PIONEER BROTHERS
Make Mark in Marathon by Katherine Hess
In 1873 John J . Hess began his travels from Burlington , Iowa to Texas . He had been diagnosed with TB and was advised to move to a dry climate . Eventually , after a short stint in Austin , he arrived in West Texas , living in Marfa before settling in Marathon .
As the town began to thrive , he opened a mercantile business which stood where the Brick Vault Barbecue and Brewery is currently located . Two brothers followed him south , first Charles W ., who in 1888 helped two other men in town put the roof on Marathon ’ s one-room schoolhouse , and in 1884 , 16-year-old Louis Lambert . The store was then known as J . J . Hess and Bro ., as Louis joined him in the business . John died in 1890 and Louis carried on . He ran the store , which held the Marathon State Bank organized in 1909 with Louis as president , and the post office of which he served as postmaster for 20 years .
Louis and Charles were active in the community . When the State Comptroller issued a statement in 1904 that all the lots in town were delinquent on their taxes , and that the land would be forfeited to the state , John Stillwell filed on the section as school land . He sold part of it to the Hess Brothers and to Tom Burnham , and all these men recognized the quit-claim deeds of the original owners , effectively handing the settlers ’ land back to them .
It ' s reported in Mirages , Mysteries and
Reality , Brewster County , Texas by C . B . Casey that Mr . Louis Hess " was more than generous with his time , money and possessions ."
" No one ever approached him hungry or in need of funds that he did not furnish their needs whether they had the ability to pay or not . . .." Thus , it was not unusual that the doors of his store were never locked , providing food and rest for a tired cowboy on any night . Justice of the Peace sessions were often held in the store . The mercantile burned to the ground in 1921 , leaving just the brick vault , where it can still be seen today behind the modern brewery and restaurant .
Louie , as he was called by friends ,
24 Cenizo Spring 2021