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Earliest business sweeps into town

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Written by compiled by Jim Dawson Monday, 07 August 2006

One of the earliest businesses, located in a building at the corner of Main and Mays Streets, was originally owned by the IG&N railroad. The native limestone building was built in 1876, and the Oatts Broom Company began operations in that space in 1877. In 1890 the business was sold, and the new owners mechanized the operation by installing gasoline-powered equipment.

Raw materials, especially broom corn (a type of sorghum), and handles were purchased on buying trips as far away as Oklahoma and south Texas. These items were purchased in large quantities and shipped via the railroads.

Photo of Employees in front of Oatts Broom Factory at 100 E. Main, circa 1900. The broom corns were hung from the rafters on the first floor of the building until they were needed, then placed in the sorting room where experienced sorters discarded the brittle and defective straws. The culled broom corns were then cleaned and chemically treated to make them pliable.

Next the soaked corns were placed over the end of the rotating broom handle and secured by wire. Different grades of corn were added in layers with the heavier corns in the center. The brooms were placed in a fan-shaped sewing machine where five or six rows of colored stitches were added to hold the broom corns in place.

The ends of the broom were then chopped off to make an even sweeping surface and the brooms were labeled and placed 12 to a carton for shipping.

C.U. Landrum was in charge of marketing for the Broom Company, traveling by train or horse and buggy, carrying his sample case containing every style of broom the company made – with the long broom handles cut off for easier packing. At one time it was the largest broom factory in Texas.

Broom maker Harry William Chambers produced a broom that won a gold medal at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. The company honored that feat by naming a broom the Gold Medal.

The Round Rock broom company operated in this location until 1912. Today, Energy Systems Associates, Inc. owns the building which is a Texas historical landmark. Their offices are on the second floor and K2 Systems Group is on the first floor.