 Howe's
birth in 1874 was an accident. A little north and east of the
present downtown area, there was a town called "Summit" because it
occupied the highest elevation (810') between the Red River and the
Gulf of Mexico. The site overlooked dense timbered areas with an
ample supply of jimson weeds and cockleburs indicating strong fertile
land. The area is the heart of some of the richest black land in
Grayson County. In 1836 when Texas gained its independence,
squatters in habited the "Summit" and the last battle with Indians in
Grayson County was said to have been in 1843 in a large grove in the
area known as Old Howe Road.
The main building was a store and post office run by S.W. Young.  In
about 1872 or 1873 the Houston and Texas Central Railroad came through
the area laying tracks, and they came upon Summit. They wanted to
buy some land and establish a town site in this area, but were unable
to purchase the land they wanted. So they accepted the offer of
Jabez Haning. Haning wanted to donate the land for the city of
Howe, plat the town and deed every other lot to the H&TC Railroad
with the stipulation that the railroad build a depot. The town
was named for Milton G. Howe, a superintendent of the H&TC Railroad
and former Civil War captain. (Many years later the H&TC became the
Southern Pacific Railroad.)
The plat of Howe, as well as the deed, is on file at the Grayson County Clerk's office in Sherman. The deed was filed June 17, 1876 (Book 32, pages 565-566, Grayson County Deed Record Book). The streets on the original plat are Denny, Davis, Haning Ave., O'Connell, Tutt, Kosse, and Allne. (Plat filed 1876.) Mr. Haning is said to have built the first log house in Howe and it was located close to the creek at the west end of Davis Street. The mill that was owned by John Despain Stark went out of business and John and wife, Rosella McKinney Start [sic] moved 2-1/2 miles north and east of Summit to the Stark home place, where Una Lois Stegall McCoy now lives. With the closing of the mill and the moving of the post office to Howe, Summit passed into history.  Towns Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson CountyTXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |