Title: Evers Hardware Store Records, 1894-1938
Arrangement
The items in this collection are arranged by type of record in chronological order.
Abstract
Records of the Evers Hardware Store in Denton, Texas.
Administrative/Biographical History
Evers Hardware was founded in Denton, Texas in 1885 by brothers Robert Henry and Adolph Frederick Evers. They purchased Fritzlen Hardware, renamed it Evers Hardware. It formally opened on December 14, 1885, and until 2001 it served Denton and Denton County residents as the source for the best and most important variety of hardware needs. At the time of closure, it was the oldest continually operating business on the Denton Square. The store was located at 109 West Hickory Street from its founding until it closed, except for a two-year period. When they moved back, the original wooden building was replaced with a brick building. The store was famous for its inventory, everything from stoves and barbed wire to buggies and tractors. The store was one of the first in Denton to sell radios, supplies, and instruction books in the 1920s, and advertised them by playing one from an upstairs window for shoppers walking by. The brothers founded the Denton Water, Light and Power Company in 1892, and residents would pay their bills at the hardware store. After the death of Robert Henry and Adolph Frederick, the store was owned and run by Robert’s children. William, the oldest son worked until his 1960s retirement. Dolph Jr., the youngest son, took over until 1970. After that, Dolph Jr.’s nephew Bob Tripp managed the store until it closed.
