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The
Muldoon Quarry (no date)
Courtesy Fayette County Heritage Museum and Archives |
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"Muldoon
Blue" sandstone became a popular material for buildings in Fayette
and neighboring counties in the late 19th Century.
Courthouse Architect J. Riely Gordon used it in several of
his efforts. A partial list of Gordon's work would include Decatur,
LaGrange,
Marshall, San
Antonio, Sulphur
Springs, Waxahachie,
Waco,
Victoria,
and as well as the Nolte Bank in Seguin
and the jail in Gonzales.He
also designed the State Capitol in Arizona.
Muldoon Blue
Sandstone does have a bluish tint to it, but it is also recognizable
for long white streaks that are thought to be caused by the roots
of plants trapped in the sedimentary rock.
During its heyday,
the quarry was operated with convict labor.
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The
Kerr Store c. 1890
© 2000,
heskco.com |
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This
stone water tank supplied gravity-flow water to the Kerr store.
© 2000, heskco.com |
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Today, there's
good news for people with a connection to Muldoon. R. Clay Rightmer,
Chester L. Cherry, Harrell Rightner and Mark Stang are building
a road to the old quarry and will soon be supplying an eager world
with "Muldoon Blue." The quarry lies just over a slight rise to
the rear of the old Kerr store.
Two large parcels of land in the main part of Muldoon have been
purchased and plated for streets. Lots will be offered at reasonable
prices and ex-Muldoonites are encouraged to come home. With sensible
restrictions in place, this may be the first time in memory that
a town has virtually (and physically) been reborn.
The Kerr store will serve as headquarters and sales office for the
quarry. The roof collapsed years ago, but enough photos exist to
recreate the floor plan down to the long counters and the store
manager's office (the safe is still in place).
R. Clay Rightmer says that there are still tokens in the community
that date from when the store accepted them in lieu of cash. Ths
insured the money was spent locally. We know of several communities
who would like to return to this plan.
Our
special thanks to R. Clay Rightmer, Chester L. Cherry, Harrell Rightner
and Mark Stang for answering our questions and correcting some of
our earlier errors. We also thank Mr. Al Forsythe who wrote to us
with corrections and the alert on the activities in Muldoon.
© John
Troesser
February 2001
See Muldoon,
Texas
Anyone wishing to share information, memories or historic photos
of Muldoon, Texas, please contact
us.
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