Dawson Saloon

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm just the one passin' it along. Picture downtown Stephenville in the early 1880s. Wood frame buildings, masonry blocks, the whole little constellation of commerce oriented right around the county courthouse.

That's how the square sat. And sometime in the early to mid-1890s, a new building went up on a prominent corner of that square. Limestone, locally sourced, shaped by local hands.

Built in the vernacular commercial style, which is a fancy way of saying it looked like it belonged there, because it did. Now, the earliest occupant of that building, reflected in the Sanborn maps, was very likely a saloon. Not just any saloon.

The Dawson Saloon. Under the direction of one W.A. "Billy" Dawson, born 1851, passed in 1901. Billy ran the place with a certain flair for hospitality.

Beer barrel seating along the sidewalk for cowboys, patrons, and just about anyone wandering through Erath County. A popular watering hole, the marker calls it. I'd call it a destination.

Following Dawson's passing, the building didn't sit idle. It divided itself, practically speaking, into a restaurant and a confectionery and tobacco shop. The square moved on, the way squares do.

But the longest chapter in that building's life belonged to a man named Morris Ytzhak Isaac Astonovitsky, an immigrant from Belarus, born 1901, passed in 1998. He ran Novit's Department Store out of that limestone corner, and for a good long run it was one of the largest retail establishments in all of downtown Stephenville, right up until its closing in 1957. After Novit's, the building kept working.

A barbershop. Retail shops. A restaurant.

And through all of it, the limestone held. Minimal changes over the years, the marker notes, though in the 1950s the limestone columns along the front facade were removed. They have since been rebuilt.

That corner has seen cowboys sidle up to beer barrels, shoppers browsing one of the biggest stores in town, and everything in between. From Billy Dawson's saloon to a department store run by a man who traveled about as far as a person can travel to end up in Erath County, that building on the square contributed to the growth and development of Stephenville in ways that added to the culture of the whole county. The limestone is still there.

Same corner. Still prominent.

What the marker says

Dating from the early 1880s, downtown Stephenville consisted of wood frame and masonry one-part and two-part commercial block buildings, oriented around the county courthouse. The Dawson Saloon building was constructed in the early to mid-1890s on a prominent corner of the square. Reflected in sanborn maps, the saloon was likely the earliest occupant of the building. Under the direction of owner and operator W.A. “Billy” Dawson (1851-1901) and with beer barrel seating along the sidewalk for cowboys, patrons and the public, the saloon was a popular watering hole for county residents. Following Dawson’s passing, the building was divided into a restaurant and a confectionery and tobacco shop. The longest tenant was Novit’s Department Store, owned by Belarus immigrant Morris Ytzhak Isaac Astonovitsky (1901-1998). Novit’s Department Store was one of the largest retail establishments in the downtown area until its closing in 1957. Subsequent uses of the building were a barbershop, retail shops and a restaurant. Built in the vernacular commercial architectural style, the building is constructed of limestone, a locally-sourced material. Minimal changes have been made over the years, including the removal of the limestone columns along the front façade in the 1950s; these have since been rebuilt. With its prominent corner location on the square and local craftsmanship, the Dawson Saloon building contributed to the growth and development of Stephenville with its variety of successful businesses that added to the culture of Erath county. RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK – 2016