Cen-Tex Wool Mill Historic District

Two miles north of downtown San Marcos, a cluster of twelve industrial buildings and structures records the town's cotton and wool manufacturing past. The complex began in 1924-1929 as the Planters and Manufacturers Cotton Mill, whose main building was among the first in the area built entirely of reinforced concrete and had an automatic sprinkler system. After years of temporary uses, it became the first commercial wool scouring plant in Texas in 1940, and a blanket mill, hat factory and wool warehouses followed. For most of its operating years it was the largest wool-scouring mill west of the Mississippi River, and it was also a leading source of raw lanolin. The utilitarian buildings use concrete, glazed brick and corrugated metal, and a 100-foot steel water tower and a working rail spur survive. Rehabilitated in the late 1980s, the buildings now serve as commercial lease space. Only one 1970s building is non-contributing. The district was listed for its role in local industry.