Webb’s Fair & Square gallery occupies the former Masonic Lodge building in Fort Davis. The stone building was built in 1906 when the population of the town was about what it is now: 1,024. The mild climate amid the Davis Mountains attracted several businesses to the location on Front Street until the Masons took over the building in 1928 and added the second story. The building was boarded up when Julie and Bruce Webb purchased it in 2021 and turned it into a folk-art gallery. The adobe red-roofed building on the left houses a collection of rare and antiquarian books. Credit: Gerald E. McLeod

Webb’s Fair & Square is a sunny spot half a block north of the county courthouse in Fort Davis. Two blocks off the main drag through this West Texas frontier town, the gallery is part folk art showplace, part dealer in collectible home furnishings and rare books, and completely a gathering place for locals and visitors. 

Julie and Bruce Webb began dealing in antiques with an emphasis on self-taught artists in Waxahachie in 1987. Since 1994, their gallery has occupied a two-story 1902 building just off the courthouse square. 

By 2019, the couple were getting frustrated with the suburbanization of Waxahachie. The city 30 miles south of Dallas was losing its small-town charm, Julie said. They began thinking of relocating to a more remote town. 

Julie Webb and her husband Bruce have 40 years of experience supporting artists, first at their gallery in Waxahachie and now in Fort Davis. The gallery in downtown Waxahachie is still open by appointment. Credit: Gerald E. McLeod

After a tour of Fort Davis with their friend Lonn Taylor, late author, historian, and curator, Julie and Bruce considered the “sky island” of the Big Bend region. In 2021, they purchased the former 1906 Masonic Lodge. Musicians and artists Jo Harvey and Terry Allen were their first customers. 

The gallery is a bright and airy space filled with an eclectic mix of folk art, antiques, and home decorations. In the old adobe house next door Bruce has his rare and collectible books store. 

Fort Davis has seen its ups and downs since it was established as a frontier fort on the San Antonio-El Paso Road in 1854. It is home to the Chihuahuan Desert Botanical Gardens, Fort Davis National Historic Site, McDonald Observatory, and Davis Mountains State Park. A new generation of entrepreneurs are investing in the Harvard Hotel and the Hotel Limpia, as well as adding dining options. 

Webb’s Fair and Square is at 105 N. Front St. in Fort Davis. The doors open most Friday and Saturday afternoons with music on the front porch on select Sunday afternoons. 

The gallery in Fort Davis focuses on self-taught artists who make unique art. The gallery contains an eclectic collection of handmade objects and home furnishings. Credit: Gerald E. McLeod

1,818th in a series. Everywhere is a day trip from somewhere. Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/day-trips.

This article appears in August 7 • 2026.

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Gerald E. McLeod joined the Chronicle staff in November 1980 as a graphic designer. In April 1991 he began writing the “Day Trips” column. Besides the weekly travel column, he contributed “101 Swimming Holes,” “Guide to Central Texas Barbecue,” and “Guide to the Texas Hill Country.” His first 200 columns have been published in Day Trips Vol. I and Day Trips Vol. II.