The Partrick Building, Monographs of Kinney County's Architectural Heritage

This bi-weekly feature examines the enduring unique architecture to be found here in Kinney County by spotlighting individual buildings and providing brief histories, complimented by period photographs. Our intent is to explore the past, inspire the present, and build the future by showcasing the remarkable associations and legacies of structures which have stood the test of time and continue to contribute so much to the exceptional heritage of Kinney County. Our next subject is the “Partrick Building” a noble contributor to the original town of Brackett and designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 2008.

“The Partrick building is one of the handsomest in town ...!” A fitting observation, from 1907, of one of Brackettville’s last remaining 19th century commercial buildings that is not only architecturally pleasing but also made a noteworthy contribution to the commercial glory days of the community. The “Partrick Hotel,” as the property is identified by the Sanborn-Perris Map Co., Limited on their 1894 and 1900 fire insurance maps of Brackettville, is irrefutably linked to the economic development of the town’s core business district.

The first plat of the original town of Brackett was filed in March 1870. The next twenty years were a period of rapid growth as the garrison of Fort Clark reached regimental size. The main business district emerged along Spring Street and North Street to the east of the Las Moras Spring and Fort Clark. Saloons, restaurants, and mercantile stores flourished thanks to a devoted clientele of soldiers. The prosperity of the community was undeniably bankrolled by the United States Army through lucrative contracts let by the Quartermaster Department with local farmers and merchants for forage, animals, fuel, building materials, labor, and general merchandise. The truth be known, Brackettville was an ideal location for an entrepreneur or professional to establish a business in the late 19th century.

In 1884 Dr. William R. Partrick purchased the vacant Lot 1 in Block 5 from S. B. Smith. By the next year Dr. Partrick had completed a fine limestone building, as evidenced by the year “1885” carved into the building’s keystone and the County Assessor’s records, which reflect an increase in value for the property from $400 to $4,450.

Limestone is historically the prevailing building material throughout Kinney County. “Everywhere in the hills, quarries of limestone for building purposes crop out conveniently, making rock houses almost as cheap as lumber and practically indestructible.” The 1870’s and 80’s saw the construction of dozens of limestone buildings on Fort Clark and in the Original Town of Brackett. The Partrick Building is a particularly impressive example of the skills of local stonemasons. The building is constructed on a post and beam foundation entirely of rough- cut limestone blocks, except the front elevation, which incorporates ashlar limestone of excellent quality. All original lintels and windowsills are also limestone blocks. An oddity of the stonework is a single stone which projects from the east wall near the upper course, just behind the front. This stone appears to serve no functional purpose whatsoever! A nearby building and a building on Ann Street also display these curious projecting “cornerstones.” It is speculated that this distinctive feature was a signature incorporated into his work by the stonemason.

The single story east side first functioned as the W. R. Partrick Drug Store & Fancy Notions, the west side ground floor as a general store selling dry goods and groceries, and the second floor as the Partrick Hotel. An examination of available Sanborn Maps provides convincing evidence and illustrates the extent of Dr. Partrick’s facilities on the property in addition to the drug store and general store. Outbuildings and works included a beer vault; windmill; an elevated tank, which in all likelihood provided water pressure for the hotel; a bake oven; and several miscellaneous frame structures. Judging from the description of Dr. Partrick written in 1907, he had a thriving business despite a series of disastrous floods which caused considerable damage to the downtown area in 1899.

Dr. Partrick is described in the monograph “Kinney County, Brackett, Fort Clark, Spofford” written by J. S. Morin and published by Charles Kartes (both men contemporaries of Dr. Partrick) in Brackett in 1907 as, “Among the well known business men and citizens of Brackett is found Dr. W. R. Partrick, who has been a resident of the town since 1875. Dr. Partrick is one of the leading physicians and surgeons of this section, being a graduate of one of the leading Pennsylvania schools of medicine. As a young man he served with honor on the Confederate side in the War Between the States. He has the distinction of being the first man fired upon by the Union fleet following the capture of Fort Sumter. He was appointed captain and assistant surgeon in 1886 of the Third Regiment Texas Volunteer Guards. Dr. Partrick conducts drug store and in addition is engaged in the general merchandise business. He is an enterprising public spirited citizen and stands well with his fellow townsmen. Dr. Partrick carries an up-to- date stock of groceries, dry goods, etc. and a complete stock of drugs and druggists sundries. He makes a specialty of prescriptions, attending to this important work personally. He is also city health officer. Doctor Partrick also furnished medicines and attended to Kinney County’s paupers during several terms as the County Physician 1903-1908 and was placed in charge of a detention/quarantine camp during a yellow fever epidemic in the county in 1903.

After nearly thirty years in business, Partrick sold the property to Mr. R. Stratton & Co. in 1913. Mr. Stratton, a competitor of Partrick, owned two other mercantile stores in Brackettville at the time. At this point, Dr. Partrick is lost to history and leaves only a city street bearing his name and his fine stone building as his legacy to the community.

Architecturally the Partrick Building is surpassed only by the 1911 County Courthouse in size and grandeur and can rightfully claim to be the largest 19th century commercial building in Brackettville to survive basically intact and still be in use to the present day. The Stratton buildings are gone. North Street, which once teemed with soldiers and townspeople seeking goods, drink, and entertainment, is now a quiet sleepy lane with no hint of its past prosperity or decadence.

Recurring flood damage eventually caused severe deterioration of the lower courses of limestone, a fate shared by many of Brackettville’s downtown buildings, forcing an austere but effective stabilization to take place using concrete applied as a three inch thick veneer from the ground to varying heights of three to five feet around the entire building.

Today, few ever heard of Doctor William R. Partrick, but they know his building, because it has stood the test of time for one hundred and forty years and is still, “... one of the handsomest in town ...!”





Monographs of Kinney County’s Architectural Heritage is written by Bill Haenn, FCHC Senior Historian. Fort Clark Heritage Council is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, established in 2023, to advocate for the preservation and protection of the architecture and other historic resources in the Fort Clark National Register Historic District for the benefit  of the visiting public and future generations, providing for the advancement and strengthening of heritage tourism initiatives by growing recognition of and visitation to the Fort Clark Historic District and being committed to endorsing and promulgating the rich history of Fort Clark by expanding upon related educational and research efforts.