Texas architecture razed - Gonzales
Discovery's From the Past [sic] is an opportunity to take a piece of Gonzales home with you. We bought a Chocolate Silk Pie from Clara's Deli and a brick from Discovery's. The pie is long gone but we still have our brick.
Brad and Suzanne Kittel operate this business from the old Odd Fellows Hall. A few artifacts remain from that incarnation, including a child's ceremonial casket (why do you think they were called Oddfellows?).
One of Brad's current projects is removing the old Gonzales freight depot. Since these projects are dismantled, salvaged, and made available, we feel a more realistic term would be "distributed". Brad will not dismantle anything until he squeezes the history out of every 2 x 4. The Kittels also distributed the Hallettsville Freight Depot. Note was made of initials and dates carved into the wood, and a handsome coffee table was made from some 1 x 12s. The place is brimming with architectural stuff. Look through their windows and see doors, doorknobs by the bushel and enough keys to make Florida jealous. For voyeurs, there's even a sizable collection of escutcheons (keyhole plates for non-voyeurs). So you see, it's an education in itself. Not on display, but available, is a warehouse of flooring and lumber.
Brad explained that while abundant stands of Oak were cut in Gonzales and surrounding counties, these were used for railroad cross-ties, and Louisiana Pine was shipped in for flooring. He also talked of a local furniture maker who would follow the loggers as they moved their sawmills along the river and make furniture on site.
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