Wonderful history of the Town East/Belt Line area.
Kearney's Store, formerly Lander's Mercantile, has been sold. The following was from a great thread in The Real Mesquite on FB.
Here are reminiscences from Gill Henson:
First time I remember going into Lander's was when my brother and I rode our horses from Edgebrook Drive in Mesquite to the store, tied them up and went into to get a cold drink and peanut butter crackers. I was ten-year's old and my brother was 8 1/2 in 1961 and Town East was a two-lane narrow road from Gus Thomason Rd east to New Hope and continued east to become a part of... "Duckworth Circle." A portion of it was gravel. There was no development east of GT, ....no NMHS, no Town East Mall, no IH635. Just ragged overgrown pastureland covered by scrubby Mesquite trees and Dewberry cattle or Doc Franklin's Santa Gertrudis on the old Galloway land where the mall would eventually be built. There was no extension of north Galloway from US-80 north to IH-30.
Moten "Jr." Lander was standing at the register in starched white dress shirt, bow tie, dress pants and tennis shoes. He was whistling and soon the whistling was replaced by his raspy, baritone voice, "Hey there, young men. Welcome to the biggest store in downtown New Hope! Come in. How may I assist you cowboys?"
We advised, we wanted a cold drink and crackers. He directed us to two long chilled boxes containing a variety of soft drinks in return bottles near the front and a large glass Lance's jar with a red lid full of crackers on the counter above all the candy.
Ernest "Skoodum" Kearney, 28, was making sandwiches and slicing meat and cheese in the meat market area near the back of the store. He smiled and quietly spoke.
This was our introduction to a unique, awesome time and place locked in by dedication and a way of life these people had grown up in.
Skoodum's dad had a blacksmith's shop and barn on the corner where CVS is today. His family and relatives lived just north of the store. Skoodum has spent his entire 84-years on this corner. He began working for Junior Lander at age 13 pumping gas and carrying out groceries, supplies, and delivering them.
"Skoodum" would learn salesmanship, customer service and what it took to run a profitable, lasting small business from Junior Lander. Skoodum also did repairs of washing machines, T.V.'s, and radios. They sold everything a general mercantile could fit into the shelves and more.
There was a library across the street and north and eventually another mom and pop grocery-filling station run by the Ragsdale family.
Belt Line was a narrow, curving two-lane road that passed through every outlying town/city surrounding Dallas. It was in the area covered by the sheriff's office. The deputies were regular customers. It was common for the actual sheriff or county commissioner to drop in for a sandwich and cold drink and to talk a lil' "...politics!"
In 1962, we moved to Sunnyvale and attended the red bricked school located where it is today and serves as the Administration Building. It was next to the original white frame structure known to old timers as "Tripp School". The road, school, and area is said to have gotten its name from the store (later known as Foster's) located at the northwest corner of Tripp and Collins Roads owner's ...DOG who was named "Tripp". He would lie in the roadway and watch for cars to chase.
We met Skoodum's family there at the school which included wIfe Margaret, daughter Pam and son Pat. There was four of us.
Moten "Junior" Lander was active in the community and the school was the "Center" of every activity. Lander was master of ceremony for PTA meetings, carnivals, banquets, holiday celebrations, 8th grade graduation and more. He often told jokes and entertained the masses. He had the sound and cadence of a baptist minister.
Sunnyvale school was held in one building in those days had 1st-8th grades and 9th-12th went to Forney High School. 5th and 6th grade were held in the same room, as were 7th and 8th. The same teacher gave the lesson and assignment to one side of the room and then, the other.
There were two bus routes; a north and a south. Jake drove the north and Mr. Allen, the custodian drove the south. Town East was the dividing line between the two routes. If you lived on TE you could board either bus. Jake turned his bus north at Belt Line and Mr. Allen turned south. The high school students got on the Sunnyvale school bus and once the Sunnyvale students unloaded at school on Tripp, the high schoolers got onto one bus and were then transported to Forney by Jake. Everyone rode the bus in those days to socialize and share the spirit of belonging. We knew every family and resident along the route.
In those days, the Landers lived in a red bricked home just south of US-80 on the east side of Belt Line. Moten, wife Bobbie Don and son Doak were observed at football games, school events and at times at the store together.
As the years passed and Junior aged, his health declined and he quietly passed away. Skoodum continued to run the store just as he had. It was as if Junior Lander was on an extended vacation; as things continued seamlessly without change.
There were events in the store, robberies, and the murder of the deputy at the east rear but the fire that destroyed the old store and its contents were the turning point to ownership and plans to rebuild the store.
My dad A.R."Papaw" HENSON and "Skoodum" became best friends through the years. After dad retired he was there throughout the day for conversation, local news, and to plan their trips to the local sale barns.
Dad was there the day the store burned. There are photos of them standing together on the front page of the DMN-Metro watching ..."a lot of memories go up in smoke!" It was devastating to them, his family and the entire community that had spent several generations growing up at the store. It was as if a dear, respected, senior family member had passed unexpectedly. The end of an era that would never be recaptured or known by future generations. It was a special place. One where everyone came to experience the past; a time in their minds when things were good, at least better and the community was truly a melting pot ...a family; that watched your back and came to the store to follow your life or keep up with your well being. "A place where everyone knew your name... and cared!" There were funeral notices, photos of local boys in the service, a football schedule for the Sunnyvale "Tigers" in those days, posted on the wall. 5th grade graduation dresses
Skoodum and Bobbie Don Lander came to an agreement on purchasing the land as the old structure came down. Skoodum would rebuild and change the name to Kearney's Store but it would always be ...LANDER'S in the hearts and souls of those that grew up there!
Dad and Skoodum had been in the horse business together. Skoodum would buy these nice little saddle horses and dad would clean them up, feed them "sweet feed" ...Horse 'n Mule and get them slick and healthy looking. Dad would groom, saddle, bridle, and ride them in preparation of selling them. Often, it was an attraction to many to observe dad washing the latest selection of horse at the car wash on Barnes Bridge.
Skoodum would furnish feed, supplies, farrier service, and a trip to the vet. In the end, you could not believe this was the same horse purchased at the sale just a few months prior.
Finally after years of discussing putting a pony ride together for local kids to be introduced to horses, they found the equipment to do it. Skoodum had the small Shetland ponys and they began to select the most gentle and even-tempered in the bunch.
Dad began cleaning and fattening up six of the selected ponies at his home. He sheared, trimmed, cleaned, bathed, thinned their manes, tails, forelocks and removed all the burrs and pasture trash from them. In no time, they were.. "show stock" and ready for their new role. Dad was known as "Papaw" HENSON at the store so since he was going to run it and did most of the work to get the horses ready, they agreed it would be called... "Papaw's Pony Rides" and they would set it up under the shade of one of the pecan trees across the street, south of the store. Skoodum's son-in-law, Joe Lopez had painted the circular pony ride rig a bright red. He and dad had cleaned and oiled the saddles they found at the sale. The day had come to see if the hard work and expense would pay off?
They began early that first Saturday morning. It was slow at first with just a few regular customers from the store letting their kids try it out. Soon Papaw's grand girls showed up and passing motorist began to stop and ask questions. Phone inquiries came in throughout the day to the store. Saturday was steady but Sunday after church was the proof they needed; that it was a success. Three dollars... for about twenty rounds proved to be the norm unless there was a lull and they could ride for much longer. The following weekends would be almost constant riding; all day. Luckily, they had cleaned up six additional ponies so that they did not tire or overheat. Periodically, they changed them out, watering and feeding them. Hay and feed was available for those kids that were a little shy or frightened to climb in the saddle.
So ...that was the way Papaw's Pony Rides began and became a renewed attraction to "downtown" New Hope and Kearney's Store. Parents, grand parents and friends knew that this was something their children would never forget and they were right!
The spring brought baby chicks, ducklings, goslings, and bunnies galore. There were full sized chickens, roosters, guineas, turkeys, dove, emus, ducks, geese, swans, guinea pigs, a pot-bellied pig, pigmy goats, sheep, llamas, a donkey and more, Every kid within a 20-mile radius knew about the store, the animals, and pony rides. Some parents had to avoid the route past the store to avoid a... "cry session" for not stopping!
People came and they went. Friends and loved ones passed on ... but the memories and the joy that corner has brought, ...lives in in the hearts of every "child" ...no matter what age he or she is today. The voice of Skoodum still rings in your ear as you hear him say, "Thanks buddy and y'all come back to see us!"
Just another hometown boy that did well!
Best of luck Skoodum in retirement! Thanks for keeping the history alive, for serving the community and surrounding area, for your friendship and kindness to our family and those we knew so well. God blessed us... when our paths crossed.
