We were shown something I didn't expect at the very back of the building.
A great old tin ceiling, but also a meat locker.
If you slaughtered a heifer, you could take it here and have it hung in back. Then you could visit for other groceries and also get a few cuts of meat to take home. Makes sense. We were invited to step into this meat locker. I guess I've read too much Stephen King-- I politely refused and stayed outside to take the pics. I'm sure Helen and Jenna would not have slammed and locked the door on us, but, like I say, my imagination is a little over-active.
Besides, this meat locker was just not a very inviting place...
We continue to examine the various items on display inside.
Were it not for the generosity of Helen and Jenna, I would not be able to show these things.
We are not done with Wilson!
It really seemed that I would be restricted to outdoor shots.
But then we met Helen and her granddaughter Jenna. Jenna lived and worked in Lubbock but Helen lived in Wilson. She had keys to the Mercantile Building and she was gracious enough to let us in.
My wife had a pleasant conversation with Helen and Jenna while I concentrated on taking photos. The contents of this building reminded me of a restoration of Starke's Store in New Braunfels, Texas. New Braunfels has the resources required to do serious historical preservation. Not so easy to accomplish that in a town like Wilson. Wilson is by no means a major tourist destination. You have to appreciate the efforts of folks like Helen, and others of like mind, to preserve a bit of local history.
Wilson, not very far from Slaton-- we were impressed by the neatness and cleanliness of the town.
It is probably about the size of Ropes/Ropesville, but what a difference. We took photographs in the downtown area, near the old Wilson Mercantile Building which has been converted to a kind of town hall/meeting room/museum.
Wilson is not far from Slaton. You go right on the Slaton highway to avoid the overpass that takes you into downtown Slaton. And then another right at an intersection and in about nine miles you are in Wilson.
We stopped to photograph the first building we saw in Wilson. I had never been there before, but my wife remembered Wilson well. Of course, there had been changes.
Wilson is a very small town, and I think it is safe to say that it is struggling to survive. I thought we would not have much to photograph, but I was wrong.
A great old tin ceiling, but also a meat locker.
If you slaughtered a heifer, you could take it here and have it hung in back. Then you could visit for other groceries and also get a few cuts of meat to take home. Makes sense. We were invited to step into this meat locker. I guess I've read too much Stephen King-- I politely refused and stayed outside to take the pics. I'm sure Helen and Jenna would not have slammed and locked the door on us, but, like I say, my imagination is a little over-active.
Besides, this meat locker was just not a very inviting place...
