Eckhardt Stores, Yorktown, Texas
historic place
The Eckhardt Stores building in Yorktown, De Witt County, was erected in 1876. This substantial structure featured iron shutters, an elevator, and walls that were 25 inches thick. It served as a general mercantile store, a business begun by the pioneer Caesar Eckhardt family in 1848. This was soon after the founding of Yorktown itself. The store's operations relied on wagons that brought goods from the seaport of Indianola. To acquire additional supplies from San Antonio, gold and silver were transported, often hidden under potatoes. During the Civil War, the owner's wife managed the business, as her husband and their two sons were serving the South. The Eckhardt Stores building was recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1965. The historical marker for this site was also erected in 1965. This location illustrates early commercial activity in Yorktown.