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Sherman Civic League Sherman
Daily Democrat
Wednesday, August 2, 1916 pg. 6 WOMAN'S WORK IN CIVIC BEAUTIFICATION by Mrs. J.C. Pyle ...The Sherman Civic League was organized six years ago. During these years we have worked to beautify and improve Sherman and to make it a better and more desireable place to live....The first enterprise was the removal of the unsightly and unsanitary hitching rack around the court square. This was not accomplished without opposition from those merchants who had business houses facing directly on the square and from property owners who felt that their property would depreciate in value. The Civic League bought a piece of property within a block of the square at the cost of $5,000 which is used for a market place where the farmers can hitch their teams when they come to our city on business. On the lot the league built a rest cottage where the farmers' wives can go to refresh and rest after a long, hot, dusty drive. A matron is employed by our city commission to take care of this cottage and to render any needed assistance to our country friends. The League pays for the furnishings of this cottage. Here we have an average attendance of 200 guests each month. After the wagon and horses had been moved from around the court plaza, it was converted into a beautiful park. Here we planted trees, grass, and flowers. At a cost of $200 we placed large electric lights at each of the four corners of the square. At the request of the League, concrete walks were placed around the square, 12 window boxes were put in lower windows and now our court plaza is one of the prettiest places to be seen anywhere. By the way of parenthesis I may say that all work is done by committees and when a committee goes out after a thing, they never stop til they get it. At the solicitation of our park committee, one of our citizens gave us about 80 acres property lying on the side of a beautiful stream of water right in the heart of our city. We purchased some other land adjoining this property at the cost of $1,000 and converted all of it into a beautiful park. This committee also asked the T.P. and H. & T.C. offices to beautify their ground around the two stations. This they very gladly did. The other parks of the city are looked after by this same committee. We then asked the city for a $10,000 bond issue to be use in purchasing parks. This issue carried and we are looking forward in the near future to getting other park property. Of course we can do nothing without the cooperation and aid of our city commission, so our library committee asked for a public library building. With the aid of the city government, we were finally successful in getting Mr. Carnegie to give us $20,000. Our citizens gave $5,000 for a site and now we have a handsome library where thousands of books are accessible to young and old alike. At a cost of $200 the League placed ornamental lights on either side of the entrance. Recently we have furnished a club room in this building where the clubs of the city hold their meetings. We have taken our share of the burden of public subscriptions. When the citizens gave $50,000 for the erection of Sherman Hall for Austin College, we made a gift of $1,000. For each of two years we gave prizes of $100 for the best kept lawns and back yards. We found this brought very gratifying results in the beautification of our city. We gave window boxes to the Elks club, the Y.M.C.A., and other public buildings. Our entertainment committee is always on the outlook for some way of making money for these undertakings. The League has helped in all sanitary conditions and matters. Their labors have resulted in more sanitary conditions of street and alleys. Our health and sanitary committees are now cooperating with the Chamber of Commerce and the city manager in trying to protect the people against flies and mosquitoes. Our city has clean up days and we are trying to impress the fact that every day should be "clean up day." We are now working on an ordinance to protect our people from buying unsanitary food. We recently had our state food inspector visit our dairies. The office of city food inspector was recently created by our city commission at the solicitation of the League. This inspector visits each month every place in the city where food is sold and reports on the condition found. The merchants seem glad to listen to the suggestions of the inspector and thus far have willingly cooperated in the movement for purer food. Much good had been accomplished by this movement. During our Red River Valley Fair we had a better baby week. Hundreds of babies were measured and examined by our skilled physicians. The mothers were told the defects and diseases of their children, so that corrections might be made. A junior league was organized in the ward schools. The mothers go each month to the various rooms and make talks on civic subjects, laying the basis of good citizenship. A flag was given to each school, which had the cleanest and most attractive grounds. We have a lookout committee whose duty it is to have the vacant lots cultivated by the small boys and prizes were offered for the best results. This committee also sees that other vacant lots in the city are kept cleared of weeds and rubbish. Our cemetery committee recently appointed is planning to have the entire cemetery kept clean and attractive. They are meeting with success. The publicity committee has arranged for talks on various subjects of interest at the regular meetings of the League. During the national better baby movement we published in our daily paper an article on this subject and the picture shows ran slides bearing the Texas slogan "Baby's health is Texas wealth." Our rural welfare committee is doing efficient work for our rural schools. Magazines and books are given to these schools and are greatly appreciated by the children. On last Christmas our entertainment committee with the help of the city commission and electric light company donated and decorated a municipal Christmas tree and sang Christmas carols. A number of our prominent singers helped in the singing. The mayor and other prominent citizens made appropriate speeches and it was altogether a delightful occasion; several thousand people witnessed this beautiful scene. I have told you briefly in detail of some of the work we have done in city building. The greatest and best of our efforts are not to be told in terms of so many parks for people or rest rooms for our country friends nor in libraries nor sanitary measures but in the general civic awakening that has come upon our city and whereas it was once slow and difficult work to secure city improvements in all sections of the city and every vocation and walk of men vie with each other in taking pride in our city and in making it a healthier, more beautiful and more desirable place in which to live.  Civic League History Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |