DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about John T. Floore Country Store, out on the edge of the Texas Hill Country near Helotes. Now, 1945.
The Second World War is drawing to a close, and a man named John T. Floore — manager of San Antonio's Majestic Theatre, a man who knew how to put on a show — looks out at a piece of land in the vicinity of Helotes and sees something. He buys it.
And what he sees, it turns out, is everything nearly. That last part isn't me being poetic. That's straight from the man's own advertising: bar, café, dance, meats, groceries, real estate, and every thing nearly at Floore Country Store.
You don't write copy like that unless you mean business. Helotes itself was no stranger to travelers. The community had grown up at the site of a centuries-old stream crossing — a place where people had been stopping to catch their breath long before John T.
Floore arrived. He saw that tradition and decided to make something of it. He created the Floore Subdivision, planning it as a center for the community.
And around 1946, following the example of a fellow named Bert Hileman — who'd already had the good sense to run an early dance hall in Helotes — Floore built his store and dance hall at this site. He and his wife had started with a Red and White Store, but this was bigger thinking. Now here's where the story gets the kind of weight that makes you set down your coffee.
Floore was a noted promoter. And when I say notable acts came through that dance hall, I want you to hear those names one at a time. Bob Wills.
Patsy Cline. Hank Williams. Kitty Wells.
Elvis Presley. On a dance hall floor in Helotes, Texas. Residents came from nearby communities for the regular shows, and I suspect some of them never quite got over what they saw.
But here's the thing about John T. Floore — the music was only part of it. He helped establish the local volunteer fire department.
He helped get the Lions Club going. He edited the Helotes Echo newspaper, and his articles were said to be instrumental in the creation of the Northside Independent School District for students in the Helotes area. His store was a gathering place for organizations and events, including the annual Helotes Cornyval Festival.
The man didn't just book acts. He built a community. Floore died in 1975.
And what happened after that tells you something important. Helotes incorporated in 1981 — not because it had to, but because it wanted to preserve a separate identity from the ever-growing city of San Antonio. The music kept going at Floore's Country Store.
The organizations he helped grow kept on. The Cornyval Festival. The fire department.
The schools. Helotes, to this day, maintains a link to its early years as a stop for refreshment and entertainment at the edge of the Texas Hill Country — which is exactly what it was when travelers were fording that centuries-old stream crossing, long before anyone had ever heard the name Floore. Turns out one man with a dance hall, a newspaper, and a gift for promotion can do quite a lot.
Every thing nearly, as he might have said.
What the marker says
In 1945, as the Second World War drew to a close, John T. Floore, manager of San Antonio's Majestic Theatre, purchased land in this vicinity. He created the Floore Subdivision, planning it as a center for the community of Helotes, which had developed at the site of a centuries-old stream crossing for travelers. Floore and his wife originally operated a Red and White Store. Following the example of Bert Hileman, who owned an early dance hall in Helotes, Floore built a store and dance hall at this site circa 1946, offering "bar, café, dance, meats, groceries, real estate and every thing nearly at Floore Country Store." A noted promoter, Floore featured country music acts big and small; notables included Bob Wills, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Kitty Wells and Elvis Presley. Residents came from nearby communities for the regular shows. Floore also promoted the Helotes community, helping establish the local volunteer fire department and Lions Club. In addition, he edited the Helotes Echo newspaper, and his articles were said to be instrumental in the creation of the Northside Independent School District for Helotes-area students. His business establishment served as a gathering place for several organizations and events, including the annual Helotes Cornyval Festival. Since Floore's death in 1975, his legacy has continued. Helotes incorporated in 1981 in order to preserve a separate identity from the ever-growing city of San Antonio. With the continuation of musical acts at Floore's County Store, and through the local organizations that grew out of Floore's ideas and civic efforts, the community of Helotes maintains a link to its early years as a stop for refreshment and entertainment at the edge of the Texas Hill Country. (2005)