American Insight: July 2017

The document you see below is an invitation to the opening of the Richter Bakery on Broadway Street in San Antonio, Texas. The invitation is dated August of 1941 just months before Pearl Harbor. It was given only to a select number of city officials and residents.

William and Emma Richter opened the first Richter's Bakery in downtown San Antonio, Texas in 1882. Richter expanded his business in 1912 when he bought the Butter Krust franchise. Richter and his sons also entered the pastry business by forming Colonial Cakes in 1925.

For many years, the Butter Krust baker gave tours of this facility to a countless number of school children including myself. The Broadway Street facility ended production in 1997 and the Richter's Bakeries Corporation was officially dissolved. The building remained vacant for years but is now part of the city’s renewal program.

I bought this document recently at a local estate sale. It appears to be an original as found in the University of Texas San Antonio Libraries Special Collections.