As agent for the Port Arthur Land Company, Dutch immigrant G. W. Kilsdonk, Jr., worked to encourage people from his native Holland to settle in this area in the late 1890s. He built a number of businesses to serve the developing community, including a two-story mercantile store at this site. In addition to its function as a supply center, the Mercantile building also served as a community gathering place and meeting hall for many organizations, businesses, churches, and social groups. The original Mercantile building was destroyed by fire n 1909.