DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Riley's Tavern in Comal County. Now settle in, because this one's got a race against the clock, a Model T, and a license number worth remembering. The building itself goes back to around 1895 — it started life as the Galloway Saloon, then became home to the Bernardino Sanchez family, and today it's the oldest business in Hunter.
But the story that really puts Riley's on the map starts in 1933. That year, Texas voted to repeal Prohibition, and when it did, Texas was the 23rd state to do so. The moment that vote came in, J.C.
Riley and his uncle did not sit around congratulating themselves. They loaded up a Model T and drove straight to the steps of the state capitol in Austin. What they came back with was the first liquor license issued in the state of Texas — number 00001.
Let that settle a moment. Not number twelve. Not number four.
Number 00001. Then came the stroke of midnight on September 14th, 1933, and with it the legal right to sell 3.2% beer. Comal County, to its everlasting credit, had sufficient stock available to meet the demand.
Not a moment of shortage. Somebody planned ahead. J.C.
Riley ran that tavern from that midnight hour all the way until his death in 1992. Sat right there midway between Austin and San Antonio, which turns out to be a fine place to put a tavern — especially when you consider how many travelers came rolling in from neighboring dry counties. Decades of them.
Riley's Tavern is still the oldest business in Hunter, still in that circa 1895 building, and still — as the marker will tell you — a popular destination. Some things earn their reputation the old-fashioned way: first in line, midnight sharp, license number 00001.
What the marker says
Rileys Tavern, Hunters oldest business, is housed in a circa 1895 building that was the Galloway Saloon and later home to the Bernardino Sanchez family. In 1933, Texas was the 23rd state to vote for the repeal of Prohibition. Shortly thereafter, J.C. Riley and his uncle drove a Model T to the steps of the state capitol in Austin to obtain the first license issued in Texas number 00001. At the stroke of midnight on Sep. 14, 1933, 3.2% beer could be sold and Comal County had sufficient stock available to meet the demand. Riley operated the business until his death in 1992. His tavern, midway between Austin and San Antonio, has been a popular destination for decades of travelers, with many from neighboring dry counties. (2013)