Kerr County Stories by Lanza Teague

  A photo postcard of the mill dam in Kerrville. The Kerrville Light and Ice Plant is the tall structure in the center. While today’s column does involve a bit of history, it will be a departure from what I normally write about. Earlier this week, a co-worker told me I should start my own true crime podcast. This was after I told her the sad story of Walter Dobson, a man who came to Kerrville to get married, but ended up dying a tragic death instead. The column I was planning to write wasn’t coming together, so I changed course and wrote a murder mystery instead.   Several years ago, I was researching local legends and stories of hometown murder and mayhem for a ghost tour I was developing for downtown. In the book, “Reminiscences of My Youth and Other Catastrophies,” by Merrill Doyle, I found two murderous tales from Kerrville’s past. Unfortunately, Doyle didn’t mention the names associated with either event. The only name Doyle mentioned was a man who was accused o...

The Hunt Store in 1946, when it was owned by Whit Zander and Bangs Kellogg In small towns, there is often a place that is considered the heart of the community, a place where you take visitors who want a taste of the local culture or catch up on the latest news and visit with friends. The heart of a place can be in a church, a restaurant or a community center. In Hunt, the heart of the community is an unpretentious general store that has served the community for 80 years — some people say the history goes further back. Until the flood, the Hunt Store was known as a place to meet up with friends, get a bite to eat, listen to live music, stock up on essentials, and it was the last stop for miles where western-bound motorists could fill up their gas tank. Abraham Whitlock “Whit” Zander and his wife, Sophia, came from Houston to Hunt in 1937. In 1938, Zander became the manager of the Hardin Grocery Store in Hunt, owned by A.B. “Bell” Hardin. Hardin’s store was located in a rock bu...