back to 1969.
He benched 435 pounds while weighing 213
pounds during a meet in Austin. His 335 pound
military press while he was a sophomore at the
University of Texas still stood as a Southwest
Conference record in 1978. His proudest moment
was lifting in this last meet in 1976, when he
set nine state and national records. It was
his last meet because during the dead lift
event, the 220 pounder tore a bicep while
managing 660 pounds, all of this being
accomplished while wearing a cast on one of
his fingers.
|
Grand Opening
for the Owl Drug Store in the new location
at the corner
of Commercial and Elm is scheduled for
Thursday, Friday and Saturday of
this week (June 16, 1964). The store
is in a new building, with new fixtures and
equipment, modern in every detail.
Owl Drug Will Have Grand Opening
Starting Thursday
Oplin Saunders has
spent the past 37 years in
drug stores in Coleman, and this coming
Thursday, Friday and Saturday
will be the highlihgt of the long tenure,
when he will have grand
opening of his modern new drug which he
occupied just a short time ago,
located at the corner of Commercial and Elm.
A native of
Coleman, Oplin first started to
work in a drug store back in 1926, doing
general work at the Coulson
Hotel Drug during the summer while he
was attending the Baylor Pharmacy
School in Dallas. He graduated from
that school in 1927, passed
the state board the same year, and came back
to Coleman where he got a
job at the Hotel Drug again. He was
there a short time, before
moving to the Coulson
No. One store, and then the next year
he moved
down the street to Bowen
Drug.
In 1941 Oplin
started at the Owl Drug
Store,
and in 1949 he and W. F. Campbell purchased
that store. Five
years later he acquired the interest of
Campbell and has been sole
owner since that time. In 1941 Oplin
married Helen Joiner and
they have one son, Bill, who is now a
sophomore in TCU, attending
summer school at this time.
The New Store
There is ample
parking space at the new store,
with spaces for 15 cars in the off street
parking lot, plus regular
street parking. Also, there is the
drive-in window, with a
special lane for the drive-in traffic.
The building itself is 40
x 100 feet, and is of brick-face tile
construction. All fixtures
and equipment are new and modern. The
building has flourescent
lighting and refrigerated
air-conditioning. Especially
attractive
in the store are the cosmetic
department, the elevated
prescription department and the fountain
area. The fountain
section includes six booths and 14 stools,
to accomodate 38 people at
one time.
Personnel at the
store, other than Mr. and
Mrs. Saunders, include Wilford Cross,
pharmacist; Mrs. Jo Norwood and
Mrs. Verda Haas, cosmeticians; Billie
Parham, cashier; Mrs. Herman
Burroughs, Mrs. Emma Watson, Nancy
Williamson and Glenda Conway at the
fountain; Mrs. Helen Brown, bookkeeping; and
T. J. Isaacs, custodian and
delivery. Richard Kelley operates a
watch repair
center at the back of the store. An
announcement ad, concerning
the grand opening, is in the issue and
readers attention is invited to
same.
(Coleman
Democrat-Voice, Coleman, Texas, June 16,
1964, page 3B.)
|
|
|
|
Parking
lot - Owl Drug Store - January 2003
|
Owl
Drug Store - January 2003
|
312 South Commercial has remained the same
since 1964.
The Caldwell family continue of own and
operate Owl Drug Store.
Shown here is an aerial view of Block 14 of
the Original Townsite of Coleman, taken in
April 2023, with Owl Drug Store and parking
lot (312 South Commercial Avenue) located at
the southeast corner (bottom right).
|
|
|
