Central Roanoke Historic District

Along the 100 and 200 blocks of North Oak Street in Roanoke, Texas, a row of modest commercial buildings records the growth of a railroad town. The Texas and Pacific Railroad platted Roanoke in 1881, and Oak Street, running parallel to the tracks, became its main street. Most buildings are one-story brick stores built between 1908 and 1945, with plate glass windows, a central entry and simple parapets. The 1906 Continental State Bank, already individually listed, is the most embellished, with a corbeled parapet and decorative false chimneys. The district served ranchers and farmers in southern Denton County, and Roanoke functioned as a shipping point for large cattle ranches. Downtown also hosted medicine shows in the 1920s and monthly or weekly Trade Days into the 1950s. Local merchants such as hardware dealer Hugh Jenkins promoted the town's economy. The district was listed for its commercial history and its representative small-town commercial architecture, covering roughly 1886 to 1958.