Site of Coleman Family Drug Store and Clinic

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about this place. Now, settle in, because this is one of those stories that starts with a traveling salesman and ends with a whole family dynasty, right here in Mineola, Texas. You know how those stories go.

Or maybe you don't. Let me tell you. It begins in 1897, when Dr.

Walter Jackson Coleman, his wife Mary Eugenia, born a DuBose, and their family packed up and left Isney, Alabama behind. They came to Texas and settled in Mineola, a railroad town, the kind of place where things were moving and opportunity had a way of finding you if you stood still long enough. And something did find Dr.

Coleman. A traveling salesman came through, made his pitch, and persuaded the doctor to invest in the pharmacy business. Now, whether that salesman knew what he was setting in motion is anybody's guess.

What came of it was the Coleman Family Drug Store, established in 1902. A doctor and a drugstore, under the same family roof. That is a combination.

Dr. Coleman built trust the old-fashioned way. He made house calls.

He opened his home to people in need. And in the general custom of the time, he accepted food as payment for his medical treatments. The store itself was well stocked with medicines, some of them developed by Dr.

Coleman and his son Charlie. Now, Charlie Coleman is a name worth remembering. This young man was already familiar with patent formulas before he ever graduated from high school.

In 1912, he received his pharmacist license and started helping run the business. The apple did not fall far from the tree, and it rolled right behind the counter. Then 1933 arrives, and the operation grows again.

Two of Charlie's brothers, Robert and John, both doctors, set up a clinic right next to the store. A drug store and a clinic, side by side, run by one family. Mineola had something special on this corner.

But time has a way of reshuffling things. Their father died in 1937, and Charlie took over the clinic. Then the world changed entirely.

At the start of World War II, John and Robert both joined the armed forces, and the clinic closed. When the war ended, Robert and John went on to practice medicine in other states. Charlie, though, Charlie stayed.

He stayed right here in Mineola and kept managing the store. And he wasn't just tending the counter. Charlie Coleman served four terms as city commissioner.

He was Mayor Pro Tem in 1926. He served on the school board, the draft board, and the equalization board. A man who mixed medicines and managed civic life all at once.

The Coleman Family Drug Store kept going, with several family members working there before eventually heading off into the medical field themselves. It continued to thrive, right up until it didn't. In 1964, the store closed because of Charlie's declining health.

He passed away on December 9th, 1968, and was buried in the Mineola City Cemetery. One traveling salesman. One persuasive pitch.

One family that turned a drugstore into a clinic, a community institution, and a legacy. All of it, right here on this spot in Mineola.

What the marker says

Dr. Walter Jackson Coleman and his wife, Mary Eugenia (DuBose), moved to Texas with their family from Isney, Alabama in 1897. After settling in the railroad town of Mineola, a traveling salesman persuaded Dr. Coleman to invest in the pharmacy business, resulting in establishment of the Coleman Family Drug Store in 1902. Early on, Dr. Coleman developed trust with his patients by making house calls and opening his home to those in need. He often accepted food as payment for his medical treatments in the general custom of the time. His store was well stocked with medicines, some developed by Dr. Coleman and his son, Charlie. Charlie Coleman, familiar with patent formulas before he graduated from high school, received a pharmacist license in 1912 and helped run the business. In 1933, two of his brothers, Robert and John, both doctors, set up a clinic adjacent to the store, which Charlie took over after their father died in 1937. The clinic closed at the start of World War II when John and Robert joined the armed forces. After the war, Robert and John practiced medicine in other state, but Charlie continued to manage the Mineola store. His civic contributions included four terms as city commissioner and service as Mayor Pro Tem in 1926. He also served on the Mineola school board, the draft board and the equalization board. The Coleman Family Drug Store continued to thrive with several family members working here before later pursuing careers in the medical field. It closed in 1964 because of Charlie’s declining health. He passed away on Decembe r9, 1968 and was buried in the Mineola City Cemetery. (2005)