Name/Title
Adams Grocer Company [Cover]Description
Cover from "ADAMS GROCER COMPANY, / BROWNWOOD, TEXAS" postmarked on February 16, 1906 addressed to "L.L. Shield, / Santa Anna, Texas."Context
This cover was made when Brownwood was dominated by the cotton industry. The Adams Grocer Company supported the West Texas Compress Company, the Brownwood Cotton Oil Mill, and sixteen cotton gins. Prohibition became popular in the town in the 1890s, and in 1903, after a series of violent incidents, the town's saloons were closed. Equally rowdy drinking clubs sprang up in response to the saloon closings, and a stretch of one street became known as "Battle Row." The population of Brownwood continued to climb, reaching 6,967 in 1910.