DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, picture a man who survived the Civil War, packed up his Missouri life, and pointed himself toward Texas. That man was Rufus Gaines Hall, and in 1868, he planted a flag in Sherman — a dry goods store, nothing more, nothing less.
Modest start. But here's the thing about Rufus: he wasn't content to wait for customers to come to him. He sent thirty — count 'em, thirty — notion wagons rolling out across thirteen counties in North Texas, carrying supplies straight to settlers on rural farms who might never have made it into town.
Thirty wagons fanning out across the prairie. That's not a store. That's an army of commerce.
The company prospered. Of course it did. Then in 1872, Hall's son, Dr.
Hugh Logan Hall, joined the firm. Father and son, building something together. And in 1892, Dr.
Hall and his father bought the very property you're looking at right now. What stood here was actually two separate buildings — the west side built in 1876, the other in 1885 — standing side by side for decades before they were finally united in 1936, joined into one. Five generations of Halls kept this business going in this exact location for a full century.
One century. That's not a business, friend, that's a dynasty. Now, take a look at the facade if you get the chance, because whoever finished this building wasn't thinking small.
It's a bold Art Deco commercial building — asymmetrical, striking — with bands of structural glass laid out in black and ivory chevron stripes. Sharp angles, dramatic contrast. A building that announces itself.
Rufus Hall came to Sherman with a store and thirty wagons. Five generations later, the family left behind a century of commerce and a building that still turns heads. Not a bad run for a former Missourian.
What the marker says
Hall Furniture Building Former Missourian and Civil War veteran Rufus Gaines Hall established a Sherman dry goods store in 1868. The company prospered, in part because it sent 30 notion wagons to sell supplies to settlers on rural farms across 13 counties in North Texas. Hall's son, Dr. Hugh Logan Hall, joined the firm in 1872. In 1892, Dr. Hall and his father bought this property. Five generations of Halls maintained the growing business in this location for a century. Originally two buildings, the west side of the business was built in 1876 and the other in 1885; the buildings were united in 1936. A noteworthy example of an Art Deco commercial building, its asymmetrical façade features the bold use of bands of structural glass with black and ivory chevron stripes. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2002