Freestone County, Texas Towns Old Ghost Towns - with former Post office: A nearby earlier village in the area was Avant. ========================================================= Sunshine In 1870 the settlement's name was changed to Sunshine after the Sunshine Methodist Church moved there from Harrison Chapel. School: Sunshine School - 51 pupils in 1887 Sunshine School - 54 pupils in 1891 Churches: Sunshine Methodist Episcopal Church South Cemeteries: Social Organizations: Harrison's Chapel Grange #374 [met at Sun Shine church in 1888] (a.k.a. National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry) Businesses: Nearby Communities: Known people in Sunshine were: Eubanks, Bennie ========================================================= Dewey Prairie An early name to Dew was Dewey Prairie. School: Church: Dewey Prairie Baptist Church petitioned in 1887 to join the Prairie Grove Baptist Association 42 members led by W.B. Lacy as pastor in 1887 7 members led by J.L. Ward in 1889 with Farrar as post office Mrs. Maggie Fulton joined on July 1899 circuit ministers of Hardshell, Methodist and Missionary Baptist denominations preached in 1889 later became the Donie Baptist church *2* Cemeteries: Social Organizations: Businesses: Nearby Communities: Known Former Residents: Adams, C. Burleson, O. W. Hancock, Emma Hancock, W. A. J. Johnson, T. W. Lummus, Bill Lutrell, Dr. Nox, W. D. Rhodes, Andrew ========================================================= Dew Dew is at the junction of State Highway 75 and Farm Road 489, nine miles south of Fairfield in southern Freestone County. Browns Creek drains the lands around Dew on the eastern side, while Caroline Creek drains the western side. The town was renamed Dew in 1885, when a post office was established at Dew when the post office at Avant was closed. Locals requested the name Drew to honor a resident, but postal authorities misread the application. Two years later on May 5, 1887, powerful winds destroyed the dry goods and drug store in Dew. *1* By 1891 Dew had three cotton gins, three general stores, a blacksmith, several churches, and a population of 150. The 1895 Rand McNally atlas shows Dew with a post office, but no express office or railroad. Its post office was replaced with rural delivery in 1909. Around 1912 a cemetery association was organized, and descendants and area residents still gather annually at the Dew cemetery. In the 1920s, Dew had several stores, two churches, two garages, a gin, and a school. In 1947 the community had five stores, a school, and 195 inhabitants. A historical marker was placed at Dew cemetery in 1977. By 1992 Dew had a reported population of seventy-one. Post Office: 30 Dec 1885 to 15 Feb 1909 (mail went to Buffalo) Post Masters: Folk, Jacob B. A. - 30 Dec 1885 Peyton, William W. - 27 Sep 1886 Compton, DeWitt Kimble - 24 Dec 1888 Compton, Angie - 3 July 1902 Lott, Beulah - 3 Dec 1903 School: Small log schoolhouse in 1870. Students later used Grange Hall Lodge. Moved in 1915. School building burned in 1924. Lanely, Black Jack and Burleson Hill consolidated with Dew about 1924. The school building was rebuilt as a rock structure in 1924. There were 28 pupils in 1939. High School (later consolidated with Teague) Churches: Corinth Missionary Baptist church (started in 1895) (Had 19 members in 1895 and led by pastor G.W. White, who also had Antoich and Rock Springs on his route. Richard Hugh Moore was one of 7 charter members.) Dew Methodist Grace Tabernacle Sunshine Methodist Church (started in 1870) Churches in Area: Avant Church (to the northwest) Salem Church (to the west) Jerusalem Church (to the north) Cemeteries: Dew Jerusalem Missionary Spring Seat (of the nearby Spring Seat community) Social Organizations: County Alliance Dew Farmers Alliance #1963 (existed in 1888) Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of Dew, Texas (existed in 1908) Businesses across the years: W. G. Ham store Colonel Philpott's gin E. C. Gosset's bricks John B. Clark - cotton gin J. Johnson - cotton gin John Yerby - cotton gin Raymond Atkinson - woodsaw C. P. Kilgore - pea thrasher Dew Drug Store Lancaster Drug Store Old Communities In the Area: Spring Seat Avant Sunshine Known Past Dew Residents: Acuff, R. D. Anderson, Mattie Anderson, O. P. (moved west) Atkinson, Raymond Bailey, John (blacksmith) Barnett, Carolyn Barnett, Dr. J. A. (moved to Mills) Barnett, Kenneth Baty, Dr. Black, Alex Black, Bascom Black, Ben Black, Dorothy Black, Earl Black, Grace Black, Kenneth Black, Lee Black, Maggie Black, Mozelle Black, William Dial Black, W. R. Black, W. T, Blount, Dr. R. T. Brewster, Willie Brooke, Burley Carter, Mabel Harrison Chandler, R. F. Chaney, N. H. Clark, D. S. (moved west) Clark, John B. Clark, John L. Clark, Kitty Clark, Mary Joyce Clark, Sally Clary, John Clay, Martha Collins, J. C. Compton, Angie Compton, Bob Compton, Bruce Compton, Dewitt Kimble Compton, Ezra Compton, Felix Richard Compton, J. W. Compton, James Compton, Phil Corley, S. M. Cotton, William B. Cunningham, Ervie Eddings, Ida Folk, Jacob B. A. (postmaster) Folk, Rosa V. Fulks, Dr. Gehrels, Wilbert Gibson, G. W. Gosset, E. C. (brickmaker) Graham, Dunk Hallmark, Lovic Ham, Jim Ham, J. P. Ham, Riley Ham, Sid Ham, W. G. (store owner) Harrison, J. B. Hartley, Ada White Hartley, Jim Haynie, Captain Haynie, Dr. Holland, Kate Hughes, Edward Hughes, Jim (blacksmith) Hughes, Lowry Hughes, Webb Humphries, J. W. Johnson, Bessie Johnson, Charlie Johnson, H. M. Johnson, J. H. Johnson, Jim Johnson, R. B. Johnson, Miss Willie Jones, Carl E. Jones, Pattie Johnson Kilgore, C. P. Lambert, Audrey Lambert, Charlene Lambert, Edd Lambert, Edwin Lambert, J. C. Sr. Lancaster, Bill Lancaster, Euel Lancaster, Evie Yerby Lancaster, Jack Lancaster, Mack Lancaster, Mark Lancaster, M. C. Lane, Ben Lane, Bing Lane, Clare Lane, H. E. Lane, Hamey Lane, Lester Jr. Lane, W. J. Lester, H. G. Lison, Cora Littlepage, Rev. Lott, Beulah Lott, J. M. Sr. Lowry, Dr. D. L. Margourik, Selma May, Linda McAdams, Ester Jo McBride, Dr. McDonald, Dr. J. W. McDowell, Mr. (blacksmith) McKinney, Jim McKissack, H. L. (pastor) McLandstain, Mr. McSpadden, Estill Merritt, Lillian Moore, Dollie Moore, Mollie Moore, Nelda Moore, Richard Musgrove, Felix Nash, Fannin Young Nash, John Nash, Tommie Nash, Vera Nolan, M. Henry Norman, Bruce Oglesby, F. M. Oglesby, J. P. Parish, George Parish, L. B. Parish, Sam Parker, Arvel Patton, Willie Payne, Beluah Lott Peevey, L. E. Peyton, Dr. Frank P. Peyton, M. M. Peyton, William W. Philpott, Honorable B. A. Philpott, Colonel (gin owner) Pickens, Spurgeon Pickens, Talmadge Pollard, Ophelia Prestwood, Lucille Reed, Mr. Reeder, John Richmond, Mr. Richardson, J. W. (pastor) Richardson, W. F. Riggsdell, F. M. Rhodes, John (blacksmith) Robertson, Dr. Roerts, Reuben Ryburn, R. L. Self, Mood Simmons, Selma Johnson Small, J. M. Smith, Atoka Smith, Estell Smith, Faye Smith, R. L. Steward, Katherine Tatum, H. W. Tatum, W. H. Tatum, W. J. Tatum, Wash Taylor, Ben Teddlle, Horace Terry, Bob Thomas, Alzono Utley, Charlsie Cobb Walker, J. W. (pastor) Walker, Mattie Webb, H. E. Webb, Marian Wheelus, W. F. White, A. H. Jr. White, A. H. Sr. White, Audry White, Fannie White, G. W. White, Gary White, Helen White, Mattie White, Ray White, Walton Willbanks, Allene Willbanks, Bertha Williamson, G. W. (blacksmith) Willingham, I. H. (pastor) Willett, R. J. Willett, W. H. Windsor, R. Woods, Willie Bell Yerby, Angie Yerby, John Yerby, Katie Yerby, Myrtle Yerby, Pearl Yerby, Ted =============================================================== Sources: *1* = Dallas Morning News - May 6, 1887 edition "FAIRFIELD, Tex., May 5 -... The rain here was accompanied with some hail and considerable wind from the southwest. It did no damage here but nearly demolished the village of Dew, ten miles sout of this place, blowing down and destroying the dry goods store of W. G. Ham, and demolishing the drug store of W. W. Peyton. The stocks in both houses are almost a total loss from breakage and damage by rain. Felix Musgrove, clerk for Mr. Ham, was slower than several others in getting out of the building, and was caught in the falling timbers and painfully though not fatally injured. Much damage to fencing was also done the Dew neighborhood, a thickly settled section of the county." *2* = Fairfield Recorder - Feb. 11, 1910 issue