Carol C Taylor Blog

Dedication of 1929 Hunt County Courthouse. Note the “statues” standing on the ledge. (Author’s collection)

In January 1998 I went to work at the W. Walworth Harrison Public Library for the City of Greenville. Over the years I had chased down my family history, served on the Hunt County Historical Commission, and was extremely passionate about local history. The Genealogy and Local History Section was a dream come true.

In the fall of that year Melva Geyer, then editor of the Herald Banner, and I agreed on a weekly article for the new Brunch Section of the paper. I would write each week. I think my first article was published in late October or in November. I don’t remember what I wrote, I had no journalism training, but I knew how historians write. That was good enough for Melva.

I gradually inched into local history and eased up on genealogy when I realized no one else is as interested as the genealogist. I still try to include clues that have worked for me but who wants to know about my ancestors who ran cattle out in Lubbock County at the turn of the 20th century.

That is roughly over 1,000 articles since 1998. Sometimes I find myself wanting to pull my hair out when I can’t think of a topic. But over time, I have been blessed with wonderful stories people have told me. I had the lady in the fresh vegetable section ask me about a cemetery once. People leave old newspaper articles, old letters, and various stories at my husband’s office. Some people even ask him questions but I don’t know if he can answer them. At that point he gives out my e-mail or telephone number.

My first really major local history project was a history of the current courthouse. In 1996 Hunt County was 150 years old. The historical commission planned a big birthday party that included a re-enactment of the five “statues” on the ledge above the entrance to the building. I thoroughly researched the building, found the blue prints, poked around the old jail cells, and developed a fascination with the 1929 Hunt County Courthouse.

I volunteered to write the history of the courthouse with all the details. I took photos of all exterior sides. And I sent an old photo of the dedication of the courthouse in 1929 to show that the exterior of the building was never changed. On that day, five citizens dressed in period costumes, covered themselves with flour and posed as the original group did.

As soon as the Texas Historical Commission in Austin received my proposal for a historical marker, I received a phone call from a friend down there. What happened to the statues she wanted to know? I very calmly told her they went home, took baths, and ate supper. Then I explained they were living people perched upon the ledge. She still asks about the statues, every time I see her.

Since then I have researched Central Christian Church, Kavanaugh Church, Greenville Municipal Auditorium, and countless other sites both in Greenville and throughout Hunt County. Five years ago, I began a self-taught course in history of World War I. I’m not a military historian but I am fascinated with what was happening in the United States at that time. Boy was I surprised, our country was far from united and supportive of President Wilson.

Recently I expanded my articles to include the North Texas region from Texarkana to Vernon and from the Red River to Interstate 20. That’s a big area but full of wonderful stories to tell. I plan to continue writing. Let me know if there is something you are interested in.

Dr. Henry E. King, early 20th century physician in Greenville. Note his bag and hat. He was ready to make a call. (Author’s collection)

The 1880 Census collected mortality data regarding death rates in each county.
Physicians were asked to complete a specific form indicating the number of deaths and the cause of each death for the previous year (1880).

Throughout the United States that one-year the four top causes of deaths were consumption (tuberculosis), diphtheria, accidents and typhoid fever. Perhaps shootings were considered accidents.

In Hunt County, where I live, physicians recorded 309 deaths for the year, of which 78 deaths were infants one year or younger; an enormous 26 percent of total deaths in the county. The number of cases of death in Hunt County in 1880 showed 31 deaths from pneumonia, 22 from consumption, 21 from stillbirths, 20 from typhoid fever, 13 from heart disease, 8 from childbirth, 3 from croup, 1 from diphtheria, and none from old age. Somehow, I believe several died of old age, but no physician was called. After all there were no death certificates at that time.

The twenty-seven practicing physicians in the county treated 17,239 patients. And the doctors all had limited training. Twelve had entered the medical field as an apprentice to a practicing doctor. Seven had actually attended medical school. Supposedly, medical school was a two-year program with the same lessons taught both years, in case the students slept through class the previous year. No information was found on the other eight doctors.

One social historian observed that 19th century doctors had 10 percent knowledge, 40 percent pseudoscientific surmise, and 50 percent bedside manner. In most cases families waited until they had exhausted all home remedies for illness before seeking a physician.

The Census Bureau noted that the American death rate in 1880 compared favorably with other countries and offered these reasons: “The low death-rate in this country is considered to be due to the comparative absence of overcrowding and to the more general and equable distribution of the means of supporting life, including especially the abundant food supply of good quality for all classes of people.”

Yet it was reported there were three odds for recovery. You might recover after being sick, but it might be in spite of the doctor. You might die, or you might recover or die. Those odds are still with us, though.

Usually when anyone had symptoms of a cold or cough they never went to the doctor. Home remedies abounded. There was the mixture of lemon, honey and cinnamon or sugar. For a more potent remedy the lemon was substituted with a shot of whiskey. Drinking luke-warm water was another option as was that horrid gargling with salt water. Finally, a new one I never tried was honey and brandy. Brandy was known to increase body temperature while honey fought the cough. Whatever works, use it.

An extremely extravagant prairie home made of hand-hewn wood from the 1850s. (commons.wikimedia.org)

Much of Texas is covered with open prairies interspersed with rivers, streams, and creeks. These waterways are filled with trees, brush, and vines, are known as thickets. Many Texans know the thickets as hiding places for outlaws, deserters, and refuge for wildlife, yet there was a vital use for the thickets.

When Native Americans occupied the prairies, they burned off the grasses and thickets in early spring for new grass to grow. Perhaps you have heard about this in discussions of California’s deadly fires. Undergrowth causes fires to spread quickly. But clearing the underbrush allows tall, fertile grass to take over.

The thickets, though, are filled with valuable trees for those living on prairies. Trees or timber once trees were cut were necessities for early settlers. It was the sole source of fuel and building materials. Pioneers claimed lands on prairies for ranging livestock, growing wheat or corn, and later raising cotton. If there were no trees adjacent to those prairies, they went into the thickets and claimed several acres for fuel. These plots were usually long and narrow.

However, farmers and stockmen found it unreasonable to go to the woods every week. It became a chore for late fall. Crops were in, the weather was still crisp but not too cold, and they enjoyed campouts as much as deer hunters do today. Many men had at least one wagon; two were even better.

Often the farmer took at least two of his sons, saws, axes, and camping gear. Once a spot was chosen, they began to cut down trees sawing the wood into logs for use in chimneys or later wood stoves. It was a hard, tiring chose. Before Emancipation in 1865, slaves did all the hard work. If the farmer owned no slaves, he sometimes hired one or two for the task.

The first settlers cut longer logs to use for a home. Neighbors gathered to help build the new home and creating a social gathering. By the early 1840s steamboats navigated the bayous near Jefferson, Texas, enough to haul fine lumber for sale in the thriving new town. Many early settlers with money bought such goods to furnish log-cabin replacements. By the middle of the 1850s, settlers were cutting oaks and walnut trees in the Sabine bottomland to use for homes. Now log cabins were replaced by frame houses, at least in Greenville.

These new homes were cheaper than hauling fine lumber from Jefferson. Since there was little actual cash in Hunt County at that time, it was a more practical alternative.

Finding fuel in the thickets to warm homes and to cook with continued for many, many years. Such practices came with hazards, though. Not only did fires haunt Greenville, but also so the entire country. The worst fire occurred in 1883 when the new Ende Hotel completely burned down. It was located at the southeast corner of the square. The entire south side and west side of the square were also destroyed. Greenville had no fire-fighting equipment at that time.

The mayor quickly sent a telegram to officials in Sherman where their fire-equipment was loaded on a flat car, raced down the railroad tracks, and managed to assist in putting out the final portion of the fire. Fires continued, but none as deadly as the Ende Hotel fire. It was in the 1905 before artificial gas and then natural gas replaced wood fires. At the same time Greenville developed its own electric company. But many families found the cost to convert to these new fangled energy sources entirely too extravagant.

Today Greenville has much safer ways to heat homes and cook food and fewer home fires. However, there’s nothing more inviting than a warm fire on a cold evening.