Named for Michel B. Ménard, founder of Galveston, Menard County was created in 1858, and Menard (first known as Menardville) was established the same year when three families built a log palisade around their cabins. An irrigation system (SS35) to distribute water from the San Saba River was built through central Menardville in 1874 and remains in use. The Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway built into the county in 1911, and Menardville’s name was shortened to Menard at the railroad’s request. The railroad opened wider markets for the area’s products and brought new prosperity. Ranching and farming are the mainstays of the local economy. The former Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Passenger Station (1911; 103 Frisco Avenue) is a small Mission Revival structure with Alamo-scroll parapets. When rail service ended in 1972, the depot was donated to the city and has been the Menard County Museum since 1978. The former Bevans Hotel (c. 1915) at 100 Gay Street, a four-story, buff brick Spanish Renaissance Revival slab, was built to accommodate rail travelers.
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