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Gainesmore Information |
 Former Gainesmore Store Building Courtesy of Mike Reddell |
Gainesmore For Kids |
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Mrs. Shirley Fry Haines contributes the saga of the naming of Gainesmore, which once upon a time was known by the unusual name, “At Last.” It seems that “At Last” was located at the end of the branch of the Southern Pacific known as the Hawkinsville branch and that travelling over it was so fraught with difficulties of one kind or another that passengers heaved sighs of relief at the end of the line and exclaimed, “At last!” Also once upon a time, the Caney Valley Development Company conducted a contest for a more fitting name for “At Last: and Mrs. Haines’ father, Mr. E. E. Fry, won the contest and a munificent reward of $10.00 which he contributed to the Bay City Cemetery association for beautifying Cedarvale cemetery. His suggestion was Gainesmore, from the names of two officers of the company. It was chosen from more than 1000 names submitted, according to an old advertisement of the Caney Valley Development Company which Mrs. Haines brings to light from the past.
Matagorda County Tribune, August 23, 1945 |
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Gainesmore, on the third crossing of Caney Creek, was known originally as “At Last;” Travel over the Hawkinsville branch of the Southern Pacific Railroad was so fraught with difficulties of one kind or another that passengers upon reaching the end of the line heaved sighs of relief and exclaimed, “At Last!” The Caney Valley Development Company held a contest for a more fitting name for the town. E. E. Fry’s suggestion of Gainesmore was chosen from more than one thousand names submitted. He combined the names of J. W. Gaines and Colonel Moore, two officers of the Caney Valley Development Company. According to the February 12, 1913 issue of the Daily Tribune, Gainesmore has a population of 150. A post office was established at Gainesmore in 1912, with Walter W. Harriss serving as the first postmaster. Other postmasters included Alonzo L. Gartin, Margaret Powell, Joseph G. Parker, and Reece C. Price. In 1918 the post office was discontinued and the mail moved to Cedar Lake; in 1920, however, the Gainesmore post office was reinstated with Frederick W. Jaegar serving as postmaster. The post office was discontinued again on November 7, 1938, and the mail was sent to Cedar Lane.
Typed by Faye Cunningham |
