Fort Hancock Mercantile

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm gonna do my best to do it justice. Now, when you're talkin' about the oldest general store in Hudspeth County, you're talkin' about something that has seen some years. We're talkin' 1883; the very year the town of Fort Hancock was founded.

That's when this mercantile first opened its doors, established right alongside the town itself, like the whole place just couldn't get started without somewhere to buy what you needed. And honestly, out here on the Mexican border, that's probably about right. A Mr.

Ross got things going, and if that name sounds familiar in these parts, it ought to, because he later became the first area postmaster. The store changed hands in 1916, when Q. A.

Hare and his wife took it over. Now, think about what Q. A.

Hare and his wife were holding onto. Decades of history behind the counter, and more decades still to come in front of them. They ran that place long enough that by 1960, they could hand it off to their daughter, Mrs.

Bob Sims, and her husband; kept it right in the family, right where they could keep an eye on it. And here's the thing that'll stick with you as you roll down this highway: that store has never closed. Continuous operation, all the way from 1883.

Modern supplies for a modern border community, sure, but also horse collars. Also coffee mills. Because out here, you stock what people need, and what people need has a way of surprising you.

Some things change. Some things don't. And some stores just keep the lights on through all of it.

What the marker says

Established when the town of Fort Hancock was founded in 1883, this general store is the oldest in Hudspeth County. Started by a Mr. Ross, later the first area postmaster, it was sold in 1916 to Q. A. Hare and his wife. In 1960 they transferred the business to their daughter Mrs. Bob Sims and her husband. It has remained in continuous operation, serving the Mexican border area with modern supplies as well as items like horse collars and coffee mills. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1967