BLOCK 2 - Main Street Tour     Locate on map


Let's not wander down 
any of the side streets 
just yet but cross Marston 
to what else, the Marston 
Building. Some say that 
during the Depression there 
was a grocery store in the 
first floor of this building.
On the upper floors were 
apartments. Originally built 
during the height of the boom, 
it was thought of as a very 
elegant edifice and housed 
many offices of professionals 
on the upper floors.
 
In this block at one time was a retail merchants association, sort of 
an equivalent of a modern day Better Business Bureau. Then came a beauty
shop known as Luella's. These places are only vaguely recalled.  In the 
Halbert Building were the city hall and jail, though his was not their 
original location. Children of this generation most likely recall a long 
line winding down the hallway of this building right after the Christmas 
parade so that they could briefly see Santa Claus and get some candy. 

Next came what would 
have been one of the 
most beautiful buildings 
of this time frame--the 
Arcadia Movie Theater 
built in 1927 and owned 
by Brann Garner. Some 
have described it as having 
been the best such place 
between Fort Worth and El 
Paso. In March 1952 it 
burned on a Saturday 
afternoon shortly before 
it was scheduled to open for the Saturday matinee.
       
Next to the theater and before the bowling alley was a small, almost kiosk-
like, confectionary. 


The A. C. Bowling Lanes must have seen lots of 
activity at its peak. There were six lanes, and 
young boys were paid a dime to reset pins.  A 
line cost a quarter; shoes were a dime. You 
could sit in the gallery and watch others bowl 
or perhaps you could play a game of pinball.


 Next to the A.C. Bowling Alley 
was the P & Q Realty Building, the 
oldest commercial building still 
standing in Ranger when it burned 
in June, 2003.  For the purposes 
of our walking tour of Ranger in 
the 1950's, it seems that this 
location was mostly vacant, 
although some can remember that 
the corner portion was occupied
much earlier by Jigg's Cafe and 
just west of the cafe was a 
barbershop owned and operated 
by Oscar Bunton’s barbershop.   End Tour