STEPHENS CEDAR YARD BEGAN IN DECEMBER 1939 WHEN JOHN T. (JACK) STEPHENS AND HIS WIFE RAN A GAS STATION AND GROCERY STORE ON HIGHWAY 39, JUST ACROSS THE ROAD FROM WHERE TOM MOORE STARTED MOORE LUMBER YARD.
The Stephens Men circa 1920: Jack is horseback, right, and Thad is standing, front
One Saturday afternoon, Cecil Baldwin came to Ingram with some cedar posts to sell to the local cedar yard. He found the yard closed, though, and came into the grocery store in desperation, hoping to find someone who would buy his posts. He had a month-old daughter and needed some supplies. He was depending on being able to sell his posts in order to buy what they needed from Jack (horseback, right).
Jack told him to unload the posts out back, grade and stack them, and tell him what the cedar yard would normally pay for them. He bought the posts from Cecil as a favor, but by Monday morning he had made his money back plus a good profit. So he decided to open a cedar yard. His wife disagreed with him buying the posts to begin with, as it took a large portion of their cash from the drawer, so he kept the money separate from the gas station and grocery store. They divorced soon after, but he kept the cedar yard and moved it just down the road to the intersection of Hwy 39 and what became known as Indian Creek Road.
In late 1948, to accommodate the growing inventory, Jack bought 6 acres from Tom Moore behind what is now T. J. Moore Lumber Yard, and moved the business to its current location on Washington Street. In 1961 he sold a half interest in the cedar yard to his brother, Thad Stephens (standing, front), with the other half going to Jack’s son, J. T. Stephens. A few years later Thad bought J. T. out and became the sole owner of the cedar yard.
Jerry competing in the "1978 Cedar Chopping World Championship"
Thad’s son, Jerry Stephens, went to work at the cedar yard in 1964, and later purchased the business from Thad in 1982. Jerry's salesmanship and demand for perfection helped the small business thrive, but was soon met with the same adversity many others faced during the recession of the late 1980's. Bank closures and slow post sales, exacerbated by fear surrounding the loss of Golden Cheeked Warbler habitat, caused him to find other means of income beyond post trading. He began contracting with ranchers to clear regrowth cedar, build fence, and "beautify" properties- anything to make ends meet. It proved to be a blessing in disguise in more ways than one, as it was this diversification that set the wheels of fate in motion. Jerry’s son, Tye Stephens, found improving rangeland fascinating, especially for wildlife, and decided to attend Texas A&I (later Texas A&M-Kingsville), where he lived and worked on a large private ranch at the forefront of range and wildlife management. Tye fell in love with South Texas for its diversity and productivity, and the idea of caring for the land and animals it supports. He decided to pursue a career in land stewardship as a private biologist, managing expansive ranches for some of the most renowned landowners in the state, eventually starting his own consulting business, S&S Ranch Services, LLC. Together with his wife, Cynthia, they raised their daughters on a large ranch just south of Uvalde, TX, near the town of La Pryor, instilling in them the same passion for the land and ranching heritage. After 20 years as a professional range and wildlife biologist, in 2016, he decided it was time to come home to help his aging father, who was struggling to manage field operations. Tye was never afraid of hard work and spent the next few years running a chain saw, operating equipment, and building a team of skilled contractors sensitive to land stewardship, incorporating his expertise in range management to add a new level of service welcomed by conscientious clients. In December 2020, he officially purchased the cedar yard from Jerry, merging it with S&S, and carrying on the legacy for a third generation, making it the oldest continuously-operated family-owned business in Kerr County. With the help of Tye's wife and daughters, and the support of their family, Stephens Cedar Yard will continue to provide quality cedar products and expert land management practices for generations to come.
