Long before insurance ads lived online, X. R. Royster & Co. was a familiar and trusted name in Henderson, at 132 Second St., where business, traffic, and daily life passed by their door.
Founded in 1911, X. R. Royster & Co. built its reputation on protecting what mattered most to Hendersonians: homes, automobiles, farms, and livelihoods. Their newspaper ads pulled no punches, one famously asked, “Would you drive with your cash on your front bumper?”, a vivid reminder that insurance wasn’t a luxury, but common sense.
By the 1920s–1930s, the firm was deeply woven into the city’s commercial fabric, offering general insurance, farm loans, real estate services, and even practical tools like free household inventory booklets to help families prepare for disaster before it struck. A later evolution saw the business continue as Royster & Sneed Company, carrying the Royster name forward.
In 1950, the Henderson Morning Gleaner announced that Howard Brown joined the firm to head its newly created real estate department, marking another chapter in the company’s growth and adaptability as Henderson changed.
From bold ads and matchbooks to receipts and storefront signs, X. R. Royster & Co. reminds us that downtown Henderson wasn’t just where you shopped, it was where you planned for the future.
