Grayson County TXGenWeb

The city block that Central Ward school sat on was once occupied by as many as 14 houses and two businesses. The attached detail from the 1914 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map shows the 700 blocks of West Sears and West Morton streets, flanked by the 400 blocks of North Armstrong and North Barrett avenues. Not long after the map was drawn, the city began to acquire all the properties on the block in preparation for the school's construction, which was completed in 1917. The vacant building at 415 N. Barrett (see map) was, as recently as 1913, a grocery store operated by "Uncle Reuben" Taylor (1848-1928). He is buried in Layne-Coffman Cemetery next to his wife, Nannie J. Taylor (1855-1937).
The house directly south of Reuben Taylor's old grocery store was the home of Newton C. Taylor (1824 - ?), described in the 1876-77 Sherman-Denison City Directory as a prosperous real estate owner. Newton was one of Denison's original city councilmen when the city was chartered in early March of 1873. He took the place of F. P. Baker, who did not qualify to hold the office because he lacked Texas citizenship. Taylor's two-story brick home sat on the northwest corner of Sears and Barrett (see map). The Denison Daily News reported the week ending July 3, 1873, that "Col. N. C. Taylor [is] building a two-story brick residence in the west end." At that time the corner of Sears and Barrett would have been near the western edge of town. Only 16 days earlier the Denison Daily News reported that ground was broken for a two-story brick residence on Gandy Street, thought to be the one at 319 W. Gandy. They believe it to be the first brick residence built in Denison. If they are correct, then Newton C. Taylor's house was a close second.

The 1915 Denison City Directory indicates by its racial identification of residents that both blacks and whites lived in the area around the future Central Ward. The north side of the 700 block of Morton Street was mostly black. The south side of the street was mixed. There was one black resident on the north side of Sears in the 700 block. The contexts of the stories about Taylortown suggest that it was a euphemism for "the part of town where African Americans live." It would appear, then, that the block selected for the construction of Central Ward was on the southern edge of Taylortown.

Denison News
Wednesday, March 6, 1878
pg. 4

The large brick building of Mr. N.C. Taylor, on Sears street was rented Tuesday by A.B. Person, Mr. Taylor's agent, to Col. Ed. J. Brooks, attorney for the M., K & T. The Colonel and his family are expected here in a few days. His reason for moving to this city is the facility offered by our public school to give his children a good education. He and his accomplished wife will prove a great acquisition to our social circles.

Denison Daily News
Sunday, May 30, 1880
pg. 8

Betty Potts and Grace Potts, her daughter, were tried in Judge Riddle's court Saturday on the charge of arson. It was alleged that they had attempted to set fire to a small building in Taylortown about a week ago. The court room was literally crowded during the trial which occupied all day with colored spectators. It ended in the Justice reserving his decision in the old woman's case until Monday and discharging the daughter.

N.C. Taylor's obituary of February 28, 1892 states that the portion of the city of Denison known at "Taylortown" was at one time the farm owned by Mr. Taylor before the railroads established themselves in Denison.

The Sunday Gazetteer
Sunday, February 28, 1892
pg. 4

DEATH OF W.C. Taylor
Wednesday morning between the hours of 8 and 9 o'clock Mr. W.C. Taylor died at his residence, 703 West Sears street. He was in his 70th year, and had been a citizen of Denison since its inception; in face, that portion of the city known as Taylortown was a farm owned by Mr. Taylor before either the Central or the Missouri, Kansas & Texas established railway connection in north Texas with the outside world. He owned a large farm in the Chickasaw nation, and of late years much of his time was spent across the river. He leaves quite a large family as well as a large estate.

The term "Taylortown" or "Taylor Town" appears more than 60 times in the old newspapers located at Portal to Texas' newspaper database, Below is one from 1898.

El Paso Daily Herald
Tuesday, November 29, 1898
pg. 3

Saturday night at a late hour Constable Preston and Deputy J.R. Moran raided a Negro gambling dive in Taylor town, just as the interest in a game of craps was waxing warmest. While the colored men were calling on "seben come 'leven,' 'Big Ben,' and 'Little Jo,' 'Long Liz,' "Eighter fum Decatur,' 'Feber in de Souf,' and "Jimmy HIx,' none of these celebrated personalities walked in, but the constable and his deputy strode in through the door, and such a "scatteration" of darkies as there was about that time was a caution. The officers succeeded n bagging six of the gamesters and lodging them in jail for a trial before Justice of the Peace Pearson this morning. - - - Denison Herald