Contributing Writer
From its beginnings in a tent beside a sandy street in Indianola to its current location on the main highway through Cuero, Reuss Pharmacy has been serving Texas residents since 1845. And now, after 180 years, the company that currently owns Reuss has closed the doors for good on Wednesday, Aug. 27, at 11:00 a.m.
For decades, it was a place where locals could not only get their prescriptions filled, they could buy medical devices, medical supplies, over-thecounter medications, gifts and cards. Cueroites could count on windows being decorated for the various holidays and with Go Gobbler slogans during football season.
According to a history published by The Museum of Pharmacy and Medical History of Texas, when the founder of the store, Dr. Joseph Reuss, came ashore in Galveston, it was not long after the Republic of Texas had joined the United States. Following his December 1845 marriage to Anne, they soon settled in Indianola where the doctor set up shop. As he kept a supply of drugs and medicines for his practice, he soon realized he would also need to meet the medical supply needs of his patients. This prompted the creation of the Reuss Drug Store, the first of its kind in Indianola.
When Cuero was established in 1872, Dr. Reuss saw another opportunity and opened a drug store in the burgeoning town with his son Dr. August Reuss. The Reuss family officially moved to Cuero in 1875 following the devastating hurricane that impacted much of the Gulf coast.
Over the following decades, the Reuss family continued a legacy path in the medical and pharmaceutical fields. Their pharmacy and drug store was a standard fixture along Cuero Main Street. In 1971, the final Reuss family member to own the store, Joseph “Joe” Reuss, built the current location of the much larger building on Esplanade (Hwy. 183). Joe also purchased the L. L. Buttery store on Main Street and opened Valumart Pharmacy. This smaller version of the Reuss pharmacies offered an old-time experience of the small town drug store with all manner of sundries.
The list of employees, from the pharmacists to the checkout counter is long. De-Witt County residents who have used Reuss or Valumart will have a story or remembrance about someone who helped them with their needs.
Jan Wilson, retired pharmacist, has fond memories of working for Reuss Pharmacy. “I started in 1976 as a pharmacist’s clerk. They call them techs now. I asked Joe if I got my pharmacists’ license would he hire me when the current pharmacists Mr. Weber retired, and he said he would and then encouraged and helped me do just that.” A young wife and mother, Wilson lived part-time in Austin and got her degree returning to Cuero in 1983 as a pharmacist.
“I worked there until 2000. I also worked at Valumart, Walmart and HEB,” she said. She also helps out now in other area pharmacies when needed. “There are quite a few independent pharmacies doing quite well,” she added.
Though it is a very sudden change for customers who may have been going to Reuss for 30, 40 or even 50 years, there will be many fond memories surrounding the store’s long and varied history. Keeping that memory alive is The Museum of Pharmacy and Medical History of Texas. Joe Reuss kept for posterity a huge collection of pharmacy related items, memorabilia and ephemera, all housed in a building that has been some type of drug store or pharmacy for over a century, Current pharmacist Chuck Berkovsky called on Wilson to help with the day of the closing. Since it was quite a sudden event, Wilson came in to help with the closing.
“While cleaning up I found some old photo albums,” Wilson said. “We always had a Christmas party and Chuck would be Santa Claus. I saved them back,” she said.
Lifecare Pharmacies, which bought Reuss in 2015, said they were sending all the current inventory to their other pharmacies. The antique medical and pharmaceutical items that had been on display in the store were transferred over to the main museum. The cabinets will also go there as designated by Joe in his will.
According to Prem Kalidindi with Lifecare, the building will be available for rent. As of now, the Reuss Pharmacy sign still hangs there with the windows festooned with Toby and Go Gobblers.
