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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Cochran, Blair & Potts Department Store in Belton is |
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celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2019; and |
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WHEREAS, Thought to be the oldest department store in Texas, |
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Cochran, Blair & Potts was established in Centerville in 1869 as |
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Cook Mercantile Company by Colonel Henry Mansfield Cook; five years |
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later, Colonel Cook brought his son-in-law, Thomas W. Cochran, into |
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the business; the store moved to Buffalo in 1876 for proximity to |
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the railroad; it stocked dry goods, hardware, drugs, and coffins, |
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and it encompassed a lumberyard; and |
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WHEREAS, The shop relocated to its present-day site in 1884, |
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and in 1917, it became Cochran, Blair & Potts, incorporating the |
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names of owners Jesse S. Blair and Arthur H. Potts, who married |
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into the Cochran family; in 1970, Roy and Jean Potts became the |
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owners, and in turn, they handed over the reins to their son, Rob |
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Potts Sr.; he was eventually joined by the family's seventh |
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generation, represented by Robert Potts Jr., his wife, Ashley |
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Potts, and Michael Potts; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1994, the store received an Official Texas |
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Historical Marker from the Texas Historical Commission; recent |
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years have seen a focus on selling clothing, boots, and other |
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footwear, and space was set aside in the upper floor of the building |
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for a museum of memorabilia; and |
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WHEREAS, Few family businesses can claim a heritage spanning |
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150 years, and the remarkable longevity of Cochran, Blair & Potts |
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has engendered a special degree of esteem in the community; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize Cochran, Blair & Potts Department |
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Store on its sesquicentennial and extend sincere best wishes for |
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continued success to all those associated with this venerable |
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enterprise; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the company as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |