Beitel Lumberyard

Duane's take

Here's the story as the official marker tells it, and I'm going to let it breathe a little. When the SA&AP Railroad decided Kerrville was the last stop on their line, it didn't take long for a certain businessman to do the math. Frank J.

Beitel, owner of several lumberyards in San Antonio, looked at that end of the line, looked at Kerr County's variety of trees, looked at a community that was clearly fixing to grow, and in 1889 he bought land in Kerrville and opened a lumberyard. Smart move, Frank. Real smart move.

By the early twentieth century, the operation had filled out into something substantial. A warehouse. An office.

A retail building. And a large lumber shed. That is not a side hustle.

That is a working enterprise. Then 1913 arrived, and the original train depot burned. Now, a lesser businessman might have wrung his hands.

Beitel sold a portion of his land along the line for a new depot, and in return he received a spur of tracks running right onto his own property. Load and offload goods without hauling them any farther than they had to go. The marker says it greatly increased efficiency and his business, and you can believe that without any trouble at all.

For over a century, the Beitel Lumberyard played a critical role in the growth and development of Kerrville. The railroad brought the town to the edge of something, and one lumberyard helped build everything that came after.

What the marker says

When the SA&AP Railroad made Kerrville the last stop on their line, Frank J. Beitel, owner of several lumberyards in San Antonio, bought land in Kerrville in 1889 to open a lumberyard. With Kerr County's variety of trees and community growth, the lumberyard flourished. In the early 20th century, the lumberyard consisted of a warehouse, office, a retail building and large lumber shed. The original train depot burned in 1913. Beitel sold a portion of his land along the line for a new depot and received a spur of tracks onto his property to load and offload goods which greatly increased efficiency and his business. For over a century, the lumberyard played a critical role in the growth and development of Kerrville. (2017)