Update on the H. Noll Coin

A gift from a reader of my column.

A sharp-eyed reader of my column noted that the name on this coin matches the name found on the old Sanborn-Perris fire maps of Kerrville.


He writes: "Enjoy your glimpses into Kerrville's past. Saw this and recognized the name. H. Nolls is on the Sanborn maps 1904 thru 1916, as owner of the Grist Mill. It is my understanding this token worth five cents and others worth a penny were typical of depression days when a dollar was hard to come by and goods were sold for small change. This insured repeat business since the money had to be spent at the token's establishment."


I went to my files to look at my copies of the Sanborn maps, and a grist mill is mentioned with the name H. Noll, though as far back as 1898 it is marked as "not running."   I'm attaching the image of that area for you to see.  The mill marked "Charles Schreiner's Flour and Corn Mill" was about where One Schreiner Center is today; H. Noll's Gristmill was about where the parking lot for One Schreiner Center is today, near the intersection of Water and Washington Streets.  Note that the H. Nolls Gristmill is not attached to the water power shafts like Schreiner's mill.

The mills on Water Street in Kerrville
from the Sanborn-Perris map of August 1898

Since the coin was used for trade -- and since the H. Noll Gristmill is marked as "not running," I wonder if this little trade coin is older than 1898?


Thanks, Frank, for your email!


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