A HOMETOWN INSTITUTION · SINCE 1893
T. R. Keck & Sons.
Part of what built Cotulla.
Lumber, hardware, and ranch supplies. A family business woven into the practical work of keeping a South Texas town going.
Two brothers. Generations of service.
In 1893, brothers Thomas Randall Keck and Edgar A. Keck purchased a lumberyard and operated it as Keck Brothers. Edgar sold his interest to Thomas about a decade later. After Thomas brought two of his children into the business, it became T. R. Keck & Sons.
A Texas House resolution commemorating the business’s 120th anniversary in 2013 describes its longstanding role supplying lumber, hardware, and ranch necessities. The Texas Historical Commission also recognized it with a Texas Treasure Business Award, honoring its contribution to the state’s economic life.
Texas House Resolution 63: the family and business history · House adoption, July 11, 2013 · Texas Treasure Business Awards
Across the tracks, built to work.
The store at 101 Pecos Street sits east of the railroad, opposite Front Street. The National Register nomination describes its brick commercial building, attached lumber storage, and warehouse across Pecos Street. A narrow lane beside the tracks once served loading and unloading; historic maps called it Keck Street.
The location tells a practical story. The railroad brought materials into town, and businesses like Keck’s connected those supplies with the needs of homes, farms, and ranches. Its buildings are contributing resources in the Cotulla Downtown Historic District.
National Register nomination: resources 12 and 13
A name beyond the lumberyard.
Thomas R. Keck was also one of the founders of Stockmens National Bank, chartered in 1904. That connection places the family in two essential parts of Cotulla’s development: the supplies used to build and maintain the community, and the banking services that supported local commerce.
Stockmens National Bank’s own history · Visit the bank’s guide entry