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Up in Central Texas the Brazos River is a lazy stream sometimes wide and deep, and sometimes narrow and shallow, depending on the rains and the season.
But it’s a pleasant feeling for a boy to lie on the bank, either in the hot summertime or by a campfire at night, and listen for the tinkle of turkey bells to tell him a channel cat has bit into his trot line.
It’s memories like these on the Brazos that C. H. Chatham cherished most, and he’s still got three of the old turkey bells he used on his trot lines while growing up on the Brazos near Waco.
Big, and hefty and red faced, and always ready with a wise crack, a smile of a joke, Chatham now operates a Sinclair Station here in Palacios when he’s not answering the call of “fishing fever,” or his other love, baseball.
First coming to the Gulf Coast to work and play baseball for the Texas Gulf Sulphur Company at Old Gulf in 1919, Chatham makes a trip to the Pittsburg Pirate’s farm club Spring training camp in Huntsville each year.
Pitching and playing first base, the filling station operator says his best and most remembered game was in 1913 when he was pitching for West Staten of Humphreys Oil Company of Mexia.
Chatham pitched a four hit, two to one, 10 inning victory against Itasca, striking out 12 men.
Born June 2, 1896 in Waco, Chatham was the son of a millwright who came to Texas from Alabama moved cross-country to Bastrop, and from there to Waco.
In 1898, Chatham’s father moved his family to Gholson, a community on the Brazos near Waco, and followed the carpentry trade until he died in 1948. Chatham attended a “country school” in the community through the eighth grade, then started working around cotton gins.
“I didn’t have enough money to go in to high school,” he says.
He worked at cotton gins until 1915, when he married Alice Brown, a girl he’d grown up with and gone to school with. The couple will soon celebrate their 41st anniversary.
After marriage, Chatham worked around Waco for a couple of years at different jobs. Then he got his first look at the Gulf Coast when they moved to Old Gulf in 1919.
Working for the Texas Gulf Sulphur Company, he played baseball against teams from all over this area. He was hired by the Humphreys Oil Company at Mexia in 1923 and moved back to Central Texas, both to work in the oil fields and to play ball.
In 1923 Chatham was pushing a pipeline gang for the Sims Oil Company out of Corsicana, but returned to work for J. K. Hughes Oil Company at Mexia as a pusher until 1928.
Rough necking and running rigs until 1939 with the sulphur company and others, he quit the company and went into business in Palacios.
Selling his holdings here, he bought an Humble Service Station in Bay City in 1941. He sold out there in 1944 and moved to Palestine, only to purchase another service station there.
In 1950, Chatham took over a Sinclair agent’s job in Waco, his old home town, but in 1951 he sold out again and purchased the station he now operates at 101 Main Street.
With an excellent memory for dates, Chatham can tell you the day, the month and the year he made each of the changes in his life.
With his experience as a ball player to help him—he played for Old Gulf in 1919, ’20, ’21 and ’22—he’s sort of an “amateur scout” for the Pirates in his spare time now.
“If anyone thinks he can play ball and would like to try out with the Pirate farm clubs, I can take him up for a free workout at the Spring training camp.”
An avid sports fan and a follower of the Sharks to almost all games, Chatham is also active in the chamber of commerce and recently acted as general chairman of the Labor Day boat races.
He has one daughter and one granddaughter.
Planning on retiring in five more years, Chatham has built a small fishing trailer out of an old cab truck. After retirement, it won’t be quite like to old Brazos days, but he may still use his trot lines and get a feel of them with a rod and reel.
Palacios Beacon, September 20, 1956 |
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Funeral services for Cullen H. Chatham were held in the Palacios Funeral Home Chapel Saturday, September 2, at 2:30 p. m. with Rev. Rayford Harris officiating. Graveside services were held Sunday afternoon in the Gholson Cemetery in Gholson, Texas.
A son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Chatham, he was born June 2, 1896 in Waco, Texas. A resident of Palacios for approximately 35 years, for many years he operated a Sinclair Service Station here. He was a member of the Palacios Chamber of Commerce, serving as director for many years, the First Baptist Church and the Palacios Gun Club. He died early Friday morning at Wagner General Hospital where he had been a patient for more than a week.
He is survived by his wife, Lena Blanch Chatham of Palacios; one daughter, Mrs. Helen Ryan of Angleton; five step-daughters, Mrs. Yvonne Admire of Amarillo, Mrs. Joyce Wooditch of Harrisburg, Pa., Mrs. Sue Ragsdell and Mrs. Sue Calvary of Waco and Mrs. Jo Howard of Fort Worth; three step-sons L. E. Harris, A. L. Harris and Lloyd Harris, all of Tyler; one sister, Mrs. Julia Lane of Waco; one brother, Edward Chatham of San Angelo; three grandchildren and 26 step-grandchildren.
Palacios Beacon, September 7, 1967 |
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Funeral services for Mrs. Alice Chatham were held at the Trinity Baptist Church Saturday, March 23, at 2 p. m. with the Rev. H. A. Whitfield, officiating. The body was taken overland to Gholson, Texas, where services were held at the Baptist Church at 2 p. m. Sunday followed by interment in the Gholson Cemetery.
A daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. D. K. Brown, she was born May 21, 1893. She was united in marriage to C. H. Chatham on September 26, 1915, and they have been residents of Palacios for approximately 17 years. She died Friday morning, March 22 at her home.
Survivors include her husband: one daughter, Mrs. Helen Ryan of Angleton; one brother, Arthur Brown of Gholson; two sisters, Mrs. Ola Cunningham of Waco and Mrs. Ethel Brown of Carlsbad, New Mexico and three granddaughters.
Palacios Beacon, March 28, 1953 |
