Freestone County, Texas Communities Stewards Mill Community by Michael Edd Bonner Little remains now of the community of Stewards Mill. Once a thriving community supplying an essential service to early settlers, this was the site of a grist mill operated by George Washington Steward. The site he selected was on a small stream near the present-day Stewards Mill Store in Freestone County. Steward, a native of South Carolina, migrated from Mississippi, traveling through the rich, black farming land just to the north to settle where he found an abundance of both wood and water. The trip must have been an arduous one in the mid-nineteenth century because Anna Wells Watson, Washington Steward’s granddaughter recalled, “My mother [Nancy Victoria Steward Wells] was just a girl when they came to Texas. When the Indians saw her long, blonde hair, they tried to buy her. After that, she was told to keep her hair covered all the time for fear the Indians would steal her.” Others, such as the Awalts and Burlesons, settled here before the Stewards arrived because the community occupies portions of the H. Awalt and J. James surveys, one of which dates from December 22, 1826. Other settlers soon joined the Stewards. William and Dr. John Bonner, brothers from Alabama, arrived shortly after 1850. William, a veteran of the War of 1812, settled approximately three miles north of Stewards Mill in what became known as “Bonner Quarters.” Dr. John built near Anglin Spring about two miles east of the mill in an area sometimes called “Bonnerville.” Other Bonner relatives, William McCrery and James Robinson, settled on Tehuacana Creek. J. S. Claypool and Daniel Potter settled to the south of the mill as did Sam Manahan, relative of Washington Steward. The area soon thrived with these and other families. Many operated plantations with large houses and the necessary outbuildings to maintain livestock and grow crops. The first business established in the community was the grist mill owned and operated by Washington Steward. It is said that is was the only grist mill between Dallas and Houston and that people from near and far brought their grain to be ground. Both flour and corn meal were ground here. At first, water powered the mill as it poured over its large paddle wheel. Later, steam turned the grindstones. Mattie Lake, a Stewards Mill native, remembered seeing the following from Washington Steward’s home on the hill above the mill. “We watched Negro and white, boys and men, ride up on, usually, mules. A large sack bulged with corn. The corn was returned to them by a man, covered white with meal, and placed into position on the mule. The meal was taken home to provide the ‘staff of life’ for the family.” During the Civil War, the mill was burned by raiders, but was rebuilt as soon as possible. After Washington Steward’s death, his son Jeremiah T. Steward operated the mill. In later years, Washington Worth Steward, son of Jeremiah T. Steward, ran it. In 1885, J. T. Steward operated a cotton gin near the mill and W. H. McCrery operated a gin powered by a twenty-horsepower boiler. In later years, the site where the mill once stood was occupied by a saw mill and a cotton gin operated by Oliver A. Bonner. In more recent time, Roger Steward and O. P. Hagan operated a small grist mill at Stewards Mill and it was possible to have corn ground into meal in the community until 1955. The Stewards Mill Store, an almost natural outgrowth of the mill, may have been the most important business in the community. Dr. James I. Bonner and Jeremiah T. Steward erected the present building in 1867. The lumber used in the building came up the Trinity River to Troy. From there wagons and teams hauled it overland to Stewards Mill. Store ledgers record the cost of construction: Lumber - $193.20 Shingles - $70.00 Hauling Shingles - $15.00 Building House - $200.00 Painting - $60.00 TOTAL - $538.20 An addition to the building in 1876, resulted in more expenses: Building Rooms - $90.00 Shingles - $40.75 Lumber - $57.25 TOTAL - $188.00 In 1939, Ed. M. and Angie C. Watson added living quarters to the back of the store. They lived there until 1950 when Frank and Dorothy Watson Bragg moved in. In 1964, the building received the Texas State Historical Survey Committee Medallion---the first awarded to a store. Always a family enterprise, the chain of ownership is as follows: 1867-1882: Dr. James Isaac Bonner and Jeremiah Terry Steward 1882-1898: Jeremiah Terry Steward and Alexander Tazewell Watson 1898-1912: Alexander Tazewell Watson 1912-1916: Charles Henry Watson and Edward Monroe Watson 1916-1927: Washington Worth Steward 1927-1950: Edward Monroe and Angie Compton Watson 1950-1984: Frank and Dorothy Watson Bragg Now closed, the building’s ownership remains in the family of the founders. In the early days, wagons hauled cotton to Galveston for sale and returned with merchandise for the store. Other merchandise came up the Trinity River to Troy and then overland to stock the store’s shelves. For many years, wagons hauled goods from the train depot in Kirvin than from Streetman. In later years, trucks delivered items to the store’s door. Frank and Dorothy Watson Bragg donated the ledgers containing a complete record of the store to the Freestone County Museum. Sometimes the ledgers record a charge to a customer’s account with the money used to pay a physician. Some physicians mentioned: Sneed; Green; Grayson; Bonner; Cochran. An excellent record of social history, the ledgers provide insights into a vanished way of life. The record indicates that the store sold the necessities of life: 1 pair of shoes for wife - $1.75 1 pair boots - $2.50 42 ½ yards bleached domestic [fabric] - $6.75 6 pounds coffee - $2.00 1 box collars - $.25 3 yards buckskins - $3.00 1 pair blankets - $3.00 Shot, caps, and powder - $1.15 3 violin strings - $.40 1 corset - $1.00 1 set buggy springs - $9.50 1 bottle quinine - $3.00 1 quart whiskey - $1.00 1 pound tobacco - $1.00 26 gallons syrup - $10.00 73 pounds bacon - $9.19 1 bottle morphine - $.75 1 saddle - $16.00 1 barrel flour - $6.00 30 pounds salt - $1.20 17 pounds nails - $1.70 1 hoop skirt - $1.75 2 coffins - $25.75 Paregoric and Godfreys Cordial - $.50 On October 29, 1886, “The Fairfield Recorder” reported that a telephone line from Wortham to Fairfield by way of Stewards Mill was under consideration. The store ledgers record a long distance telephone call charged to a customer as early as 1888. Some say the first telephone exchange in Freestone County was inside the Stewards Mill Store. A line ran from Corsicana to the Store and later connected to Teague and Mexia. A. T. Watson paid $500 to Mrs. M. B. Kemp for the line connecting to Groesbeck and Cotton Gin in 1899. The line’s main function was to keep up with the current prices for livestock and cotton in the various markets. On November 26, 1872, a post office was established at Steward’s Mill. On October 5, 1894, the name was changed to Stewards Mill [without the apostrophe]. Located inside the Stewards Mill Store, mail was placed in drawers in a cabinet labeled with the patron’s name. The post office at Stewards Mill was discontinued on February 14, 1914. The following received appointments as post masters of Stewards Mill: Jeremiah Terry Steward – November 26, 1872 John Pleasant Watson – October 5, 1894 William Terry Watson – March 4, 1912 Following the discontinuation of its post office, Stewards Mill has been on rural routes. The first route came from Kirvin and the next from Streetman. Now both Streetman and Fairfield serve the area. The store enjoyed the distinction of being at the intersection of the Fairfield and Streetman routes and received mail at either address. Sometimes events of importance were written on the wall of the Stewards Mill Store porch. Many are faded and gone. Some copied and remembered: Feb. 8th, 1933 – Temp. 5 above zero July 20, 1932 – 106 in shade Sept 3rd, 1932 – Creeks all dry. Fenced hole of water at mouth of Caney Creek for cattle to water today Sept. 4, 1932 – Dam cow drowned. Water 30 ft over top of fence. 20 in. rain June 29, 1933 – 108 right here Aug. 10, 1936 – Temp. 114 For many years, Stewards Mill qualified as a voting precinct and the voting boxes were always inside the store building. Another nearby voting precinct used Burnett’s Chapel School as its location. The Freestone County Clerk’s General Election Returns record information on the precincts within the county. An examination of Volume II of these returns shows that 31 men voted at Stewards Mill in 1884. Stewards Mill once boasted other businesses besides the store and mill. J. T. Steward purchased an evaporator for drying fruit in 1888. It had a capacity to dry 8 to 10 bushels a day. He dried fruit “on the halves” [When someone brought in fruit to be dried, he did so and kept half the dried fruit as payment.] In 1888, “The Fairfield Recorder” reported that Mrs. Maggie Pugh of Stewards Mill had invented a dish washing machine and that Mr. Fred Fischer of Fairfield was making a model. There is no follow-up report on its success. The 1892 Texas Gazetteer 1892: STEWARD’S MILL. A settlement in Freestone County, 8 miles northwest of Fairfield, the county seat and nearest banking point, and 22 northeast of Mexia, the nearest railroad station. Settled in 1850, it contains a church and a district school. Population, 70. Mail, tri-weekly. J. T. Steward, postmaster. Bradley & McCrery, livestock; Manahan, J. F., carpenter; Manahan, S. A., carpenter; Steward, J. T., Flour Mill and Gin; Thornton, T. W., blacksmith; Watson, A. T., general store. In 1923, Ed. M. Watson and Aubrey H. Bass built the Superior Chick Hatchery. Specializing in Ancona chickens, the hatchery sold eggs and chickens and boasted a large, walk-in incubator; the hatchers and an adjacent general store burned in 1926. In the early 1930s, Mr. and Mrs. Washington Worth Steward built another store in the community and located it across the road from the original one. Later operated by Clifton M. and Jessie Manahan Whitaker, this store closed in 1957. Clifton Whitaker served as the county wolf trapper and their store was a treasure-trove of preserved snakes, items made from horn, turtle shells, wolf and other animal hides, and even a mammoth tooth. O. P Hagan operated a blacksmith shop in the community for several years. In the nearby African-American community called Rhode Island, Anthony Rischer operated a store in the early 1900s. Then, as now, agriculture played a major role in the lives of the people and of the community. Before the Civil War, several plantations occupied the area around Stewards Mill. In 1860, William Bonner owned land valued at $6200 and had personal property valued at $104,920. Cotton was the main cash crop for many years. In later years, the bales were hauled to the nearest railroad for shipment and this was a great improvement over ox-wagons to Galveston. A newspaper account shows that Henry Whitaker rolled in the year’s first bale of cotton on August 27, 1886 and received 8.5 cents a pound for it. Corn served as food for both humans and animals and was the second most important crop. For a while, some tried growing wheat but found the climate unsuitable for a good crop. Some planted ribbon cane and sorghum to be squeezed into syrup. Fruits and vegetables were also important. An invoice from 1901 shows O. Y. Bonner buying peach trees and several newspaper items report on watermelon parties and other sumptuous meals. Livestock raising assumed an early importance. In 1885, G. T. Bradley and W. H. McCrery shipped two carloads of cattle to Chicago. Two years later, A. T. Watson and S. J. Lake sold over a hundred head of two and three year old steers. Not only were cattle, hogs, and chickens raised, but horses and mules achieved some importance, too, as they were the means of transportation and of pulling farm machinery. The raising of mules became a well-known occupation in Stewards Mill. Jacks were imported from as far away as Tennessee for this purpose and the community prided itself on breeding mules of the “best blood” and capable of sun-up to sun-down work in the fields. Today cattle graze the pastures and tractors provide the necessary power, but horses still have a place. Oil and gas exploration began in and near Stewards Mill in the 1920s. The Mexia newspaper reported test wells being drilled in the area in January 1922. Dorothy Watson Bragg recalled: “Back in the 20’s oil was discovered in Limestone and Navarro counties so it was decided to drill a well here. Mr. Willie [W. A. Bonner], Cousin Worth [W. W. Steward] and Daddy [Edward Monroe Watson] were the leaders. The well…site was a community gathering place on Sunday p.m. They only had one crew so they just drilled in daylight….The wells in the neighboring counties got production higher than 3500 feet so when the hole reached 3500 feet and no show of production, the well was abandoned.” The first producing well in what became known as the Stewards Mill Field was drilled on the W. W. Steward property in the 1930s. The ensuing years have seen an increase in oil and gas production and the area is a “hot spot” in Freestone County today. The completion of a coal-fired electrical generating plant nearby brought prosperity to the Stewards Mill area. Coal leases covered many acres but eventually expired before the actual digging of the coal leaving those deposits for future exploitation. United States Highway 75 was completed in 1929 bypassing Stewards Mill. The old DCD Highway on which the community is located was once the main road connecting Dallas to Houston. This doomed Stewards Mill as a trade and/or commercial center but had little or no effect on agriculture. Religion assumed an early importance in the community life of Stewards Mill. Washington Steward donated the land, and Sam Manahan constructed the present Stewards Mill Church building and pews in 1876. Mattie Lake gave the following description of the church in the 19th century. “Perhaps the very most important asset of the community was the Church. The quiet dignity of the fresh, clean building with green shutters and surrounded by friendly oak and hickory trees was an inspiration in itself. It was open to all creeds. The neat, sturdy pews, arranged in three tiers, were definitely occupied by the men on the north side and the women on the south side. There were a few exceptions on the center tier for parents with small children.” A Texas State Historical Survey Committee marker was placed on the building in 1965. On October 11, 1876, the Reverends Thomas Joel Bonner and W. L. Patterson organized an Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church called “Harmony” at Stewards Mill. The Associate Reformed Presbytery of Texas was organized at Harmony Church in 1877. Presbyterian services were held two Sundays each month. Several Presbyterian ministers served the congregation of this church: Thomas Joel Bonner; W. L. Patterson; W. H. Millen; David Pressly; J. R. McCormick; J. R. McCoy; J. Walter Simpson; J. Meak White; W. R. Hall, Jr.; Frank McElroy; Charles B. Yeargan; W. R. Hall, Sr.; W. L. Loessin; Lyndon L. McCutchen. The ruling elders serving the Presbyterian congregation between 1876 and 1954: Henry Baldree, R. A. McBride, William Bonner, Jr. , J. L. Bonner, W. B. Robinson, I. H. Bonner, J. P. Robsinson, G. T. Bradley, T. H. Robinson, R. A. Jones, C. A. Bonner, C. B. Robinson, W. W. Steward, W. K. Bonner, Roger Steward, J. C. Thornton, O. P. Hagen. In 1894, a Baptist Church was organized there with six charter members: Alexander Tazewell Watson; Martha Whitaker Watson; Mattie Lake; Mary Lake; Mrs. Mattie Awalt Bass; Mrs. Minnie Awalt Speed. The Baptists met once a month. Occasionally the Primitive (Hardshell) Baptists met in the building, too. The Methodist Church at Stewards Mill was on the Fairfield Circuit with the preacher coming out from town one Sunday a month. While the denominations and preachers rotated, the congregation remained almost the same with most of the people attending each week. Regardless of the denomination providing the preacher, Sunday School was held each Sunday with the same teachers. Regular services were held at the Stewards Mill Church until 1954 and then the building was only used regularly for the Homecoming service on the third Sunday of October each year. Since 2004, a non-denominational service is held each Sunday inside the Stewards Mill Church. At a later date, the Baptists constructed their own building about one-quarter mile west of the Stewards Mill Store and had preaching weekly. Brother Z. Z. Nobles often preached there and was much loved by the entire community. That building was later demolished. Several African-American churches, such as the Methodist Church at Rhode Island, dot the area. The white population of Stewards Mill created two main cemeteries. The Stewards Mill Cemetery occupies a slight rise behind the Church. The oldest engraved marker has a date of 1861; many graves bear only rocks for markers and other have no markers at all. The Bonner Cemetery has its oldest grave dated 1865 and contains the graves of William and Dr. John Bonner and their descendants. In 1971, the Texas State Historical Survey Committee erected a marker at this cemetery. Other cemeteries dot the area. Some, like the Folk burial plot, contain engraved markers; many do not. In some, like the Claypool Cemetery, the names have disappeared from human memory. Other cemeteries contain the graves of African-American residents of the area and are lovingly maintained; some of these: Rhode Island Cemetery; Oak Grove Cemetery; Old Anglin Cemetery; Bateman Cemetery, Early settlers valued education. Mrs. Elvira Capps Jones taught the first school in the home of her son, Monroe Jones. Later a log school house was built on the side of the hill behind the mill. In August, 1886, the schoolhouse burned as reported in The Fairfield Recorder: “The young folks met again at the school house, last Friday night, to ‘tip the light fantastic’….All seemed to enjoy it, and only regretted that time sped so swiftly. At the usual time the crowd dispersed, little dreaming that in less than three hours the place of their amusement would be inflames. Such was the case. The boys thoughtlessly left the lights burning, the building caught fire, and was destroyed. A subscription has been started to rebuild and…the loss is from three to four hundred dollars.” The building was quickly rebuilt because another report of a dance being held there appeared in the newspaper in October. Burnett’s Chapel and Myrtle Springs were other nearby schools. While the records to be found in the County School Superintendent’s Office show Steward Mill with a school in 1891, Miss Mattie Lake recalled an earlier one. By 1889, Stewards Mill boasted a nine-month-school. It was believed to be the only one of that length in the county at that time with J. T. Steward, A. T. Watson, and F. M. Bradley augmenting the state fund to pay the teacher, Miss Mary I. Bonner [later Mrs. John C. Thornton, Sr.], seventeen dollars a month for the additional months. The Stewards Mill Common School District was approved on September 7, 1906. O. Y. Bonner, T. J. McAdams, and C. H. Watson were elected trustees of Stewards Mill Common School #16 at the first election in 1907. The school house was located between the homes of John P. Watson and Charles H. Watson about a quarter mile west of the Store. Some of the teachers remembered here were Jessie Manahan Whitaker, Florence Robinson, Katherine Steward, and Lydia Riley. This district and the Fairfield Independent School District consolidated in 1929. Lloyd Awalt drove the school bus transporting students to and from “school in town.” Wesley Teer had the job in the 1950’s; later the bus became a yellow station wagon driven by Charles, Jerry, and July Robinson. In the early years Burnett’s Chapel School was nearby; Anna Pillans, Mamie Folk Richardson, and Lulabel McAdams Bonner were among the teachers here. . Burnett’s Chapel School demised and a school was formed at Bonnerville, but it, too, consolidated with Fairfield. Some of the bus drivers from that area to Fairfield were Bonners: John Young; Jim Billie, Jr.; Joel Andrew; Albert; Roy. There was also a school for African- Americans because Charley Williams, a teacher, is mentioned in the newspaper in July 1888. The early social life of the community centered on the church and the school. School programs such as “Spelling Bees” were enjoyed by all in attendance. School picnics, especially the one at the close of school, and concerts were eagerly anticipated. Several music teachers provided young people with a musical education. The Fairfield Recorder of November 26, 1890 reported: “Dr. J. B. Benton’s singing school closed here Saturday evening and the sweet melodious music we have learned would charm the heart of a hollow log.” Church activities, such as an Easter Pageant and the annual Christmas Tree were big events in the community. Elizabeth Watson Daugherty supplied the following description of Christmas Eve at Stewards Mill: “The huge cedar tree, with top touching the ceiling of the church building, was carefully selected and put up. The tree was then decorated with strings of pop corn and hundreds of candles. I shudder now to think of that cedar tree with all of those candles on it, but no tree ever caught fire, and it was a glorious sight---a thing of beauty to behold.” Miss Mattie Lake remembered a similar event some thirty years earlier. According to her: “The Christmas Trees at the Church…were of inestimable importance. The participation of the young people in the decorating…promoted friendliness and romance…lovely trailing evergreen vines were draped on the white walls [of the church]…or wreaths were made of mistletoe or stars of ‘tin foil’ wrappings from tobacco. It was a beautiful custom.” Horse races, baseball games, parties and ring plays provided more entertainment. At one picnic when bustles were the height of ladies’ fashion, a sudden rain storm revealed many bustles to have been quickly improvised from such things as chicken wire and towels. The entire family enjoyed these events. In 1886, “a crowd of young folks…arose at four a.m. last Friday morning and footed it to Anglin Spring, about a mile from here; ate breakfast, then filled their vessels with blackberries and returned home by nine.” Other accounts of picnics and fishing trips indicate activities enjoyed by adults and young people of the community. Pride in well-kept homes and property is nothing new to Stewards Mill residents. Some early homes were truly innovative and grand. The Bradley family built a fine plantation house with heart-of-pine floors, cypress doors, and walls panel with wide pine boards. The entire structure was raised about four feet off the ground by brick pillars. The bricks were made on-site by slaves. The Washington Steward home, later the home of Mr. and Mrs. A. T. Watson, was thought very modern. The home of Mr. and Mrs. C. B. Robinson had an ingenious method by which water from the basin on the back porch drained into a trough outside for the chickens. A wooden lock kept unwanted people out of the smokehouse at John Laird Bonner’s and a huge underground cistern provided water storage at the William Bonner home. Sallie Hope Robinson Bonner maintained a cold-frame to keep her houseplants and flower alive during the winter. John Laird Bonner maintained a rail fence approximately ten miles long between his home and Tehuacana Creek to prevent livestock from staying too far. Although many are in need of restoration, the Stewards Mill area still contains some historic structures: the Stewards Mill Store; Harmony Church; William Andrew Bonner home; Ed. M. & Angie C. Watson home; Charles L. Watson/Thornton home; Francis “Frank” Steward/W. Worth Steward home; John Laird Bonner/Wirt K. Bonner home; Jim Billie Bonner home. Ed. M & Grace Beauchamp Watson home. The Freestone County Museum in Fairfield contains the Potter/Watson log cabin relocated from Stewards Mill. Today the Stewards Mill area shows an increase in population. Many descendants of pioneer settlers are “coming home” to build houses and enjoy modern country life. Perhaps nostalgia plays a role in this. However, many of the current residents have no direct ties to those earlier pioneers who lived in a time P. D. Browne described: “the agrarian community of substantial neighbors and kin…when people took the time and had the desire to help other people, to share their joys, sit up with the sick and help bury the dead and be watchful for the safety of their neighbor’s children and possessions.” ============================================================== Post Office: Schools: Social Organizations: Businesses: Churches: Harmony Church 32 Baptist members led by J.D. Williams in 1878 *1* 35 Baptist members led by E.J. Brown in 1879 *1* 23 Baptist members led by E.J. Brown in 1883 *2* [not listed in Prairie Grove Baptist Association records for 1884 to 1889] Cemeteries: Stewards Mill Cemetery Bonner Cemetery old Anglan Cemetery (African American) Rhode Island Cemetery (African American) Nearby Communities: Rhode Island Bonnerville Known people in Stewards Mill across the years were: Mathews, J. D. Powell, A.L. ========================================================= *1* = Trinity River Baptist Association records *2* = Prairie Grove Baptist Association record for 1884 Galveston Daily News (Galveston, Texas) November 6, 1877 - Page: 2 Last week the mill and gin of W.P. Stewart of Freestone county, was burned with its contents, 40 bales of cotton.