Newsletter Archives: Fall/Winter 1999 | Summer 2000 | Fall 2000 | Spring/Summer 2001 | Summer 2002 |Spring 2003 | Winter 2003 | Summer 2004 | Fall/Winter 2004 | Winter/Spring 2005 | Summer 2005 | Fall 2005 | Winter 2005 | Summer 2007

Winter 2008

Photo: Art in front of historic McWhorter-Greenhaw in Mesquite, Texas.

I. Context
Family members have held true to the entrepreneurial spirit of Nathaniel A. Holley by keeping a business operating in the Holley-McWhorter-Greenhaw building at 105 S. Broad St. in downtown Mesquite, Texas. Holley, a significant figure in the growth of the farming community, began this long line of successful businesses after purchasing a lot and planning his first venture.

As the family grew and the operations changed, Holley’s dream of serving the community continued through the years. This marker application is written as a tribute to this family’s contributions in the history of Mesquite.

II. Overview
For many years the downtown square in Mesquite was the hub of activity for in-town residents and near-by farmers who needed groceries, hardware and other merchandise.

Tennessee native Nathaniel A. Holley (1861-1947) owned a 40-acre sandy-soil farm south of Mesquite near what is now Balch Springs in Dallas County and raised sugar cane, vegetables and orchard fruits. Holley arrived in the Mesquite area in 1884 with $15.30 in his pocket. ¹

After a year, Holley returned to Tennessee to care for his widowed mother, but returned to Mesquite in 1886. He began planning to open a grocery store to have supplies for the residents and supplements for the farmers. ²

His plans were delayed, however. Holley’s wife passed away in 1888 and his first-born son succumbed to spotted fever in 1891 ³ after he had he purchased Lot 15, Block 4 of the original town plat a year earlier. Lot 15, Block 4 is still part of the current McWhorter-Greenhaw enterprises and building 118 years later. ⁴

However, Holley opened his first actual store in 1903 with stock hauled from Dallas in two loaded wagons and one buggy. Such a successful businessman, Holley either relocated or expanded emporiums five more times at various locations in Mesquite until 1932. By that year, The Texas Mesquiter (now The Mesquite News) reported, “That of all mercantile firms, Holley’s can lay claim to being the oldest firm in Mesquite!” ⁵

By the time a World War I- era family photograph published in A Stake in the Prairie depicts the N.A. Holley and Sons store ⁶, Holley had married his second wife, Adell Humphries in 1891, and had had four children – first-born Elsie in 1892, son Raymond in 1894, Anson in 1896 and daughter Eula in 1901 ⁷, who, according to family lore, was the “apple of her father’s eye.” ⁸

Descendents of Holley continued to play a large role in the development of Mesquite. Both Raymond and Anson served in the United States Army during World War 1. They returned from France in 1919 and stated, according to family, that they were never going to leave Mesquite again. They did not, nor did they marry. While helping in the family business the brothers donated the first large city park with a small lake in Mesquite (City Lake Park).⁹

Holley himself was elected Mesquite Alderman (Councilman) in 1918.¹⁰ N. A. Holley served as Mesquite I. S. D. Board of Education member for 6 School Year Terms, 1914-15; 1919-20; 1923-24; 1924-25; 1925-26, 1926-27. ¹¹

Youngest daughter of Nathaniel and Adell Holley, Eula, eloped with Ferd Arthur McWhorter in 1923; they were married in Fort Worth.¹² Eula was afraid to tell her father but did let her mother know. It was not long, however, until McWhorter, a Kaufman County merchant, was welcomed in to the Holley family business.¹³

McWhorter, sensing the needs of the farming community, borrowed $500 in 1943 and bought two additional buildings, now at the 105 S. Broad Street location on the west side of the square and expanded the family business, now named McWhorter’s.¹⁴ His vision was to create a retail operation that would include a variety of merchandise in the hardware and farm products area. In the beginning he sold feed and seed for the farms and even baby chicks.¹⁵

Throughout the 1940s, McWhorter’s grew to include hardware, furniture and appliances. Ferd Arthur McWhorter served Mesquite Independent School District as a member of the Board of Education for 11 School Year Terms, 1933-1944. ¹⁶ During this period of change and growth which saw the climax and end of the Great Depression through the World War II years, district pupil enrollment grew by 67%.¹⁷ McWhorter's significance was such that the 5th school in the District named for a person was named for McWhorter in 1959. ¹⁸ McWhorter donated the famous landmark window/front of First Methodist Church of Mesquite's exterior, the massive "Come Unto Me" stained glass above the building's entrance, and he also donated the McWhorter Carillon Bells, the first such carillon bells in Mesquite and fashioned after the Washington Cathedral Carillons.¹⁹

The Holley family business expanded again when Ferd Arthur and Eula Holley McWhorter’s only child, Patricia, a 1947 Southern Methodist University (SMU) graduate, married musician and educator Frank W. Greenhaw in 1949. Greenhaw, himself an SMU graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music, was hired by the Mesquite Independent School District as the choral and band director. In 1951, Greenhaw officially joined his father-in-law in the business and it became McWhorter-Greenhaw, which is what it is known as today.²⁰ Frank W. Greenhaw served as Mesquite I. S. D. Board of Education member for 9 School Year Terms, 1952-1961. He served 7 terms as Board President, the second-longest tenure of Board President service in
Mesquite school history.²¹ During his elected service, district pupil enrollment grew 500.17%.²²

Frank W. Greenhaw was director of music for First Methodist Church of Mesquite for 38 years, the longest-tenured music director in the church's history.²³ Much of his church music work took place in the McWhorter-Greenhaw store location, and his office of church music director was also located in the McWhorter-Greenhaw store.²⁴ Greenhaw served as general chairman of the biggest religious event in the history of Mesquite, the Billy Graham Greater Mesquite Christian Crusade of 1966.²⁵

After Greenhaw’s service as school trustee was finished, he immediately saw a need and began one of the region’s first monthly rental trial programs of musical instruments through the McWhorter-Greenhaw business.²⁶

In the early 1960s, a large porcelain-on-steel sign which was to become a landmark identifier of the square and central business district was designed by Greenhaw and erected on the building. Hand-blown neon spells out “McWhorter, Greenhaw” and underneath spells “Hardware, Furniture, Appliances, Sporting Goods”.²⁷

The business continued to thrive and outlived all its downtown contemporaries as large national stores began building in the Mesquite area. In the 1970s, McWhorter-Greenhaw was the oldest business on the square.²⁸ Holley’s original vision of serving the needs of the community did not change over the years, however, as McWhorter-Greenhaw changed with the times.

III. Historical/Cultural Significance
As stated above, McWhorter-Greenhaw evolved with the demands of the times. Although structures around the square have changed – the small banks and locally owned businesses are gone that were identifiable on early Sanborn Insurance maps²⁹ – one business has continued the tradition of merchandise needs of the Mesquite community.

As McWhorter-Greenhaw sold hardware, furniture, appliances, sporting goods, and even musical instruments to the community, the family also continued to make its mark on the history of Mesquite. Frank Greenhaw was honored to be elected president of the National Retail Hardware Association, which is a large and prestigious national position.³⁰ Greenhaw and wife Patricia’s son, Art, became a fourth generation company officer of the Holley-McWhorter-Greenhaw enterprises through his selling of all business lines of merchandise and in particular, musical instruments, from the location.

Art Greenhaw, owner and leader of Texas’ original western swing band and State of Texas Official Music Ambassadors, the Light Crust Doughboys³¹, established exhibits in the building dedicated to the band. Also an SMU graduate, Art won the Grammy Award in 2003 for Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album of the Year³², and as of this writing is an eight-time Grammy Award nominee.

As one of Mesquite’s earliest and most successful business families, the Holley-McWhorter-Greenhaw generations have been to-date recognized through the naming of Holley Park Street in Mesquite³³, a Mesquite elementary school³⁴ and park named after Ferd A. McWhorter³⁵, and Baylor University’s Family Business of the Year “Family Values Award”³⁶ for McWhorter-Greenhaw. Frank and Art continue to bring recognition to the family and the community through their music and through Art’s leadership as Mesquite’s first Grammy Award-winning producer and artist.

Footnotes

¹ The Texas Mesquiter Volume L, June 10, 1932. This was a complete Section devoted to N. A. Holley and Sons

² Ibid.

³ Ibid.

⁴ This 19th century lot, Block 4 Lot 15, now a part of McWhorter-Greenhaw at 105 S. Broad St. in the original town of Mesquite, was first purchased by Nathaniel A. Holley in 1890 according to historian Max McCullough and deed records. Current 2007 Dallas County Central Appraisal District information shows owners Pat (Patricia) Greenhaw and Frank Greenhaw. See also, Letter from Max McCullough to Mrs. Frank Greenhaw, dated July 19, 1987, p. 3.

⁵ The Texas Mesquiter Volume L, June 10, 1932. This was a complete Section devoted to N. A. Holley and Sons.

⁶ A Stake in the Prairie is a book produced by the Mesquite Historical Committee published in 1984, page 81. This book has many original photographs loaned to the committee by the descendants of original families. It was printed by Taylor Publishing Company, Dallas, Texas.

⁷ Nathaniel A. Holley Family Bible, collection of Patricia Greenhaw.

⁸ Recollection of Mrs. Frank Greenhaw to Art Greenhaw.

⁹ A Stake in the Prairie, p. 179

¹⁰ Ibid., p. 243.

¹¹ Statistical History, various compilers, Mesquite Independent School District, 1977, pp. 35-36.

¹² Original marriage certificate, private collection of Art Greenhaw.

¹³ Mesquite Reflections: School Names, Amer. Assoc of Univ. Women, Mesquite Branch, p. 79.

¹⁴ In 1943, business news of the day announced that Ferd Arthur McWhorter had purchased two buildings on the west side of the square to enlarge the McWhorter’s store. A Stake in the Prairie, p. 174.

¹⁵ Ibid.

¹⁶ A Statistical History, pp. 36-37.

¹⁷ Ibid., p. 23.

¹⁸ A Stake in the Prairie, p. 247.

¹⁹ Mesquite Reflections: School Names, p. 80.

²⁰ In 1943, business news of the day announced that Ferd Arthur McWhorter had purchased two buildings on the west side of the square to enlarge the McWhorter’s store. A Stake in the Prairie, p. 174.

²¹ A Statistical History, pp. 38-39.

²² Ibid. p. 24.

²³ Records, Official Board, First Methodist Church, Mesquite, Texas, 1956-1994.

²⁴ McWhorter-Greenhaw company records, 1956-1994, private collection of Art Greenhaw.

²⁵ A Stake in the Prairie, p. 217; and official Crusade publicity materials. Private collection of Art Greenhaw.

²⁶ Official records and invoices, McWhorter-Greenhaw, 1961-1997, private collection of Art Greenhaw.

²⁷ Landmark sign erected in 1964. Lease, Maintenance, and Purchase Agreement between Federal Sign Company of Texas and McWhorter-Greenhaw dated August 31, 1964. Private papers of Art Greenhaw.

²⁸ A Stake in the Prairie, p. 174.

²⁹ Sanborn’s Map for the Original Town of Mesquite dated 1926.

³⁰ Official board notes, National Retail Hardware Association, 1989-1991, private collection of Art Greenhaw.

³¹ Corporate charter and d/b/a of Art Greenhaw, private papers of Art Greenhaw.

³² Official Grammy Award winners: www.grammy.com.

³³ Current city map of Mesquite, Texas.

³⁴ Official Mesquite Independent School District: www.mesquiteisd.org.

³⁵ Mesquite Reflections: School Names, p. 80.

³⁶ Trophy, Baylor University Family Business of the Year, ceremony programs, private collection of Art Greenhaw.