Christmas in Kerrville, 1907: A look at how area residents celebrated over 100 years ago

Published in the Kerrville Daily Times On December 26, 2025

Anna Belle Council's first Christmas in 1907. An Ashe Juniper (Cedar Tree) served as the
Christmas Tree and presents were hung on the tree.

Today’s column is inspired by a photo of my aunt’s first Christmas. My aunt, Anna Belle Council (later Roland), was just a week over nine months old in December of 1907. In studying the photo, it made me wonder what Christmas was like in Kerrville 118 years ago.

In 1907, fir trees could not be found in Kerr County, and I don’t think anyone had come up with the idea of an artificial tree yet. The lowly native Ashe juniper, known as the cause of cedar fever during the winter months, served as the holiday tree for most homes. A tree would be selected and brought into the home and decorated.

In the case of my aunt’s first Christmas, the tree was decorated with her gifts — a celluloid horn and a number of dolls.

Other toys, a stuffed dog, a tin wagon and other items were grouped, unwrapped, around the base of the tree. 

A fresh-cut juniper continued to grace the Council home during the holidays until the 1950s, which I believe is true of most Kerr County homes.

I looked through old copies of the local newspapers between 1905-08 to get a feel for what the Christmas season was like when Anna Belle was a baby. What was given as gifts? What was served on the holiday table? Some of the advertisements and articles gave a few clues.

When someone was visiting from out of town, their arrival would be announced in the paper, along with who they were visiting and where they were staying. College kids, like Henry Burney, came home to enjoy the holiday with his family. More than one page in the paper was dedicated to listing who was visiting town — and who was out of town for the holidays.

For the discerning traveler, the St. Charles Hotel, located where City Hall stands today — “only first class hotel with all modern conveniences” — was the upscale place to stay. Another place where many visitors stayed was the Hutchison House, the location of which is lost to time.

Places to shop in Kerrville included The Famous, a general store on Earl Garrett Street — back then it was named Mountain Street — run by Oscar Rosenthal. Rosenthal claimed he had fitted up his store as a “regular Kris Kringle Palace” and promised that “selling Christmas goods would not interfere with his ability to supply pure fresh groceries and get them to you promptly. 

Gifts from Anna Belle's first Christmas survive today.
Perhaps they came from some of the merchants mentioned in this column.
Side Note: When Anna Belle gave me her doll, she told me she got a lot
of joy banging the face of the poor tin-headed doll on whatever she could find -
causing the face to flatten.

Not to be outdone by Rosenthal, J.C. Graves and W.G. Carpenter, proprietors of the Kerrville Mercantile Company, claimed their store was “The Home of Santa Claus” and sold everything from toys and fine china to jewelry and Japanese goods. They were particularly proud of their vast selection of cut glass and decorated china.

At that time, Capt. Charles Schreiner’s advertising was focused mainly on general merchandise. His advertisements promoted windmills, plows, Springfield and Studebaker wagons and vehicles, and Pasteur’s vaccine for black leg. A separate ad boasted that the Charles Schreiner Company was the place to go for “Useful Presents,” including “wearables” for men, women and children.

For the holiday table, it was recommended to buy your ingredients from J.L. Pampell. His advertisement read, “To the Ladies. It is a source of great annoyance to a lady after she has tried her best to prepare nice cookery for Christmas to find that on account of the poor quality of just one ingredient, some of her best work is a failure.” 

Mr. Pampell said his “Tripple Extracts” were made with pure ingredients and could be trusted.  He also advertised a full line of ingredients for fruit cake and other fine cakes, along with ornamental candies and colored sugar.

A footnote in his advertising was that he also carried a big stock of fireworks. Fireworks could also be purchased at the Kerrville Book Store.

Another place to purchase your fruit cake ingredients and sweets, as well as pickled pig's feet, keg pickles, sauerkraut, apples, oranges and bananas, was A.R. Jones’ Palace of Sweets. He also sold postal cards, groceries, cigars and tobacco. 

W.A. Fawcett & Company on Water Street — the building that now houses the Water Street Antique Company — advertised that furniture makes a wife-pleasing gift. The Chiffonier, a chest of drawers with a mirror, and the Wardrobe Dresser, a chest of drawers with a compartment for hanging clothes and a mirror, were said to be not only useful, but highly ornamental for the home. 

It appears that back then, as now, Christmas was a time for families to gather, decorate the home, exchange gifts and enjoy a festive meal. The major difference I see from the Christmas-time ads and articles is that fruit cake was considered a holiday must-have and got a lot more respect than it does today.