A train trestle spans the Red River north of Gainesville. Photo by Jim Perry of the Gainesville Register.
Any time is a great time to start or even renew a special project. And that’s what I plan to do. I had to slow down and then put down my blog, but it and I are ready to go again. Several years ago, a dear friend encouraged me to save all of the historical stuff in my head and put them in papers or books on shelves. I have notebooks from graduate school, and stories my families told me before television around Wichita Falls. Older people I know shared their memories with me, things my husband hears at his work, and anything in the world about the northern part of Texas.
I was born in Ft. Worth; how much more Texan is that? After all, Fort Worth is known called “Where the West Begins.” All four of my grandparents lived nearby and had something unique to show or teach me. After all I was the only grandchild. The most unusual part of my childhood was when my grandfather who was a cattle man would swing me on his leg while telling me poems about horses and riders. One of the grandmothers helped me cut out pictures in the catalogs to play paper dolls with. The rural mail carrier let me hold a magazine with a horse on the cover. When we stopped at the mailbox, I really didn’t want to turnover that picture. But I did with the offer of an ice cream cone in town. The other grandmother taught me to go to church on Sunday, play the piano and act like a young lady.
I learned ranching and mail carrying as well as sewing and cooking. I developed a love for school, especially reading and writing. It’s still with me.
My husband grew up in the big town of Merit, here in Hunt County. Many of the residents were related to him in some way or another. When we married, we decided we needed to live in a big city. Shortly afterward he was offered a job and still has it, but now he is the boss. He is considered a strong community leader. Somehow, I got the moniker of History Lady. Maybe it’s because I have been active in the Hunt County Historical Commission for over forty years.
My first blog series covered only Hunt County, but this time we are going to meander along the Red River, starting out at the edge of the Main Red River in New Mexico. From there the Red flows over the Caprock Escarpment, the High Plains, Rolling Plains, Cross Timber, and Prairies, Blackland Prairies, and Post Oak Savannah. Red River meanders over Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), Louisiana, New Mexico.
But it’s not just the geology, the events that have happened in the region over a long period of time. Some of the explorers like Cabaza de Vaca (my very favorite), the great stories of the Republic of Texas, Civil War, and Reconstruction. In early 20th century there are tragic stories with World War I and II, the Depression, Prohibition, and anything else that’s interesting. I try to keep the 19th century out, but I started a biography of Morris Sheppard who did a terrific assistance for the people of North Texas. I was just buzzing along until I stumbled on the fact that he was a very instrumental in banking. While I can write checks as good as any woman, the banking system is confusing for me. Poor old Senator Morris Sheppard is in the background now.
Yet I really want to finish it because he was such an important U. S. Senator from his election for Congress from North Texas until his death in the spring of 1941. I’m excited about the new project. Feel Free to contact me at carolcoleytaylor@gmail.com. I love to read your comments, suggestions, stories, and anything about Texas along the Red River.
By the way, don’t try to jump in the Red in a white swim suit. I tried it once while I was in school at Midwestern University. I should have known since the water was awfully red. When I got back to the dorm, my bathing suit was no longer white, but as red as the Red River.
This Texas Historical Marker is at the site of Northeast Texas Christian Theological and Industrial College.
In a deposition made in 1919, Reverend Andrew Jackson Hurdle stated he never went to school a day in his life. He considered himself a self-made man who learned to read and write while a slave. Born on Christmas Day 1845, Hurdle was sold at the age of eight in North Carolina to a family moving to Daingerfield, Texas. Family tradition recalled the family had a son with a severe speech defect about the same age as Hurdle who became the boy’s companion, even being with him while the boy’s mother taught her child. Hurdle also went to the Disciples of Christ Church in Daingerfield with the boy and his family.
The Hurdle family believed an overseer whipped Andrew Jackson Hurdle during the Civil War while the father served in the Confederate Army. As a result, Hurdle fled to Louisiana, found friendly Union troops who gave him a job caring for cavalry horses. He proudly kept his blue tunic from the Union Army days for years. After the war, Hurdle returned to the Daingerfield area, site of some of the deadliest Reconstruction violence in the former Confederacy. Former slaves, Union supporters, and Union soldiers became targets of violence for more than five years in Northeast Texas, including Hunt County.
Without a doubt, the dangerous environment, the act of being sold and separated from family at a young age, and his above average intelligence led Hurdle to distrust whites and believe in the ability of former slaves to control their own lives as hard-working individuals. One of his daughters remembered her father as a very independent man who did not allow whites after the war to address him as “Uncle Andy”, as was custom of the day.
Andrew Jackson Hurdle married Vine Jane “Viney” Sanders, the daughter of a slave mother and the master of a plantation in Titus County in 1868. They were parents of seventeen children, three of whom died in infancy. Hurdle stated that all received good educations, owned their own homes, and were never arrested or in legal trouble, all standards Hurdle held in high regard.
Andrew Jackson Hurdle was ordained a Deacon in the Disciples of Christ Church in 1874 and by 1880 he was an ordained preacher. At first the Hurdles made their home in Titus County near Mount Vernon where he paid taxes on one horse in 1873. The next year he paid taxes on the same horse and four cows. Hurdle recalled he rode that horse to churches where he preached throughout Northeast Texas. By 1874 the young family moved to Hunt County, southeast of Greenville.
In an area still known as Center Point, Deacon Hurdle co-founded his first church between 1875 and 1880. A white community of the same name was located nearby, but the former slaves chose to create their community some distance away. Dr. Thad Sitton and Dr. James Conrad described freedmen’s settlements as places where former slaves watched what they said, were careful with white neighbors, and stayed to themselves. Isolation, independence, landownership, and avoidance of whites defined the special nature of Freedom Colonies.
Center Point, like other such Freedom Colonies, placed great importance on maintaining their own independent, self-sustaining schools. As soon as the church was built, the parents in the community worked out a plan for a school to be held during December, January, and February of each year to allow students time for education between planting cotton and corn in spring, tending the crops in summer, and harvesting in the fall. The families purchased three acres of land for a church, a community cemetery, and a school for children. Professor Buffington, the first teacher, enrolled between fifty and seventy children ranging in ages of eight to sixteen. By 1900 the school had grown to accommodate two school building in different locations, one at Center Point and the other less than five miles away in the community of Dixon. Children of Rev. Hurdle served as teachers in both schools.
Sitton and Conrad found that while many rural African American schools were in dilapidated conditions with used books, crowded conditions, and undertrained teachers; there were positives to the schools that were often effective. The good discipline, patient teachers who understood the desire to learn, more time to learn, individualized instructions that allowed work with students at their own speed, and older students who helped younger children with reading and math skills contributed to the spread of education in former slave families. Most students were related, and the family atmosphere fostered good feelings about learning.
In addition to leading the Hunt County community of Center Point, Andrew Jackson Hurdle organized five Disciples of Christ Churches in neighboring communities. At only one of the congregations did he receive a salary, albeit only three dollars per month; at the other four he received free will offerings. Through his efforts seven men entered ministry.
Over time, Reverend Hurdle acquired 140 acres of farmland. Each purchase was made through an “agent” who bought the land for him and whom he later reimbursed. This was customary in northeast Texas where unwritten laws forbade blacks from outright purchase of land until the late 1930s.
After sending his own children to Southern Christian Institute in Edwards, Mississippi, to Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, and to Prairie View A&M, Reverend Hurdle felt it time to establish a college for young African Americans supported by the Disciples of Christ Church. However, after 1890, the Christian Women’s Board of Missionaries took charge of such work and refused to allow African Americans to control the funds or church.
In 1901 Reverend Hurdle called for the withdrawal of African American Disciples of Christ Churches from the Texas Christian Missionary Convention and unite with the organization of Northeast Texas Christian Missionary Convention. At a meeting in 1900, Hurdle was elected president of the new convention, a position he held for twelve years. Many African American Disciples of Christ Churches joined the latter group, causing a deeper rift between the two church groups.
As often happened in African American communities and churches, the women who formed the Northeast Texas Christian Missionary Society at the convention went to work raising money through an array of social affairs, including chicken hunts, chitterling suppers, candy pulls, fashion shows, queen contests, brideless weddings, Biblical plays, and other creative affairs. In less than four years, the women raised enough money to purchase forty-nine acres of land valued at $10,000 for the college in Anderson County, one and one-half miles north of Palestine. The site was chosen for its central location in East Texas where the majority of former slaves and their children lived. In 1910 a contract was let, the cornerstone laid in 1911, and the college opened its doors on January 2, 1912.
The first president was D. T. Cleaver; the faculty consisted of a domestic science teacher, an intermediate teacher, and a teacher of history and English. The next year I.Q. Hurdle, son of Reverend A. J. Hurdle became president of the college with five faculty members. While the name implied college level work, the majority of students performed at elementary level.
One student later described the school as more like home than college. Students worked as part of the learning experience. Boys would plow, girls milked cows, and all worked in the garden. Unfortunately, the dormitory-classroom building suspiciously burned in 1920 at the height of the second revival of Ku Klux Klan. The college was financially unable to rebuild. With the establishment of Jarvis College at Hawkins, Texas, the Northeast Texas Christian Theological and Industrial College abandoned the Palestine campus to merge with Jarvis. This led to reunification of the Northeast Texas Convention of the Disciples of Christ and the state convention of churches.
Reverend Andrew Jackson Hurdle did not retire to his Hunt County farm to enjoy the company of these twenty-two children and his old age. After closing the college in Anderson County, he continued to preach and minister to his congregations and encourage young people to continue their education. He passed away in 1935 at the age of ninety, a well-respected African American minister and educator in Northeast Texas.
Happy New Year!! It’s very chilly around here and Texans aren’t accustomed to extremely cold spells. While I’m sitting at my computer writing I look out at the trees that seem to be so cold. Yet I am lucky to have a roof over my head, walls to keep the wind out, and floors to keep my toes warm.
New Years is a great time to start a new project. I began a blog several years ago, slowed down and finally dropped it when I had surgery. Today I am up and about and ready to start again. A dear friend encouraged me several years ago to save all of the historical stuff I have in my head and on my shelves; notebooks from Graduate School, along with stories my families told, older people I know shared their memories with me, things my husband hears at his work and anything in the world about northern part of Texas.
I was born in Ft. Worth, Texas, how much more Texan can you get? After all, Ft Worth is known as “Where the West Begins”. Shortly after I appeared in the world, we moved to Archer City, or actually on a ranch seven miles from town. My dad was in the Army so Mother and I stayed with her parents on the ranch while he went to war. Occasionally Mother drove to the big city of Jacksboro, where my dad’s family lived. They lived in town; that grandfather was a rural postman who heard wonderful stories to tell me. I learned ranching and mail carrying as well as sewing and cooking. I loved school, especially reading and writing. It still is in my brain.
My husband grew up in East Texas at the big town of Merit, probably with less that 100 citizens. And many were related in some way. When we married, we decided we needed to live in a big city. So, we moved to Greenville, the county seat of Hunt County, where my husband’s family lived. We have been here ever since. My husband is considered a strong community leader and I got the moniker of the History Lady. Actually, I am the Chairman of Hunt County Historical Commission and author of Images of America: Greenville. I think we are both very honored.
My first Blog series covered only Hunt County, but this time we are going to meander along the Red River, wandering into Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), Louisiana, New Mexico and everywhere the Red River flows. Some of the time I write about explorers such as Cabeza de Vaca, De Soto, Coronado, and others. I will go on to the Republic of Texas, Statehood, Civil War, Reconstruction with some great stories, World War I and II, the Depression, Prohibition, and anything else that is interesting. I had the honor of working with the late James M. Smallwood, and Kenneth W. Howell on the book Ben Bickerstaff, Northeast Texans, and the War of Reconstruction in Texas. It is second print, which is pretty good for historians. After that I decided to write a biography of Morris Sheppard. Everything went well until I stumbled on the fact that he was very instrumental in banking. While I can write checks as good as any woman, the banking system was confusing. That was about the time I had surgery, so poor old Senator Morris Sheppard is in the background now. Yet, I really want to finish it because he was such an important U.S. Senator from his election here in North Texas in 1912 until his death in the spring of 1941. Perhaps I can use Meandering Along the Red River as the medium for knowledge of such an outstanding Texas statesman. We’ll just have to see.
I’m excited about the new project. I hope to write two blogs each week. Feel free to contact me at carolcoleytaylor@gmail.com. I love to read your comments, suggestions, stories, and anything about Texas along the Red River.
Oh! Don’t ever try to swim in the Red in a white swimsuit. I’ll explain some hot summer day.
A woman prays in her makeshift cave where she sought protection during the siege of Vickburg in 1863.
What does the Declaration of Independence of the United States mean to you?
More than two hundred years ago, citizens of the North and South had faith in their new country. It was a new land that was independent from foreign sovereignty, a hope for freedom.
During the Civil War (1861 -1865) celebration of Independence was subdued if not totally ignored. However, two events on July 4, 1863, altered the future of our country forever. In late June General Robert E. Lee led his Army of Virginia on a strike against the Union Army on its own ground. Newly appointed General of the Potomac (US) George Meade learned of Confederate plans and began to move his men toward Lee’s Army. The two met at the small college town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. On the third day of intense fighting, with neither side clearly victorious, Lee began to move his men, both able and wounded, south to Virginia. Immediately Meade retreated leaving the Gettysburg citizens; old men and women of all ages along with children, to clean up the mess of the dead: men, horses, and mules to bury.
Over 1,000 miles southwest in Vicksburg, Mississippi, citizens, and Confederate soldiers had withstood a siege of 47 days. After trying every possible entry into the town of 5,000, Union General U. S. Grant decided to starve all the Confederates and all civilians out of the strategically important on the Mississippi River.
By the end of June, Confederate General John C. Pemberton realized he must surrender. Negotiations with Grant began. Grant wanted the surrender on July 4, Independence Day in the United States. Pemberton refused, asking for July 3rd. Grant finally convinced Pemberton that the July 4th surrender would have more impact on President Lincoln and his Cabinet. Pemberton did convince Grant not to press for unconditional surrenders he had done routinely in the past. On the Fourth of July, as Pemberton marched his bedraggled, starving army to surrender, a pall fell over the city to remain for many years to come.
For more that 81 years no Independence Day festivities were held in Vicksburg. The exception was July 4, 1945. The United States and her allies had completely defeated the Third Reich under the reign of Adolph Hitler. Victory in Japan was inevitable. Everyone in the United States was celebrating, including the good people of Vicksburg. They even celebrated on July 4, 1946, but gradually the event declined, again.
In rural America, especially in the South, the Fourth of July was rarely celebrated. Agricultural responsibilities in the busy summers allowed little frivolity. Flags were hung outside homes and stores, but life was still working on farms.
Two other dates were especially important to the United States. In addition to 1945 and the end of World War II Americans were jubilant on July 4, 1919, and July 4, 1976. In 1919 America had been involved in a massive world war. Independence Day chose to show support for the U. S. Army, Navy, and Marines still in France. One of those men was my grandfather, an engineer who mapped areas in France and Belgium during that time. He was extremely proud of his actions.
The other special Fourth of July was on July 4, 1976. The idea of celebrating America’s Independence and 200th Birthday seemed to have caught the attention of most Americans for weeks before. Festivities began on Flag Day in June. From then to the Fourth of July, flags flew constantly. Period costumes, patriotic music, and hundreds of parade goers let the world know how proud Americans were. Now, how did you show you pride in America this weekend?
The headlines on the front page of the Greenville (TX) Morning Herald for Tuesday, May 8, 1945, read “REICH SURRENDERS: British Declare Today Official V-E Day.” Ironically, at the top of page 1:6 the headline screamed “Lt. Truman Allen Reported Missing.”
Lt. Truman Allen, 21, son of Mr. and Mrs. D. T. Allen, Route 1, Greenville, has been reported missing in action over Italy since April 26, it was announced Monday in a message to his parents from the War Department.
A P-47 pilot with the 12th Air Force in Italy, Lt. Allen had been overseas since 1st October and in a recent letter to his mother he wrote that he had completed sixty-eight missions. He holds the Air Medal awards.
Lt. Allen graduated from Greenville High School in 1941 and attended ETSTC, Commerce and Texas Tech, Lubbock. He entered the service January 27, 1943, and received his wings at Moore Field, Texas and tactical training at Pocatello, Idaho.
His brother Pvt. Jack Allen is stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. His grandparents are Mrs. M. W. Allen and Mr. and Mrs. Lee Key, of this city.
What a tragic way to mark the end of World War II in Europe. For more than 67 years, the family knew little of the fate of Lt. Allen. His Missing in Action status was later changed to Killed in Action, but very little details were available.
At some point in time, the War Department released classified documents relating to all military deaths in combat during World War II. Various organizations such as the 65th Fighter Squadron website at www.65thfightergroup.org have made these records available to the public.
The most poignant part of Lt. Allen’s records found on the 65th Fighter Group website is the Witness’s Statement, written 28 April 1945 by 1st Lt. Bradley A. Muhl, Air Corps., and probably Allen’s wingman. Lt. Muhl stated that
“on 26 April 1945 at 1400 hours, I saw Lt. ALLEN make a straffing pass on the east coast of Lake Garda (F-3770). As he pulled off to the left, over the lake, his fuselage burst into flame just aft of the cockpit. Just as I called to tell him he was hit, I saw his canopy jettisoned. His plane went into a steep left spiral and dived straight into the lake. His top altitude was approximately 700 feet. I did not see his parachute open, and as I circled the spot I saw no movement indicating survival.”
Bradley A. Muhl 1st Lt., Air Corps.
Truman Lee Allen was born on November 20, 1923, in Hunt County to Daniel Truman and Fannie Cornelia Key Allen, according to the Index to Probate Birth Records, Vol. 1, page 273, found on microfilm at the W. Walworth Harrison Public Library. By the time he was six years old the family was living at 4011 Henderson Street in Greenville. The father Daniel Allen was a house painter at the time. However, the family seemed to have prospered more than most families during the Great Depression. In 1940 the family owned their own home and Mr. Allen owned a home construction business. T. L. was in high school and his younger brother Jack was in eighth grade.
Lt. Truman L. Allen loved everything about flying and airplanes. In high school he was a member of the Aeronautic Club in 1940, a group of young men eager to fly. He received his wings at flight school at Moore Field near McAllen, Texas. From there he was sent to Pocatello, Idaho for tactical training before assignment to the 65th Fighter Squadron stationed at Grosseto Main in Italy when he arrived on October 1, 1944. He named his plane “Balls Out II.”
The 65th was assigned to the XXII TAC (Tactical Air Command) that was to support the 5th Army. Actually, the 65th and other fighter groups in the area were to clear out German artillery and anti-aircraft guns, step-up attacks on enemy motor transports, and keep the Brenner Line unserviceable in the event that American group troops were ordered to invade Germany through Brenner Pass. German aircraft were not seen in the area after October 1944 when Lt. Allen arrived in Italy. Yet, the region was strategically important and the men of the 65th worked to destroy the last vestiges of German control.
In another strange fate of war, Lt. Truman Lee Allen was the last pilot assigned to the 65th Fighter Group to be killed in action. The next day, April 27, 1945 the squadron began to pull out of the northern Italy region and was reassigned to Villa Franca, still in Italy. When Lt. Allen’s plane was hit, he was the only person on board. His was an armed reconnaissance mission fully armed. Based on 1st Lt. Muhl’s eyewitness account no search was conducted. Lake Garda is an extremely deep lake, located in the mountains of northern Italy. Until the fall of 2012 when a group of Italian searchers found evidence of Allen’s plane, the fate of Truman Lee Allen was unknown.
On November 30, 1942, just ten days after his nineteenth birthday Truman L. Allen or T. L. as he was known in Greenville went to Dallas to enlist in the U. S. Army. His enlistment papers noted that he was born in Texas in 1923, had attended college for one year, and was single with no dependents. He was activated on January 15, 1943 and assigned to the Air Corps. He remained a private until completing flight school when he was promoted to Second Lieutenant. At the time of his death, Lt. Allen had received the Purple Heart Medal, Air Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, and additional Army awards. His name is listed on the Missing in Action tablets at the American Cemetery in Florence, Italy.
Can you image the sadness the family had when they read the paper? His nephew, whom I know, said the mother never mentioned T.L. again. The family received a letter from the Italian group of researchers in 2012. That was the first time the family knew the final fate of Truman Lee Allen.
Carol Taylor, author, lecturer, genealogist, local historian, following the dedication of a Texas Historical Marker at the Merit Cemetery in rural Hunt County.
Have you ever stopped and read those Texas Historical Markers along Texas roads? They are so interesting, and some are quite amazing. You’ll find stories of outlaws, Indian raids, Texas Rangers and more fascinating characters and places.
Texas isn’t the only state with a program that keeps track of historical places, interprets their importance, and sees that the site is maintained properly. Every state in the United State has some sort of preservation. Each state has its own method and means of honoring the past. Since I live in Texas, I will try to explain our Texas Historical Commission activities. Almost all counties in the state have Historical Commissions.
I have been a member of the Hunt County Historical Commission since the fall of 1980. I have helped plant trees on the courthouse square to signify the beginning of the Republic of Texas. Yes, we had a few brave souls living in the area. We have named several places on the National Register of Historic Places. In Greenville where I live, we have plaques for the first railroad, for the seven courthouses that have served us on the same spot, for the Camp House, and for the Courthouse where folks often dropped in to see a trial in times before movies or television. There are also markers for the railroad depot on the west side of downtown hosted Harry Truman when he campaigned in 1945, the Post Office not far from the railroad depot when Audie Murphy joined the Army and became the man with the most medals in World War II, and the Washington Hotel in downtown Greenville. The owner who resided in a suite there was found murdered late one night after a poker game. No one was arrested for there was no evidence.
The Hunt County Historical Commission also worked to find more than 200 graveyards in the county. The group published a map showing all the cemeteries, even if there was only one grave there.
The Historical Commission also administers National Register of Historic Places. These are stellar recognition of historic places. Both Historical Markers and National Register of Historic Places require a historic paper that is submitted to National Register and Historical Markers for approval. The projects can be difficult but working with other members of the local commission makes everything easier.
To complete each Texas Historical Commission application is an absolute breath of fresh air and a huge relief, no matter how many you have completed.
If you are interested in getting involved with your local historical commission, I suggest contacting your local County Judge or Chamber of Commerce.
Although this is not a photo of me, there are thousands of photos of girls and boys on ponies from this era. Her smile of excitement does express the way I felt – and still do – around horses.
Greetings!
After more than a year, I have returned to my computer for more articles about various parts of Greenville, Hunt County, and North Texas. It feels so good to be back in the saddle, to use a turn of phrase. You probably wonder why I took such a long vacation. It wasn’t a vacation but a series of three surgeries dealing with my spine. It had become so painful to sit at a computer and write – or to do much of anything, to tell the truth. I am so happy to be feeling more like myself and eager to return to writing and sharing stories and history with you.
My spine is not normal. I figured that out when I tried to really ride a horse as a child. None of that having an adult walk along holding the bridal but turned loose on the horse and look down at that ground we were running over. The worst part was that I bounced all over the saddle. Every time, I landed on the saddle, my back ached more. I managed to get out of riding a horse even though I wanted to so much.
Finally, as an adult, I quit trying. Yet, I love horses. I think they are some of the most beautiful animals in the world. They move so smoothly, letting the rider control the ride. If only I could be on that horse. But it’s not in my fate.
This year I plan to expand my “territory” to include life along the Red River, or the South Side to be specific. Much of our history relates to life in the Territory as southeastern Oklahoma was called for a long time. And a lot of times, the river was low enough to ride a horse across. Very interesting stories here, especially about Uncle Oscar, which I will share in a future post. Was he an outlaw, or was he a witness to stolen goods? Whatever, he ended up in front of the Judge in Arkansas. My cousin and I are still trying to determine which one.
I promise to visit with you online again very soon. It feels great to be writing again!
3415 Washington Street in Greenville, Texas – the subject of the author’s research.
Spring Fever was delightful enough, but it comes along with wet rains and thunderstorms. Indian Summer is delightful, but with less weather intruding. Right now, I’m trying to write this column while watching the wind and gentle breezes send colorful leaves flutter to the ground. The temperature is absolutely perfect for sitting outside and reading.
I have changed my collection of articles to fit into this Blog/article, but of course, the one I want is not where it should be. This one is relatively important; it pertains to libraries, archives, and other places that care for documents. The Pandemic has spread havoc on public use of such documents. However, I have been fortunate to find some ways to circumstantiate such hardships. Let me share with you.
From the time railroads entered Greenville, the city and businesses subscribed to a means of locating all houses and businesses and describe the materials with which the building was made. That was called Sanborn City Directories. City Directories also provided good information and well as U. S. Census. Today most are microfilmed and held at state libraries and archives. Until the Pandemic arrived towns of all sizes had local Sanborn Fire Maps. Covid-19 caused these collections to be put away. As far as I know they are still in storage.
I was asked to find all I could find about a house on Washington Street in Greenville. All I had to go by with the name of the owner. John Leonard Mitchell was born in Greenville in 1885 and died in Venture, California in 1952. The house at 3415 is still standing and is occupied.
The first mention I found of John L. Mitchell, as his name was, a resident at 3415 Washington Street in the City Directory of 1913. Mr. A. H. Birdsong, a travel agent for the Armour Company, owned the home but had converted into a rent house. Mrs. Nettie Birdsong was the widow of Albert H. Birdsong, evidently the original owner. Sarah Birdsong, the widow of William A. Birdsong was also a resident. Also living in the converted house were S. B. Brooks, the City Treasurer and cashier at the First National Bank. John L. Mitchell was the assistant cashier at Greenville National Exchange with his wife Annie. J. L. Collins was the manager of the J. L. Collins Piano Company. A. C. Becton was dispatcher for the M. K.&T. railroad. Two years later Mr. Becton and the Birdsongs were gone. All the others were still there.
In 1917 the United States registered all males for World War I. At this time John was still eligible for draft, but younger men were called first. On his Draft Registration card, he was listed as a merchant. When the war was over the city directory noted that John L. Mitchell and his wife were still at 3415 Washington Street. He worked for Armistead-Ende Hardware Co. at the end of Johnson Street while previously he had worked at Collins at the other end of Johnson Street. Perhaps the latter was more incentive. One little trick came out in the census information. Both hardware stores sold pianos, but Mr. Collins sold one to Mr. Mitchell before he went to work for Mr. Collins.
The 1930 census held quite a bit of information for Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell. He was a working male, aged 45 who was married and a bookkeeper at Armestead-Ende Hardware store. He now owned the house at 3415 Washington St. but did not work on the day before the census was taken or the last regular working day. He was not a veteran, showing he was not drafted. Mitchell valued his money at $7500, with a wife Annie who was not employed. Also in the home were two rented rooms, one to Eugene Atchison, a 36-year-old salesman, and his wife Jennie. The other renter was William A. Weatherly, brother of Mrs. Mitchell.
By 1940 Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell resided in San Buena, Ventura, California, having arrived in 1935. John L. Mitchell was then an accountant, who owned a house valued $4500. He had three years of college, worked fifty-two weeks a year to earn $2400. No information was available about his death.
How did I get this report the second year of the Pedantic? For every project like this, I make copies for my files. I don’t have the project written and ready to send it to the paper, but I file each one somewhat organized, and usually find what I find it without pulling my hair.
Bass Reeves, the possible inspiration for the “Lone Ranger”
A recent issue of Texas Monthly ran an article called “Was the Lone Ranger Black?” Being an avid follower of Western Cowboy shows in the 1950s, the Lone Ranger was one of my most favorite. The article is fascinating, and I believe it was possible.
The story took place in the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations in Indian Territory. Because this was about members of the U. S. Marshals and, in the Territory, it was extremely interesting to me. Two men, a posseman and Bass Reeves, left the federal courthouse in Fort Smith, Arkansas, with a writ for the arrest of one Jim Webb. They were after Webb, a drifter whom they had encountered before. This time the owner of the Washington-McLish ranch posted bail for Webb.
Of course, Webb did not hang around waiting for his time before Judge Isaac Parker. He hightailed it out of town with Reeves and his posseman in pursuit. So goes one of the many exploits of the legendary Bass Reeves. Reeves definitely was an outstanding person. You see, he was one of a very few Black men in the U. S. Martials, throughout the entire United States. And he was fast enough with his gun to see that Webb didn’t get away.
Bass Reeves was born a slave in Texas. He grew up in Paris where for several years he worked in the Federal courthouse there. Retired history professor Art T. Burton who has searched Reeves, noted “Bass Reeves walked into the Valley of Death every day for thirty-two years and came out alive.” But it is only recently Bass Reeves became a hero in the realm of American folklore. A question often mentioned is “Was Reeves the inspiration for the Lone Ranger.”
At Fort Smith in Arkansas where bandits were taken to Federal courthouse of Judge Isaac Parker, Reeves and his old boss saw people flock to town to see executions. Today the popular attraction is and was the Federal building. But Reeves and his part in folklore was scrubbed away as racism became part of the American past. Today it has been recovered by Professor Art Burton. As a child he questioned the reality of a deputy marshal arresting Black, Native, and white outlaws. Thanks to his curiosity we have the addition to folklore.
During the Civil War, Reeves’ master served in the Eleventh Texas Cavalry and took Reeves with him. As an insight, the Eleventh Texas Cavalry was created by young men in North Texas, including Hunt County. After the War, Ben Bickerstaff and his followers created havoc in Hunt and Hopkins Counties. It is unlikely that Reeves participated.
In 1870 Reeves was married and farming near Fort Smith. He had an outstanding reputation of social and geographic challenges in the Territory. He was hired as a posseman or guide. The term posseman served the same purpose as “batman” did with the British in World War I, as “wingman” does to U. S. air pilots today.
Later, Reeves would be promoted to “deputy” marshal with his own posseman. He served his country until his death in 1910. So was he the Lone Ranger?
A Chautaugua tent similar to this one (shown from Lake Charles, LA, in the 1910’s, would have been set up to entertain and educate the members of the community when the touring group came to town. (University of Iowa digital library)
While we have been distracted about the start of school, whether it will be in-person or on computers, and concerned about all the new cases of Covid, I thought a look at 1920 would be enjoyable.
The Great War was over, the economy was fairly stable, and Chautauqua came to town. Actually here in Texas and other parts of the South, it came earlier as the weather would be too hot in August. You see, Chautauqua was an outdoor event featuring musicians, magicians and ventriloquists, as well as speakers advocating prohibition and candidates for various political offices.
Usually everyone gathered under the large tent erected just south of the First Baptist Church. The new Lee Street Methodist sometimes was the venue of entertainment. In fact both new Methodist Churches, Lee Street and Kavanaugh, sponsored the event over the years. If twenty local citizens guaranteed three dollars to the Chautauqua Foundation, Greenville could have outdoor summer entertainment. Yes, the community had a lovely theater in the King Opera House, but wit no air-conditioning there. It would be like sitting in an oven.
In 1920 Chautauqua began on June 26 for 5 days. That year someone lectured about the “Prophesy of the Present Unrest”. Another topic was “Saving the Victor.” An Irish love comedy “Gal 0’ My Heart” entertained everyone. A soprano from the Chicago Grand Opera performed. And four men gave lectures. If some one who bought a ticket was unable to attend, that person found a college student who would enjoy the performance. After all, Greenville was home to three colleges at that time.
At some time of its existence, the Comedy Male Quartet created lots of laughs. Henry Clark lectured on the subject of “Play Ball”, a very exciting sport in Greenville at the time. But probably the most famous orator was William Jennings Bryan, who ran for President of the United States in four national elections. By losing four times, Bryan gave up in 1912 and took to the Chautauqua fete.
Nine U. S. Presidents spoke around the country, yet never in Greenville. But our citizens enjoyed operas, plays, art classes, classes on religion, and musical lessons. At one point, in another Southern state, the Ku Klux Klan joined in performing. However, it was definitely not successful.
In 1874 in northwest New York State Lewis Miller and John Vincent started a summer camp for Sunday School teachers at Chautauqua. Miller was a wealthy industrialist and inventor. Vincent was a Methodist minister responsible for coordinating Methodist Sunday Schools who was a talented speaker. Their idea caught on nationwide. At the peak of their work, there were 10,000 committees or sponsors.
By the 1930s Chautauqua had lost its luster. Radios and the financial depression put an end to summer entertainment held outdoors.
Miller described his work as “being middle class culture and education that would define them and set them apart from the lavish and conspicuous squandering of wealth among the very rich, and the squalor of the very poor.”
