This 103 year old building was destroyed by fire yesterday in Kerens, Texas. Another old building also burned and a third was damaged in what remains of the downtown area. A similar fire in 1996 had destroyed the buildings on the other side of the street.

My parents live near here and have a long association with this town. The downtown is little more than a ghost town now but my Dad claims that when he used to go there as a young man on Saturdays it was so crowded that he could barely get down the sidewalks.

The downtown died as the bank and grocery and other businesses moved out to strip-style shops on the highway. The school which was nearby was consolidated with another on the outskirts of town. The last time I was there a couple of struggling antique stores and a real estate office were the only businesses open.