Main Street, 400-700 Blocks (Commercial Buildings), Calvert, Robertson County, TX

Significance: Once a thriving railhead for the Houston and Texas Central Railroad, the small town of Calvert, Texas is today known mainly for its many antique stores. Founded in 1868 by a group of businessmen who foresaw the coming of the railroad, Calvert quickly grew in both population and importance in the late 1800's. By the turn of the century the town could boast of two opera houses, a bicycle track, a baseball field, a large fairground with a race track, and quite a few saloons. It was during these prosperous years (1870-1900) that most of the buildings along main street were constructed. The cotton industry was the basis of most of Calvert's growth and at one time (1912) the town could claim to be the site of the world's largest cotton gin. The twentieth century, however, brought troubled times to Calvert. Severe floods in 1912 and 1921 did serious damage to surrounding plantations and combined with the first World War and a general populations shift to larger cities, the prosperity of Calvert began to decline.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: FN-159
Survey number: HABS TX-243