From Risk Came Opportunity
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A portrait of Fred Offenhauser taken in 1915.
Offering fire insurance in a town built of wood, Offenhauser Insurance was born in a young Texarkana and remains a pillar of the community today
By Jamie Simmons
Early Texarkana was a Reconstruction-era town that seemingly sprang up overnight. Construction began on its first buildings within hours of the sale of town lots. In just a few months’ time, the town had expanded along 20 blocks and was growing fast. This building boom was possible thanks to the ready supply of lumber created as lots were cleared. All of the storefronts, public buildings, and residences were made of wood, which brought with it the threat of destruction by fire.
By the time young Fred Offenhauser stepped off the train in the 1880s, Texarkana had been forced to rebuild several times after devastating blazes consumed huge sections of the young city. For years, insurance companies considered Texarkana a “hot spot” and refused to issue fire policies in the city—but where others saw risk, Fred Offenhauser saw opportunity.
Fred, a 21-year-old Ohio native, was sent to Texarkana as an employee of C.E. Hayden and Company, when they opened Ben F. Smith Dry Goods (in the current Texarkana Gazette building). He moonlighted for the Best and Beard Insurance Agency, handwriting insurance policies, as he had excellent penmanship. He became acquainted with a cashier at First National Bank named Kelsey, who proposed they go into the insurance business together.
In 1882, Fred launched the Offenhauser Insurance Company, then called Kelsey and Offenhauser. The company was founded in offices on the second floor of the Texarkana Bank Building, still standing at 219 State Line Ave. This location was one of the first brick buildings constructed in town, built in 1879 by W.H. Hakes. Fred Offenhauser purchased the building outright in 1894.
As the only insurance firm willing to issue fire policies, Offenhauser grew as rapidly as the young city it served.
Known colloquially as the Offenhauser Building, Offenhauser & Co.’s original location was the first brick building in Texarkana. Built in 1879 by W.H. Hakes, the building originally housed the Bank of Texarkana. Offenhauser purchased it in 1894 and donated it in the 1960s for use as a museum. It is now the home of the Museum of Regional History.
“Texarkana was a railroad town [in the 1880s], and the railroad workers coming through town were burning the place down and having drunken bar fights and all that,” said Don Morriss, descendent of Offenhauser. “And Mr. Offenhauser said, ‘We need to do better than that. We need to clean up the town and be upstanding citizens.’ And part of the insurance business was standing behind what you promised. He said, ‘We’re going to stand behind our claims, even if we have to go borrow the money to take care of things,’ and so they got the reputation as a company that stood behind their promises.”
Offenhauser Insurance Company represented numerous fire and liability insurance companies from across the globe. By the 1930s, Offenhauser was underwriting for such globally famous insurance marketplaces as Lloyd’s of London. In the 1940s, an officer of Offenhauser Company, Robert Maxwell, was part of the delegation that argued for, and won, the placement of Red River Army Depot in Bowie County, which provided a tremendous boost to the local economy.
A group of Boy Scouts poses in from of the Offenhauser Building in 1939.
“[Offenhauser] paid his salary and put him on loan, sent him to Washington D.C. to work for the Chamber of Commerce to bring Red River Army Depot here, which is why the Maxwell Industrial Park has his name on it,” Don explained.
“After completing Cub Scouting, I joined the Boy Scouts. Troop 18 was sponsored by the Morriss family, who owned the Offenhauser Insurance Company. Our scoutmaster was Sam Shuman, who worked for the Offenhauser Company. One of my boyhood idols was Josh Morriss, Jr., the son of the owner of the Offenhauser Company, who lived down the street from us. The Morriss family represented all that is good in America.”
Fred Offenhauser’s descendants have continued his commitment to Texarkana. In the late 1960s, his son-in-law and grandson, Josh Morriss Sr. and Jr., decided to build a modern building on Pine Street. They donated the original building for use as a museum. Thanks to their generosity, the Texarkana Historical Society and Museum was born. This iconic State Line Avenue building still stands guard over the original city and is a reminder of Texarkana’s growth. The “new” building on Pine Street has since become historic in its own right, and the Offenhauser Insurance Agency partners and officers once again filled a community need by donating this building to the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council for use as a makerspace.
The Morriss family has produced three generations of C.E. Palmer Award winners, civic leaders, and community champions. Their commitment to community can be traced through the decades, from Fred Offenhauser’s extensive civic involvement to Josh Morriss Jr. spearheading fundraising efforts to preserve another iconic Texarkana building: the Saenger Theater. Morriss brought childhood friend Ross Perot into the project. The two had been Eagle Scouts together, and, in his biography, Perot pointed to Morriss as his inspiration for attending the US Naval Academy; young Ross was impressed with the way Josh Jr. looked in his uniform, and the future billionaire wanted to follow suit. Thanks to Perot’s $800,000 contribution, the effort to restore this beautiful 1924 building was a complete success. It now bears the name Perot, in honor of Ross’ parents.
During his term as president of the Texarkana Board of Trade, Fred Offenhauser led one of the most famous publicity stunts in Texarkana history. A couple was married on the Texas-Arkansas border, and their love story was turned into a motion picture. Filming took place over one day, during which a brand-new bungalow was built and furnished, to be gifted to the newlyweds. At the end of the day, Fred Offenhauser handed them the keys and granted them free home insurance for one year.
One of the most interesting community projects the Offenhauser Insurance company ever participated in involved a wedding on State Line Avenue and a house built in a day. In 1915, the Texarkana Board of Trade initiated a nationally famous publicity stunt that emphasized Texarkana’s “dual personality.” A real couple was chosen—a bride from the Texas side and a groom from the Arkansas side—to be married on the state line.
The chosen couple, Brandon Gray and Irene Taylor, recreated their courtship on film (with plenty of creative license from the filmmakers), and the movie would end with their genuine marriage on State Line Avenue. Marriage licenses for the couple were granted in both Miller and Bowie Counties. (Technically, two ceremonies took place, one on each side of the specially-constructed dais, each presided over by an officiant from their respective states.) Filming took all day, and the resulting movie was shown in theaters across the country. The prize awarded to the couple was a new home, fully furnished and including all the modern utilities such as electricity, phone service, and indoor plumbing. The home, which still stands today on County Avenue, was built over an eight-hour period while the filming and wedding took place. By 5 p.m., Fred Offenhauser was handing over the keys to the couple. Offenhauser contributed a full year’s worth of homeowner’s insurance.
In 1971, Offenhauser & Co. moved into the 518 Pine Street office. Pictured here: Robert Maxwell, Ben J. Ellis, Lewis H. Arnold Jr., Jack Bruner, Joseph S. Morriss, Josh R. Morriss Jr., Sam Shuman, and Josh R. Morriss Sr.
In 2017, 46 years later: Philip Harbin, Derick Giles, Tom Wilson, Beth Sparks, Scott Bruner, Collins Bruner, Joseph S. Morriss, Steve Morriss, Josh R. Morriss Jr., Don Morriss, and William Morriss.
Fred Offenhauser passed away in 1926 while attending a convention of the Texas Association of Insurance Agents in Galveston, still working in the field he loved. He was a charter member of the association and had served as its president, as well as president of the National Association of Insurance Agents.
H. Ross Perot and his wife, Margot, came to Texarkana to attend the premiere of Judge Josh Morriss III’s show, Texarkana the Musical, at Silvermoon on Broad in September of 2011. Pictured left to right: Rita Morriss, Melanie Tkach, Ben Tkach, Martha Morriss, Ross Perot, Judge Josh Morriss III, Josh Morriss Jr., Patsy Morriss, Margot Perot, William Morriss, Diana Morriss, and Don Morriss.
Today, Fred Offenhauser’s legacy lives on through his descendants, Don Morriss, William Morriss, and Steve Morriss. The company is largely still a family operation, made strong by both the owners’ differences and also their unifying dedication to bettering the community, à la Fred Offenhauser.
Don Morriss, now retired, and William Morriss, vice-president, have spent their careers in Offenhauser Insurance. Both attribute strong working relationships with family partners, business co-owners, and the community in remaining strong and relevant for over 150 years. Here, Don and William stand in front of the original Offenhauser sign that was featured on the first brick building in Texarkana.
“That’s the beauty of the partnership that we’ve had through the years,” William Morriss said. “We’ve got different angles, different aspects, different relationships, different community involvement organizations, different attitudes, different thought processes—and together, we’ve made it work.”