|
This column appeared in the 1932 Edna Weekly
Herald. Unfortunately, some of the issues no longer exist and
the first portion of this history was taken from The Calvacade of
Jackson County, page 110. |
|
"It was on a very beautiful day in July 2, 1882, that the entire population of Jackson County was on the move. People came by horseback, carriages, gigs, buggies, and in wagons. They came from Carancahua Bay, the "Mustang Settlement" (now Ganado), Morales, Bonham, Lavaca, Arenosa and Burnettsville. All were coming to see the first through train, "This day was probably the greatest day in the history of Jackson County. The trains were to arrive at 11:30 to 12:00, one from Rosenberg, the eastern terminal and the other from Victoria, the western limit. This was probably the first time many of the natives ever saw a train, and they wished to turn out and celebrate. People were milling around like a herd of cattle for hours before the trains arrived. They were dressed, many of them in the best style of the day, others in typical pioneer and cowboy garb.
"Finally the first train came in sight with her
whistle blowing, bell ringing and the multitude shouting with joy,
The noise was deafening, It came to a halt beside the box car depot
east of the present depot, This train was a wood burner with a speed
of twelve to fourteen miles per hour. The rails were fifty pounds,
spiked to the crossties.--The Cavalcade of Jackson County |
|
Edna Town Lots Sale. The train from Victoria arrived in a few minutes, augmenting the crowd considerably. Then over to the Lone Star Hotel owned and operated by Mrs. L. M. Flournoy for the address of welcome by Judge F. M. White, and the reply by--we forget who, for in the past, as in the present, when two or three are gathered together on any festive occasion, there would be at least two orators in their midst. Dinner on the ground, then the real business of the day--the auctioning of the lots. The sale was from the front porch of the hotel; a large map being hung on the wall so that all could see what they are buying (that, is on paper), but there proved to be several upsets that day, the most notable being a lot in a large pond near the Modern Garage, sold to Mr. Will Woods of Victoria. "He was a stranger and we took him in." For the benefit, of those of a statistical turn of mind who reckon most things, in $'s and cts.; we will give you a few figures of land values that day. The Allen corner $75.00, the Utzman corner $90.00; the Killough corner $125.00, and the lot where A. A. Egg's warehouse now stands, facing the C. S Simons gin, brought $234.00. These lots were 50 x 140 feet. Not being of age to be interested in land sales and espying a stand nearby presided over by Cal (a Negro hackman of Victoria) we gravitated that way and that, dear reader, was our first acquaintance with ice cream. This acquaintanship did not ripen into anything resembling intimacy, for at that time this delicacy was selling for 25c per saucer, and two bits in those days was real money. When I think back to that far distant day my heart panteth for that cream, even as "the hart panteth for the water brook" and, laugh if you like, I will gladly give one dollar today for a saucer that tastes half as good the depression notwithstanding.
"Backward, turn backward, O time in, your fight Evening draws on a pace; the shadows lengthen; the people homeward wend their weary ways to take up once more the burdens and household cares (and they were all too numerous then) after a day replete with thrills and excitement. And, so good people, we ring down the curtain on Edna's natal day. Having painted our background or laid our predicate (legal terminology) we will try and portray, in more or less vivid colors, the doings of that day. At the time of the sale of lots there were but two houses in Edna--The Lone Star Hotel and a small house built by Willie Wood just in from the corner and a part of the Killough lot, leaving a site for a more pretentious building on the corner. Mr. B. Dupuy occupied this building later, it being Edna's first grocery store. The more pretentious building was the old Masonic Hall of Texana, and is the same building not occupied by Mrs. Agnes Killough as a home and apartment. The exodus from Texana became general about this time, Messrs. Allen Egg, Kleas, Horton, et al., and by the summer of 1883 the old town was almost depleted, even Dr. J. M. Bronaugh (whose war cry might well have been "Come one come all, this rock shall fly from its base as soon as I") having yielded to the will of the inevitable, built and occupied the residence now known as the C. M. Hasdorff home. Texana. It might be well to drop back a few years and look at Edna's mother city, Texana. Texana was founded in 1837, by Dr. F. F. Wells and a sister-in-law, Mrs. Parmella Porter, nee McNutt, that town being almost equally divided by division line of the Wells-McNutt leagues, the Wells' interest to the South and Porter's to the North. They had straw voting as far back as 1837, also a limited woman suffrage. When the town was first platted the co-founders having two names in mind--Texana and Santa Anna--finally decided to leave it to the people. A box was put up in a store and men and women were asked to cast their ballots. On a given day the box was opened, the voters counted and Texana won. Some time in the late fifties the Allen Bros., northern capitalists, came to Texas for the purpose of locating and establishing an inland deep water seaport along the Texas coast. After making their survey of the entire gulf coast they decided in favor of Texana, it being the farthest inland with no obstructions. They approached Dr. Wells and offered him $100,000 in gold for the Wells league. This league of land begins at the forks of the Navidad and Lavaca rivers, extending up these rivers to a point at about where the present Texana bridge stands to a point on the Lavaca just south of the old Wilson & Noble pumping plant; having about 2 1/2 miles of land line and about 10 or 12 miles of river front. As water transportation was the order of the day, we can readily see that the Dr. Held the key to the situation. And did he hold that key. I say he did! reasoning (if such a dignified term can be applied) that if they could put out that amount of cash and build a city, he could go them one better, not having to make such a cash outlay. The Allen Bros. went east and located at Harrisburg and located the City of Houston, Texas. It does not take a very vivid imagination to see, Texana as Houston with its Railways, ship channel, sky scrapers, etc., had it not been for the supreme optimism of the dear doctor. In 1881, Texana made another bid for fame when the Telferner interest made a preliminary survey and offer to come there for a bonus of $30,000.00. that was quite a bit of money in those days, and the big boys of the town, reasoning again that they had to come there anyway so why put out that much money on a bluff, and for the second time the old town was doomed by the false reasoning and economy of her over-credulous and optimistic citizenship. The poet has well said:
"There is a time we know not when a place we know
not where, Texana approached this maker twice and drew despair in each instance.
Edna Weekly Herald, February 18, 1932 |
|
In Texana the merchants were separated by magnificent distances, but when they moved to Edna concentration seemed to have been the watchword, for we find J. W. Allen on the corner with dry goods and groceries; Louis Dittner, saddlery and harness, in the store house recently vacated by Mrs. Park; G. Egg, groceries; Geo. F. Horton building and the Sanford & Kleas drug store, in what was later known as the old Cobweb Saloon. There the building boom in this block ceased for several years. About this time, Col. Hungerford, father-in-law of Count Telfener, built a two-story business house on the site of the Nowlin Hardware Co. building. This building was first used as a court house and later was provided with a stage, etc., and was known as the "Opera House." This was the first and only building in this block for quite a while. Judge W. B Gayle finally moved the Brackenridge & Bates Building (the old Egg store in Texana) and located on the site of the present Utzman corner. This building was occupied by Judge Jno. O. Rowlett and Mr. L. E. Ward under the firm name of Rowlett & Ward, Dry Goods. The late A. Mallick was next in this block with a small, two-story building, sort of combined restaurant and confectionery, the family living up stairs. Mr. Mallick soon traded it on for a farm just west of town. The lower floor of the building was used as a pool room, etc., the upper floor was used by the sporting fraternity of that day in wooing the Goddess of Chance, which they did with a zeal and fervor worthy a better cause. In the spring of 1883, Messrs. Geo. Gayle and Geo. Menefee erected the building occupied by the E. M. Davenport Market (long known as the Sittle corner) to be used as a court house, the upper story being used as a court room and here was held the first church service in Edna. At a county-wide election, held Feb. 1st, 1883, the county seat was changed from Texana to Edna by a vote of 263 to 17, only one box in the county voting against the change; that being the Texana box. On Dec. 15th, 1882, an election was held on the Prohibition question, the county then being dry. The wets won by a vote or 107 to 90. The county remained in the wet column until 1913, a matter of 30 years. We find by the commissioners court records that in January, 1884, the plans for a new court house in Edna, submitted by E. A. Wilson, were accepted and at the regular February term, the building contract was awarded to Piper & Dietz of Hallettsville, for the sum of $10,000.00; building to be completed within eight months from the signing of the contract. We made a thorough search for order of a bond election, but could not find one, so this appears to be one public building built without a bond issue. If we are not mistaken, Mr. J. C. Traylor put in the first lumber yard in Edna in the fall of 1882. It was in the old building later occupied as a grocery store by A. Gisler and later still by F. Power. A little later, Mr. Traylor, together with F. W. Milby, erected a skating rink just back of the store in about what is now the Traylor cow lot. This was quite an edifice, being possibly 40 x 16. It was used only one season for skating, but for several years it became a sort of social center, for it was here the dances, church suppers and other entertainments were held. This building was town down by Mr. Gisler and built into what later became known as the Frank Power home, and was burned in 1924. Edna's first publishing house was on the southside, located about where the Evie Davenport home stood, and was presided over by F. Dickson. Just across the street, on the O. O. Traylor S. E. corner, was the F. M. White meat market, and on the corner just east of the Joe Holloway residence, was the Brunette & Wilson Furniture store and carpenter shop. Edna's first saloon was on the site of the R. B. Traylor home. For several years the postoffice, the genial Geo. F. Horton being postmaster, was located in the shed room of the old Sparks building just east of the present Central Power & Light Co. plant. Thus you see the south side at that time had quite a share of the business. Courts. When the county seat was moved to Edna Judge Wm. H. Burkhart was district judge, R. E. Hanney, district attorney, T. H. Clement, county and district clerk, J. E. Billups, sheriff. The following lawyers constituted the local bar: F. M. White, J. D. Owen, Geo. A. Staples, H. T. Chivers and M. S. Thurman, with Glass and Callender, A. B. Petticolas and Judge Dupree of Victoria, D. C. Proctor of Cuero, Gen. A. P. Bagby of Hallettsville and Col. I. N. Dennis of Wharton as regular practioneers, and many others as occasional visitors. Judge Burkhart retired shortly to be succeeded by Judge T. S. Reese of Hempstead. When the postoffice was first secured for the new town it was known as Ednaville, there being another town by the name of Edna or a name so nearly like it that the department was afraid it might cause confusion. However, this did not last long when the "ville" was dropped, and Edna it is to this good day. In 1883 or early in 1884 the Presbyterians moved their old church building from Texana and built on the site of the present Allen Memorial Church. For a few years it was the only place of worship in the town. All denominations using it. The first pastor of this church was Rev. W. H. Caldwell, the Methodist, Rev. W. H. H. Biggs, who, a few days ago, passed away at Brownsville at the age of 91; Rev. Snodgrass for the Baptists and a Rev. Cabaness for the Episcopal. Each had a Sunday each month and there was perfect harmony and fellowship among all concerned. And, if it is permissible for a Historian to express an opinion, I will state here and now that I doubt it we are much better off today with all our various places of worship either religiously of otherwise than them. The Methodist church was built in the fall of 1885, W. H. H. Biggs, pastor, and was blown down in the storm of 85 that destroyed Indianola. It was rebuilt immediately and was used till 1911. The Baptist built in about 1893, with the Episcopals and the Catholics a short time later. Edna's first school house, a one-room affair, just north of the Mack Hutcheson residences was built in the summer of 1883, and Prof. J. H. Burt (father of R. E. Burt, ex-mayor of Dallas) and Miss Sue Gillespie constituted the first school faculty. The building was added to as the town grew until in about 1905 when the "Southside" brick was built, the old building being moved and added to the Negro school. In about 1912 or 13, the Northside clamored for recognition, claiming they were being discriminated against and the "Northside" building was erected. The Postoffice was moved to the side room of the Horton building adjoining Egg's store. In 1886, Mr. J. W. Allen opened up the county's first bank, known as the Bank of Edna, A. Schmidt, our present efficient postmaster, as cashier. In connection with this bank, you will please pardon a touch of the frivolous, but history is history and we must hew to the line. Your Historian, by some means, acquired some $30.00 and put it in the bank; quite a sum for a small boy then as now. After having nibbled my board down to about $15 by checks of $1.00 per, answering as best I could his unavoidable question of "What are you going to do about it?" One day as we presented our $1.00 check, Mr. Allen, being in a rather irascible frame of mind, suggested all too plainly that we either draw out the whole amount or quit dollaring him to death. Yours truly was in a quandary. Being of a timid and retiring disposition (from which; by the way, we have never entirely recovered) I finally solved the problem by offering an older brother one half of the balance in the bank if he would get it without my appearing on the scene. Laugh if you like, but I found in after years that better men than I stood in more or less awe of him. There was nothing of the impulsive in Mr. Allen's make-up, and we will venture to say that no one, no matter how good the security or how small the loan, ever got a prompt answer. His first move would be to clean his nails with due care as to duration of time, and then take his pencil and draw innumerable squares on an envelope, then "what are you going to do with it?" When the borrower (or victim) was sufficiently impressed and his ceremonial ended he pronounced judgment. I have often thought the word "conservative" originated in Mr. Allen, for he was IT. He never made a loan and seldom cashed a check of any size, that he didn't ask what the party was going to do with it, and as I look back from this day and time I'm sure it was more a personal interest in the welfare of his customers and friends than through mere idle curiosity. He was safe and sane and with a minimum of risk and maximum of rate he built up quite a tidy fortune for his day and time. In his latter days he endowed a chair in the Presbyterian Seminary at Austin, and gave the local Presbyterians the beautiful edifice in which they now worship.
Edna Weekly Herald, February 25, 1932 |
|
Early in the fall of 1882 Mr. Geo. F. Horton moved an old house from Texana and built what is now known as the Mrs. Kate McDowell home. This was the first residence in the town of Edna and was occupied by Colonel Egg while his own house was under construction.
If we are not mistaken, Mr. Horton later occupied this house while the present Horton home was being moved from Texana and rebuilt.
When the county seat was changed, Mr. Horton bought the old court house at Texana and built an eight-room, two -story building on the site of the Ray Toland home. This building, painted yellow, just a little darker than new lumber, with green blinds and brown trimmings, made quite a nice appearance and was a very convenient and comfortable house. In the matter of comfort & etc., we know whereof we speak, for it was here that we spent our first three years in town--85 to 88. My hat is off to Mr. Horton for having shown rare judgment in the selection of three of the most desirable residence corners in Edna. In the latter part of 1883 the town had its first influx of new blood, the population up to this time being almost altogether composed of natives. About this time Payson & Williams, Contractors & Builders, appeared on the scene, Wm. Payson being a blacksmith by trade and John Williams, a handsome son of Erin, an A1 carpenter. This firm had been here but a short time when they received the contract to build three or four wooden bridges; one on the Lavaca River on the recently abandoned Victoria road; one at Texana, and one at Morales, with possibly one other, but am not sure. The completion of the Lavaca bridge was a great day in the annals of Jackson County. The folks were all there and I can see Mr. Payson, the observed of all observers, as he threaded his way among the crowd, bowing and smiling to one and all, for this was not only his completion of the first bridge over the Lavaca River, but it was virtually the announcement of his engagement to Miss Mamie Power, eldest daughter of Mr. John Power, to whom he was married shortly. The first of Payson & Williams dissolved at this time and Williams fades from the picture. Mr. Paysons's was rather a meteoric career for in the course of a couple of years he became one of the most influential in the town. Owned the lumber yard on the site of the Westhoff Merc. Co. sheds, west of the R. R. crossing; built a nice residence, later bought by Henry and C. B. Trousdale and is now occupied by Mr. and Mrs. B. Trousdale; built the old Lu Dustin home and a home that stood on the site of the Dr. LaBauve home. The wooden bridges proved a failure, and it was only a matter of a few years until Mr. Payson took the contract to replace at least three of the old structures with new and up-to-date steel bridges. These bridges are in use today. Main street has been building during this time. Mr. N. Strauss built a store that was used as a saloon by various parties next to the A. Mallick building. Noah Hudges, our colored and loquacious tonsorial artist, had a shop in just about the center of what is now the Culberson & Woodall store. Noah was a very courteous and obliging and a good barber. By industry and good judgment he acquired several choice pieces of property around town. Notably the corner occupied by the Traylor building. He had two very nice store buildings on this lot but they were destroyed by the fire of 1899. Sold his holdings a little later and left for California, taking with him quite a sum of money. Noah was more or less given to looking upon the wine while it was red and one occasion while in a state of inebriation or intoxication (take your choice) he took stock of his unpaid accounts, which were all too numerous, proceeded to get a hammer and a ten penny nail and nailed the account book on the wall together with a placard bearing this rather profane, but graphic poem:
"To trust is to bust, to but is h--- We do not know the origin of this poem, but it was effective to say the least, and that was the last of the credit system in Hodge's barbershop. On another occasion, while in his cups and too far gone to ply his trade, he closed the shop and put up a sign saying--"Closed--I am badly off," and "we who saw him as he made a rather zig-zag get-away thoroughly agreed with him. In the summer or fall of 1884, Mr. O. A. Barring of Houston and a Mr. Laken of Brenham (I think), moved to Edna. Mr. Barring building the present home of L. D. Nowlin and Mr. Laken the Philip Tanis home. Mr. Barring built two buildings in Block 14. The first about the R. A. Drake location in which Mr. Larken conducted a saloon for a short time, the other at about where the Ferguson 10c Store now stands. This building was occupied by Mr. Wm. (Billy) Ware for a tin shop. About this time, F. Dickson built a two-story building where the present Dickson building now stands, the lower floor being used as a store by P. H. Kurtz, the upper for the printing office of the Jackson County Progress. Mr. L. E. Ward built the store on the corner, known as the Brickel store and now the home of the "M System." This whole block from the Thos. Hobson grocery, about where the Modern Garage now stands, to the opera house, was burned in 1906. In the early days of Edna a young Louisianian blew in among us and set up in the dry goods business in a building just west of the Lone Star Hotel, and about the space between Mrs. Killough's store and home. This man was none other than Mr. D. E. Guidry of Port Lavaca. He did not stay in his west end location long as the business was up town, so we later find him in the old building on what we now know as the Utzman corner, but to the old timer was long known as the Guidry corner. To go back to the Lavaca bridge day. On account of the crowd that was to be at or near Edna on this occasion. Miss Bertie Keeran (Mrs. Tom Coleman), often called the song bird of South Texas, Miss Bettie Thompson and others of Victoria, put on an operatic concert in the Edna opera house. As to the merits of this concert, we dare not vouchsafe an opinion. Prior to this time our musical education had progressed no further than the aged and gray Maggie, Sweet Alice, Belbolt, and numerous other of the popular songs of that day (songs that will be going strong when the so-called song hits of this day will have been relegated to the scrap heap of oblivion), so you can imagine my surprise and astonishment when Miss Bertie began to "Trill." Having been trained to believe that a tune was more or less essential to any song, we waited patiently, but such was not the case in the musical program that night. Am satisfied this operatic effort was a great success and the fault all my own, judging from the number of dizzy Divas who are putting out the same line of music (?) over KPRC & etc., with a frequency all too frequent to suit our taste. Being of a rather tender age, we accepted this music as we did measles, mumps and whooping cough and other childish ailments--just things we had to have.
Edna Weekly Herald, March 3, 1932 |
|
The 1883, Mr. Simon Young, moved the old Brackenridge house, that stood about a quarter of a mile east of the Brackenridge Cemetery to Edna, built what was for years known as the Emerald Hotel. This building was on the site of the present Young buildings. This hotel was operated for a year or more or until Mr. Young's death, which was in the winter of 84 or spring of 85, when Mrs. Young returned to the ranch, leasing the hotel to Mr. P. Kleas. As previously mentioned, Noah Hodge built two store buildings on the Traylor corner, and in 1895 or 96, F. W. Simons and W. K. Rose built a large two-story building on the present O. O. Traylor lot, later selling it to Mr. V. J. Rose. Mrs. Young or Mr. Bergbrede built a small building between the Rose building and the hotel. This entire block of buildings was destroyed by fire on January 15, 1899. This was our first experience of a fire and there were several inconsistent things pulled off. The late Dr. J. M. Richmond grabbed an axe and cut down a small cedar tree that stood just at the end of the steps and dragged it into the middle of the street for safety. Billy Budd: an esteemed citizen of the Morales section, received a broken leg during the excitement; some said while trying to rescue a 200 lb block of ice from a refrigerator in the Young building. I am not vouching for the ice episode, but Billy B. is still among us and no doubt might shed some light on the matter in question; so come on, Billy, let's hear from you. Geo. Buhler built, in 1890 and Fred A. Burns in 1895. Each of these were two-story frame structures and were burned in the fire of ____ that swept everything from the Phil Asbeck brick to the Egg brick. To the late G. M. Hester goes the honor of having built the first brick building in Edna. It is known today as the Felts building and occupied by Jack Vogel and C. A. Sewell. This was in 1895. Some time later Mr. J. C. Traylor built the Phil Asbeck brick. Mr. Joe Volkmer, our deservedly popular baker, came among us in about 1894 and built permanently in 1898. Joe was just a boy then about 23 or 24 and single. In the middle 80's we had our first millinery and dress making establishment. This was in the old building recently moved to make room for our new postoffice. This business was owned and operated by two young ladies from Hallettsville--Misses Jennie Upchurch and Cora Zumwalt. This business had continued but a short time until Cupid, in the form of Frank Dickson, owner and editor of the Jackson County Progress, appeared on the scene and married the senior member of the firm .After the close of this business Miss Cora made her home for many years with the family of Mr. W. N. Marvin. If Miss Cora should, by any remote chance, come across our feeble effort of chronicling, we here and now issue her a most cordial invitation to our golden jubilee next July. In the last 80's Mr. Joe Gerst, who had been running country store a few miles above Edna, moved to town and built the old store house recently moved back on postoffice or Menefee street, and now occupied by W. A. McClung's Produce Co., and the residence in the same block now occupied by H. H. Beasley. P. H. Kurtz built what is now the City Meat Market and owned and operated by our genial fellow citizen, John McChesney Hutcheson. Thus we have about completed our business section of our fair city as it stood prior to the 20th century. Along in the middle 90's we had quite an invasion of young attorneys over night, as it were, as sudden and almost, as numerous as the cotton caterpillar or army bugs, and, strange to say, they all with possibly one exception, came from the old state of Mississippi. D. W. Dobbs, later county attorney and who was drowned at DeCro's [DeCrow's] Point in 1899. W. W. McCrory, county attorney, county judge and new district judge of the 94th district court, San Antonio; F. M. Austin, deceased, county judge; J. A. White, county attorney, and at present county judge of Goliad County; H. A. Cline of Wharton. All of these had their origin in the state aforesaid. Edna seems to have been quite an advantage of the little town of Bethlehem of Judea for she had only three wise men of the east whereas, Edna caught five. We used the word wise advisedly for without a single exception these young men then (but not so young today) having attained a position of prominence and distinction in their profession. There was also a young man by the name of Jennings, a large, dark complected boy, form Ellis county, possibly. He stayed but a short time so really did not become one of us. Not to be outdone by the outside world our home boy, A. M. Staples, who had been working in the abstract office of W. R. Garrett at Cuero, Texas, appeared in the old home town with a license to practice law. Staples & White embarked in the newspaper business, establishing the Chronicle. This firm was dissolved when White was elected county attorney; Staples taking up the drug business as his life work. Edna's first shipping pens were located west of town, near the present J. O. Brown residence, but were there only a short while when the late Geo. S. Gayle donated 10 acres of land (the present site) for the shipping pen purposes provided the railroad build and maintain a substantial fence around the entire plot which the R. R. readily agreed to. Prior to the building of the St. Louis & Brownsville R. R., Edna pens had the distinction of being the largest shipping point in Texas (and that meant, the world) with Hebbronville a close second. The cattlemen and cowboys moving vast herds east or west looked forward to the Edna pens, for it meant a night of rest for them for one night, at least there would be no "standing herd."
Edna Weekly Herald, March 17, 1932 |
|
Having written up the schools, churches, courts, etc., it might be well to take up some of the social activities of early Edna days. In about 1884 or 85 the young people of the town organized the Edna Social Club. The purpose of this organization was of a benevolent nature, and one of their first efforts was to procure grounds for a cemetery. Prior to this time there was no such thing as a public burying ground, each family or locality maintaining their own burial plots, there being at least a half dozen within a mile of Texana They secured a fractional block of land in the extreme S. W. corner of the Ednaville townsite, but for some reason it was never used for that purpose. The tract of land was deeded by L. M. Mackey to The Edna Social Club, W. R. Garrett, John Humphrey and trustees, but as the club had no charter we do not know just what the status of the tract of land is today. The following were members, as best we can remember, and if we should omit any names, it is the fault of the head and not of the heart: Mrs. S. A. Thurman, Mrs. F. C. Pearce, Miss Jessie Pumphrey (Mrs. R. C. Saunders), Miss Julia Barring, Miss Ida Barring (Mrs. Wm. Ware), Miss Mattie Simons (Mrs. J. M. Garrett), Miss Sallie White (Mrs. F. B. Owen), Miss Fannie Meriwether (Mrs. J. L. Brown), Miss Ella LaBauve and possibly Miss Nellie Borland (Mrs. Will Woods). Gentlemen: S. A. Thurman, F. C. Pearce, Dr. F. B. Owen, W. R. Garrett, Jimmie Traylor, Hollie Green (brother of Judge Jno. M. Green), Billy Ware, Joe Sanders and John Humphries. There were possibly several other members, but these were the ones that took part in the theatricals and other activities of the club. This organization put on several very nice plays and continued for quite a while, but gradually the members of the cast married or moved away, thus bringing to an end the list of members. We wrote to W. H. Garrett of Cuero and submitted the list of members given above and asked him to add to it, but he could only name two or three, and said he had forgotten the name of every play put on, but remembered distinctly Hol. Green's oft repeated "Buttered side down again." Of the some twenty persons enumerated above there are possibly four or five of the ladies still living, but Mr. W. R. Garrett is the sole survivor among the men. There were two traveling theatrical troops that made the town each season for a two or three night stand: Streepen's Players, with headquarters in Corpus Christi, and the Stuttz Stock Co. With an occasional circus, Mexican acrobatics, and Dr. Woods' Medicine Show we managed to make out. This was before the days of the movies; in those long ago days when a young man thought it not unseemly to take his best girl to church; when people used both hands in the process of eating, and cut their meat, etc. with their knives rather than their forks; when a person could eat pie without plate or fork and still be considered among the best people; when railroads hauled both passengers and freight and the depot was the common meeting place, and the passenger train a never failing source of excitement. In the early days Edna pulled off a Bear Shooting, and it happened in this wise. Mr. O. S. (Dock) York had a pet bear, caught when a small cub. Cub as it grew older became more or less bothersome, so he conceived the idea of a shooting contest, the bear being the prize, but not the target. The marksmen were there in full force, from far and near, particularly from Victoria. The shooting ground, we would say, was about where Mr. Jim Knopp's residence now stands, extending north. The shooting was with rifles at one hundred yards, each chance allowing for three shots at the target. There were all sorts of guns used from the finest with globe sights of the very latest design. There was a frame work of some sort used to rest their guns on that could be adjusted so as the man hardly had to touch the gun, just sight it and pull the trigger. After two or three hours of this sort of shooting, Mr. Robt. Milby appeared on the scene with his old trusty "Octagon Winchester" and scorning the offer of the frame device, squatted down with elbow on knee and with three bulleyes to his credit brought the entertainment to a close. After careful consideration and as close check up as we have been able to make, we believe we are correct in stating that to Mr. A. C. Egg goes the honor of being the oldest citizen of Edna--not in point of age, but in years of continuous residence in the old town. Mr. Egg Sr., having moved his family up from Texana in the spring of 1883, Albert being some 3 or 4 years old at that time. With Mr. A. A. Brunette, Mrs. G. S. Gayle and Mrs. L. E. Ward as runners up. If we are mistaken in the above conclusions, we will gladly make corrections, so don't be bashful--just speak out.
Edna Weekly Herald, March 24, 1932 |
|
Copyright 2018-
Present by Carol Sue Gibbs |
|
| Created Jul 29, 2018 |
Updated Jul. 29, 2018 |
