Located just eight miles to the west of the growing town of Hondo, D’Hanis, Texas is a small town rich with history, and the epitome of what small towns are supposed to be.

Arriving on a cool, overcast morning in November, I was scheduled to meet with several people from D’Hanis at one of the oldest establishments, The Country Mart.

The square in D’Hanis is more of a row, and is easy to find; just on the right off Hwy 90; crossing the railroad tracks puts one right in the middle of town.

Among the other businesses in the row of buildings that make up downtown D’Hanis are the post office, the bank, and a saloon.

Walking into The Country Mart, owned by Joe and Linda Finger, was like stepping back in time. In a world where social media is what defines friendships and Facebook is king, people in D’Hanis prefer a more traditional chat room. The Country Mart is the town’s oldest and only grocery store plus, including the rare meat market that has a butcher on hand to cut steaks to order.

In the back corner is a one-grill restaurant, with tables set up and lots of coffee at the ready. As I sat down at one of the tables, the theme song to the old TV program, Cheers, ran through my head, and as people came and went, they greeted one another happily and nobody sat alone. Even when the high schoolers came to grab lunch, they stopped and spoke to the older folk. And so it went throughout the afternoon. Nobody was a stranger, except for me, but I felt as if I were sitting with old friends by the time the afternoon was over.

Vicki Zigmond, with the Hondo Chamber of Commerce, is the one who organized the meetings, and she introduced me to all of the right people that day.

D’Hanis Brick and Tile Company

The Cornerstone of D’Hanis

John Nester and Mark Garrison met with me that morning to tell me how the brick company came to be and where it is today. The brick that is produced there is probably the first thing people think of when D’Hanis is m ...

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