Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Early residents of Gatesville remember the Meeks Café, which was located on the courthouse square and where many memories were made.
An iconic part of Gatesville history, a large sign advertising the café was recently donated to the museum by Lillian Hannah. The sign reads, “Meeks Café, Air Conditioned, Always Open.”
According to a written history of the café, Leonard Meeks and his wife, Inga Christene (Bakke) Meeks, established the café in August of 1931 on the southeast corner of the courthouse square, where it served the community for over four decades.
Meeks Café was considered to be Gatesville’s first ice cream parlor. In a 1974 interview, Leonard Meeks told a Waco newspaper reporter, “It was ice cream that made the café. I just thought of it one day, made a freezer of it, and it sold like hot cakes, no, better than hot cakes. We had so many coming back that we sometimes had employees turning a handle 24 hours a day. After a while, they started coming back to eat.” Leonard and Inga Meeks lived at the rear of the café.
According to a history of the café written by Bob Meeks, Leonard and Inga Meeks made the operation of the café a profession, not just a job, and people responded by continued support. “It met the needs of early risers, late workers, was an ideal place for lunch for businesspeople and courthouse workers, hosted Saturday shoppers, and was the place to meet after church for Sunday dinner,” he wrote.
On March 12, 1974, following the death of his wife, Meeks locked the doors of the café for the last time and, after 43 years of service, “Meeks Café was no more.”
In the drugstore exhibit of the Coryell Museum, visitors can view a menu from the café as well as a few photos. The museum plans to hang the recently donated Meeks Café sign in the same area.
Visitors are welcome to drop by the museum located at 718 E. Main to view the massive spur collection. Coryell Museum and Historical Center is open Wednesday through Saturday, as is the gift shop. Yearly, Coryell Museum memberships are $20 for singles, $30 for families, and $40 for businesses, which includes free admission to the museum, plus four newsletters. Of course, large and small donations are welcome at all times.
Coryell Museum offers area schools and tour groups a delightful, guided tour through the museum with docents at many exhibits. Call the museum at 254-865-5007 to plan a visit.
