By Nancy Ehlinger Saathoff, Devine Historical Committee
Often the value of something lies more in its’ history than in what currently “meets the eye”.
The iconic Tower of the old “MILL & ELEVATOR” building in downtown Devine, Texas still stands as a tall landmark representing the Agricultural Heritage of Devine and the surrounding areas; but it means much more than that! Devine was built as a railroad town in 1881, but grew into an agricultural community, especially after the building of Medina Dam in 1911, and the irrigation canals. As years and decades passed, times, things, and people changed, but the Tower stood through most of our town’s history.
But this Tower represents more than just “what meets the eye”. That Tower has seen tons of grain flowing down pipes from the grain reserves to the silos and into railroad cars to be shipped to sell at markets. That Tower has seen wagons, and truck loads of cotton, corn, onion, and watermelon crops waiting in line to be weighed and then delivered to markets or farms. The Tower has seen years when there was much less grain and feed for livestock because of droughts.
This Tower has lived through the taking up of the rail spurs and the taking down of the silos, when they were no longer used. Our Tower has seen our sons go off to several wars, our citizens struggle through the Great Depression and droughts, and citizens work through the years of change. But the Tower has also seen the triumphs, the parades, the coming home from war, and the celebrations. This Tower, our Tower, and mill, represent the many years of steadfastness and growth of our community, and hopefully will be around to see much more!
Until recent years, the old Mill & Elevator location in downtown Devine had been the heart of our Agricultural Community for over 100 years! What started out in 1915 as the Devine Elevator or McGown Elevator changed hands throughout the years, but continues to stand tall. Around 1918 it was the Adam’s Corn Sheller with wagon loads of corn ears to be shelled and loaded onto railroad cars to be sent to market, grew into much more! With changing crops like cotton, corn, & onions, and new modes of transportation and equipment, mixed with the needs of the farmers and ranchers, changes were made. In 1937 it became the Devine Mill & Elevator Company and became a larger and more diverse operation using trucks, vehicles, and still rail cars, which served farmers and ranchers from far and wide. In 1959 it changed from a privately owned company to a cooperative with stockholders under the name, Tri-County Farmers Co-op which served a sizeable three county area as well as farther south throughout the Wintergarden district. It was in operation until closing in the mid-1980s. In 1984 it was again privately owned and become SWT Farm and Ranch Supply, which continued to serve our area into the early 2020s. It is now again privately owned, with hopeful plans for a future tire shop and more.
Not only did the “Mill” or “Co-op” or “SWT”, as it was known, serve the farmers, ranchers, and gardeners; it became a large employer for our community year-round, with additional employees added during the summer harvest seasons. Many workers were needed to grind, bag, and prepare feed, manage the facilities, and make numerous deliveries that spanned areas far beyond Medina County. During the summers, many young high school and college students worked at the Mill and depended on these jobs for their summer employment. They also employed students throughout the school year with the Devine High School work-study program. Many of these summer high school workers and ones in the work-study program later became full-time employees. This business had a huge impact on generations of Devine youth, by enabling them to have steady employment while learning about hard work and a good work ethic!
So, the next time you look at the iconic Mill and the Tower in the Devine skyline, think about the historic value, as well as the future usefulness of it. Be like our town founders who saw that a town could be built from scratch in the open dirt and fields when the railroad tracks were first laid here. Look beyond the rust, Look beyond the old, Look at what it could be!
*Some people, who do not know the history and importance of the Mill to Devine, may only see a rusty old tower with no real use. Some even say to tear it down. Once you tear down a historic landmark, it is gone forever!
But others say, “Let’s see what can be done to keep it and make it useful again”! These are the forward-thinking conservationists who know the benefits to recycle and re-use – even buildings! These are the ones who can be a part of making things happen. These are the people who are able to see more than what “meets the eye”!