Freestone County, Texas Towns ========================================================================= Long Bottom Long Bottom is the pre-railroad community that later became Wortham. What was later to grow to a small community was started by the pioneer Robert B. Longbotham from Durham, England in 1839 (before Freestone was a county). Robert B. Longbotham's land patent for a league of land which he officially got on July 24, 1835 covered the land for what was later to be the town and surrounding of Wortham. In 1848, Mr. Longbotham built two log cabins (one 16 X 16 feet and the other 16 X 14 feet) and moved his family into these cabins. A community would later grow to a size for a post office. The post officials misunderstood the Longbotham submission and named the town "Long Bottom" on Nov 20, 1871. The errorenous name stuck until the town was moved closer to the railroad and was renamed Wortham three years later. In June 1871, Robert B. Longbotham and his wife Lucy sold to the Houston and Central Railway Company a strip of land two hundred feet wide through his property for the sum of $5.00. On July 4, 1871, he sold what is now the present townsite of Wortham to Abraham Groesbeck, W.J. Hutchins, F.A. Rice and W.R. Backer for the sum of $4,541.25. A railroad depot building was built for the new railroad. Post Office: Opened 20 Nov 1871, Renamed Wortham on July 14, 1874. Cemeteries nearby: Longbotham Cemetery Social Organizations: Longbottom Masonic Lodge #428, A.F. & A.M. (chartered July 4, 1875-current) (town renamed in 1874) Longbotham Grange #34 (led in 1874 by Miss Susan Burns) Known people in Long Bottom were: Longbotham, Robert B. ========================================================================= Wortham Wortham is a modern incorporated town that began from the introduction of the railroad through Freestone county to Mexia in Limestone county. The new town of Long Bottom began to grow with business establishments opening on the main street, which at the time faced the railroad on what is now First Street. In 1872 the town of Wortham was laid out by an association known as the Groesbeck Association. On July 14, 1874 the name of the town was changed to "Wortham" in honor of Luther Rice Wortham. Mr. Wortham was a prominent merchant in the area and was instrumental in getting the railroad through this part of the country. The 1876 Rand McNally map shows the transition showing Wortham as a stop on the Houston and Texas Central Railroad and Long Bottom located just to the east on the banks of the Telhuacana Creek. In 1885, Wortham was a small market center for area cotton farmers with several churches, steam grist and com mills, cotton gins, a general store, and about thirty inhabitants. The first newspaper in Wortham, "The News," was founded by Martin Dies, later a famed Congressman. In the 1880s, the Fairfield Recorder newspaper ran a column called the Wortham Dots. Mr. Dies sold "The News" to Lee Satterwhite and John Sanders who changed the name to "The Vindicator." In 1899, Lee Satterwhite founded "The Wortham Journal," which was later sold to Ed Satterwhite. John and Elmer Richardson bought the paper from Ed Satterwhite and then sold it to Jack Hawkins of Groesbeck, Texas. After publishing "The Wortham Journal" for several years, Mr. Hawkins sold it to "The News Publishing Company" of Mexia, Texas. This newspaper was consolidated with another newspaper and became "The Bi-Stone Weekly Review." The Dallas Morning News lists Wortham in 1886 as "The place has a good school, a Masonic hall, two churches, ten business houses..." ------------------------------------------- Tehuacana Station A map from March 1888 filed at the General Land Office that shows the original land patents (ca 1850) of Freestone County shows the town of Tehuacana at the place where Wortham was located. So at least in this period, apparently the town of Wortham was sometimes referred to as Tehuacana. This probably occurs because Tehuacana Station was the name for the railroad depot because of the nearby Tehuacana Hills when the Houston and Texas Central railroad first arrived here. ------------------------------------------- The Fairfield Recorder lists the town as Wortham in January 1888. Wortham had 85 pupils at the time. The 1891 Texas Department of Agriculture report lists Wortham with a population of 100 in 1889. The 1897 Texas Department of Agriculture report counts 401 residents of Wortham. The 1895 Rand McNally atlas shows Wortham with 401 people, a post office, express office, and having a railroad. A 1900 Directory of Texas Industries lists Wortham with Thos. E. Longbotham as owner of the Wortham Lumber Company; and Lee Satterwhite as editor and publisher of the Journal printed on Fridays with Democratic leanings and subscription of 700. Insurant Agents listed were Longbotham, Towns, Hartford, Providence - Washington, Virginia Fire and Marine; T. B. Poindexter, Fire Association of Philadelphia; German of Freeport, Glens Falls, Insurance Company of North America, New Hampshire Fire; Charles P. Turner, Fire Association of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Fire; C. J. Wooldridge, Orient, Scottish Union and National, National Life of the U.S.A.; J.A.T. Page, Pacific Mutual Life. Wortham was always noted for its [municipal] bands. The Wortham Band was organized on February 1907 according to its painted drum. Numerous times the Wortham Band would play for the Freestone County Confederate Reunions. During the 1920s, Wortham hired a well-known band director, J.E. King. He produced one of the finest bands in the area. In the first year of organization, this band won the state championship in the four-year class. In 1926, the band was selected by the United Confederate Veterans of America as their official band. [They] traveled to Birmingham, Alabama to play for their annual reunion. They were again selected in 1927, but finances made it impossible to travel to the reunion again. Several members of this band became band directors in later years. Among these, Clinton C. Hackney directed several high school bands then later became head of the music department of Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. Tom Wallis became band director and head of the department at Allen Academy in Bryan, Texas. Buddy Lively was band director at Palestine High School (Palestine, Texas) and other schools. Wortham was incorporated by an election held on January 22, 1910. The votes were 91 votes for incorporation and 46 votes against. It was later decided that Wortham needed a city water supply. On April 27, 1912 a contract was awarded to C.L. Witherspoon to drill a water well. Instead of water, Mr. Witherspoon struck gas and oil. Since the city did not want gas and oil, the City Council called a meeting on May 27, 1912 to receive bids for this well. The well was sold to Mr. Witherspoon for $3,000. It was agreed that the city would buy gas from him at the rate of 10 cents for every 1,000 cubic feet. This enabled the citizens of Wortham to have gas for heating and lighting. Unfortunately, the well did not last long and soon quit producing. By 1914 it had a cottonseed-oil mill, three cotton gins, two banks, a weekly newspaper called the Wortham Journal. The population in 1914 was 950. On November 27, 1924, the Roy Simmons No. 1 oil well came in as a Thanksgiving Day gusher. Within three weeks more than 300 oil drilling rigs were in the area. In January 1925 alone more than 3,500,000 barrels of oil were produced, and the total for the year of 1925 was 16,838,150 barrels. The town of Wortham was transformed overnight. The population rose from 1,000 to some 30,000 at the height of the boom in 1925. The boom was to last from Thanksgiving Day of 1924 to the later part of 1927. As quickly as the people arrived, they left. Intensive drilling brought the boom to an end by late 1927, and by 1929 the population had dropped to around 2,000. By 1929, the population of Wortham was down to about 2,000 people. The onset of the Great Depression, plummeting cotton prices, and the end of the oil boom combined to bring hard times for Wortham. The number of businesses dropped from seventy-two in 1931 to fifty in 1936. After World War 2, the decline continued. By the early 1980s, only sixteen businesses remained. The town also witnessed a slow population decline during the same period, falling to low of about 1,000 in 1975. However, beginning in the mid 1980s, the population has been steadily growing. In 1991, Wortham had 1317 residents and fifteen businesses. --------------------- Population: 401 in 1890 Masonic Halls: Longbotham Lodge #428 Cemeteries nearby: Longbotham Cemetery Newspapers: Democrat 1890-1892 by Martin Dies Democrat 1892-1894 by Lee Satterwhite The Christian Advance spring of 1893-December 1894 by J. E. Bounds Freestone Vindicator 1894-January 1895 by joint stock company Vindicator 1895-1896 by Abner Eubanks The Wortham News Wortham aft 1874-? The Wortham Journal Wortham 1897-1970s? (Dolores Farquhar was owner-editor-publisher of the Journal from 1960-1970) The Wortham Signal [Owner/Publisher - Robert Lee Satterwhite 1893-1896?] Churches: Beulah Missionary Baptist Church Central Presbyterian Church First Baptist Church of Wortham Petitioned to join the Prairie Grove Baptist Association in 1889 had 53 members led by J.J. Harris First United Methodist Church - started 1867 with Rev. Hill Bounds as pastor. Independent Methodist Church of Wortham Smith Chapel Primitive Baptist Church Methodist Episcopal Church, South Banks: First National Bank of Wortham - started 1903 with J. H. Farrar as president First State Bank Schools: Wheeler High School Wortham Elementary School Wortham High School Wortham Middle School In 1887, Wortham had 74 pupils. In 1895, Wortham had 185 students with eight months of public school. Private school offers another two months. Had 281 white and 62 colored students of students within school age in 1909-1910. Principal B. H. Landrum oversaw 254 white and 169 colored students in 1918-1919 in the Wortham ISD. Nearby Schools: Westminister College (in Tehucana, Navarro County, Texas) Businesses across the years: Munroe Brother's drug store Wanda Smith on Saturday, February 11, 2012 "Munroe Brother's drug store was on the north side of main street at the west corner of the first block west of the railroad (next door, I believe to Simmons' Dry Goods Store). One of the brothers was John Munroe, who at one time, I think, also led the Wortham Marching Band. He was married to a lady we always called "Miss Brownie Munroe," one of the local piano teachers, who also ran something of a music school and was one of those who dictated what was considered proper society. I believe her maiden name was "Cole" but am not sure. Years later, there was a grocery store in this building, but now I don't remember who owned it." Townsend Longbotham's hardware (across the street from the A & P) Recollections from Wanda Willard Smith, "It was a large store than ran from main street to back alley. It had large plate glass windows on the front (north). Inside were long counters in the middle of the store as well as shelves and counters on either side. These were filled with plows, cultivators, and all sorts of hardware. It was always brilliantly lit with electric lights. ...Mr Townsend Longbotham spent a lot of time standing at the front of his store watching everything that was going on in town.Those of us who lived east of town had to pass his place four times every school day, to and from school morning and afternoon and to and from again for lunch because all of us had to walk home to eat lunch (only kids who came to school by bus could eat lunch at school). Mr Longbotham was a very large, tall friendly man, nodding and speaking to everybody who went by. ..." A. M. Stubb's livery and feed stable Wortham Nurseries 2 cotton seed houses Ralph Dewey Willard's A & P grocery store D.W. Barnes saddle making (included barrel-racing saddles) A. J. Bounds, Inc dry goods, Groceries and Millinery Dave Alderman & Co. - Buick and Chevrolet Sales and Services (1923) Warren Allegre's Pharmacy (1899) Thomas Allen Bounds & Brother store Dr. T. W. Bounds drugstore Bounds' Hardware Buchmeyer Apartments Burleson's grocery store cotton yard & public weighing station D&M Oil Company Enterprise Market of Wortham Farrar Lumber Company general store (started in 1909, by W. J. Keeling and M. C. Strange) grist mill C.P. Grizzard - dealer in gin and mill supplies, deeding harvesters, mowers, buggies, piping, brass fittings. Gulf Oil Company C. C. Hackney & J. A. Rowell furniture dealers "The Harvester" shape-note song book (written in Wortham) (1891 to 1900) (by J. E. Thomas, B. Flint, and B. N. ??????? ) Keeling and Magness Grocery livery stable (started in 1907, by W. J. Keeling) Lee Barber Shop J.P. Lindly & Son livery, feed and sale-stable. Mr. Linley's store Longbotham Lumber Yard W. Lynn (drug store) Munroe Bros. Drugstore (1923) Newell Grocery N. Prager's drygoods Reese Implement Company (John Deere tractor resale shop - 1953) Seely & Watson (dry goods) T. O. Sims Groceries (1923) E. A. Strange Auto and Furniture Loans J. P. Stubbs & Bro. Staple and Fancy Groceries, Confectionaries, Candies, Etc. [see the receipt from 1902 under the history section] Tucker's Hardware (across the street and a block west on what became Hwy 14) The Vogue Style Shop (1923) J. F. Wallis Groceries J. F. Walls, Dry Goods and Groceries Wheeler & Darwood's brick yard (1899) R. D. Willard's Country Produce (known open in 1961) K. Wolens, House of Bargains Wortham Ice Company Old Communities in the area: Coutchman Yeldell --------------------- Known people in Wortham were: Allegre, Warren Allen, Mr. (bricklayer) Anderson, Jim Andrews, Ella Aspkens, Nettie Babb, Lucy Ann Barbee, J. Barbee, L. N. Barber, L. A. Barfield, Jackson (murdered town marshall) Barnes, Mr. Basden, W. R. Bates, Mr. Beldon, Amanda Berry, A. J. Berry, Jack Blair, Mr. Blake, Georgia Blakely, E. Blakely, Hiram Blakely, Martha Ann Wright Bonner, James Willis (bookkeeper at stores and banks) Bounds, Ella Bounds, Henry Bounds, Stephen Tom Bounds, Jessie Vastine (drug store) Bounds, Thomas Allen Bounds, Dr. Theophilus Walton (physician) Boyde, Mrs. Hiram Brooks, M. G. Sr. (postmaster) Brown, Rev. E. J. (pastor) Brown, P. C. Bryant, Honorable W. J. Bryant, Will Burleson, Dave Burleson, Joe Butler, Maxine Anderson Butler, Randy Byers, J. M. Byers, Wallace Calame, Lucy Calame, O. B. Calame, Will Cantrell, Maggie Carpenter, Zelda Laverne Carter, Miss Caddie Carter, James Earl Castile, Harriet Melviney Cate, Teddy Floyd Cates, Miss Ethel Grace Chancellor, Gilbert A. Chapman, Jimmy Chapman, Johnny Chapman, Liddie Bell Chumney, Dr. Cleaton, Ruth Black Cochran, Dr. H. Cole, Mack Collins, Tommie Jean Cowart, Roy D. Cox, J. C. Craig, Leonard Earl Daniel, Joe Darwood, Charlie Darwood, J. N. Davis, R. M. Davis, Uel L. Jr. (postmaster) DeBorde, J. J. Dixon, Sharon Dunagan, Charles Benton (postmaster) Dunagan, Leonidas Alonzo Dunegan, J. C. Dunkin, I. A. Dunn, Annie Dunn, James Durwood, Mr. East, T.E. Evans, W. S. Fairven, Mrs. Foote, Grover Fouty, C. (assistant postmaster) Garman, Herbert Gilbert, D. J. Goar, Wm. P. Gray, Charley Griffith, Ticoy Grizzard, C. P. Hackney, Allie Hackney, Cliff Hackney, Estelle Hackney, H. C. Harris, J.J. Harriss, Mr. Hart, Miss Mabel Hellin, G. C. Holm, M. H. Hood, Faye Jessmyr (postmaster) Hood, Harry Hood, Thomas H. (postmaster) Hoopea, Dr. Horton, Lem Humphrey, Mrs. Lucille Hurst, Mont (postmaster) Ingram, Captain G. W. (Moves to Wortham Oct 1886) Jones, John Keeling, Robert Leonard & Amanda Snider (arrived in 1894) Keeling, Thomas Arthur & Pearl Kennedy, William J. (postmaster) Kimbrough, J. S. Kirven, Fannie Kirven, John B. Kirven, P. E. Kirven, P. R. Sr. Kirven, T.C. (pastor) Kirven, Tom C. Kirven, Vernon Kirvin, William M. (professor and superintendent) Kleinschmidt, Clara Knight, Dick Knight, J. R. Laird, George Laney, Henry Bascom & Martha Susan (arrived in 1895) Lee, R. E. Lee, S. P. Lee, William Byron (postmaster) Leonard, James (postmaster) Linley, J. W. Longbotham, Lucinda Longbotham, T. E. & Mary Elizabeth Byers Longbotham, Thomas & Mary J. Bennett Love, Mrs. David Hall Mallard, Mr. Mangum, J. J. Manning, Rev. Martin, J. D. Martin, Minnie M. (postmaster) Martin, Miss Myrtle May, Mary McCarty, J. A. McColdar, J. W. McCormack, W. J. McKinney, Charlotte Meador, Henry Melton, J. F. Miller, James L. (postmaster) Miller, Walker Mitchell, Dave Morris, Mr. Murphy, Trixie Nash, S. C. Neal, Mr. Nelson, Miss Eva Oliver, Robt. T. Peurifoy, Mrs. Grady Peurifoy, R. G. Pickard, D. G. Plunkett, D. Poindexter, T. B. Posey, D.D. Posey, William Alexander Poteet, J. E. Powell, Fannie Proctor, C. E. (dry goods merchant) Quinby, Miss Kate Ransom, Dr. D. J. Ransome, Miss Aba Ratcliff, R. Rayner, Aaron & Ann Jane Doole (arrived abt 1872) Red, A. J. Red, George E. (postmaster) Reed, C. V. Retus, Miss Hattie Riley, Melvin Roberson, D. K. Rodgers, W.A. Ross, George C. (postmaster) Sanders, Rev. G. W. Satterwhite, Robert Lee (newspaper owner of Wortham Signal) Sessions, Carter A. Sessions, C. R. Seeley, Roger Seely, W. M. Shelton, John Simmons, Mrs. H.F. Simmons, Roy Sims, T. O. Singleton, J. D. Singleton, Walter I. Smith, M. M. (pastor) Snapp, A. N. Snapp, A. W. Snapp, F. G. Snapp, John Sneed, Dr. Kenneth Wren "Kit" (physician) Speed, P. M. Spiller, James Starks, Rev. Stewart, M. J. Stubbs, A. M. (store owner, livery and feed stable) Stubbs, Hiram B. Stubbs, John James Stubbs, John Peter Stubbs, Maggie Stubbs, Mary Stubbs, Mollie Stubbs, Peter Leonard Stubbs, W. S. Stubbs, William Taylor Thomas, Mr. (professor) Thomason, Walter T. Thornton, N. C. Turner, C. J. Turner, J. C. Tyus, Bill Wallis, J. F. Weaver, Augustus N. & Lucinda Longbotham Weaver, George Weaver, Will Webb, Dr. J. S. Wiggins, W. T. Wolf, Charles Womack, H. Woolridge, Dr. Williams, Alex Williams, Rev. Wingfield, A. N. Wingfield, D. L. Wright, F. D. Wright, Jim ========================================================================== RECOMMENDED PRIMARY SOURCES ========================================================================== Dallas Morning News September 1, 1886 Page: 11 Texas Business Centers WORTHAM Wortham is situated on the Houston and Texas Central Railroad, in Freestone County, 193 miles north of Houston and 76 miles south of Dallas. Population about 400. The site is said to be one of the most beautiful on the Houston and Texas Central Railroad. The place has a good school, a Masonic hall, two churches, ten business houses, doing in an aggregate a business amounting to about $157,590. From Sept. 1, 1885, to Sept. 4, 1886, Wortham shipped 2100 bales of cotton, 165 cars of cattle, 52 cars of cotton seed and miscellaneous freight about 100,000 pounds. Freight receipts, a part of which goes to Bonner, eight miles east of Wortham, 2,000,000 pounds. The present crop prospect about Wortham is, as to cotton, good, but corn in the immediate vicinity of town is almost a failure. From a point three and a half miles east of the place and extending to the Trinity River, however, the corn crop is excellent. The soil in and about Wortham is of the richest kind and can be bought in small tracts at from $7 to $15 and $20 per acre. The sanitary condition of the place is pronounced by competent physicians to be almost free from malarial influence. ====================================================================== Fairfield Recorder newspaper, Oct 8, 1886 edition "WORTHAM DOTS Trade is very good. A great deal of small grain is being sowed in this vicinity. ... The Alliance has a cotton yard, here with Mr. J. L. Miller as the weigher. About 800 bales have been received up to date." ====================================================================== Dallas Morning News July 24, 1893 Page: 4 Down In Freestone Fine Lands, Water and Health - Wortham a Shipping Point WORTHAM, Freestone Co., Tex., July 22 -- [Special correspondence] -- Traveling south over the Houston and Texas Central railway from Dallas, one train reaches Wortham at 12:32 p.m., and the other a 10:06 p.m. Wortham is seventy-six miles below Dallas, in the northwest corner of Freestone county, Col. L.R. Wortham, deceased, who was the first merchant here, some twenty-one years ago, was the man in whose honor the town was named. The present population numbers about 650. There are ten general merchandise stores, besides a dozen or more other lines of business represented here, including two good hotels. The scholastic population numbers 185, and as the town is incorporated for school purposes, an eight months public school is taught. A private school is taught two months. There is a large, well-arranged public school building and good teachers are in charge. There are two churches here. In point of morality and good order, Wortham is unexcelled by any town in Texas. It is also unexcelled for good health. This is largely attributable to pure water and the open character of the surrounding country. True to its name, Freestone county abounds in good freestone water, obtainable at a moderate depth. Here, around Wortham, the country is diversified, there being both black sandy prairie and black waxy land. The agricultural production in cotton, corn, oats and beef cattle is quite large. Wortham has shipped since last September 3500 bales of cotton, over 100 cars of cotton seed and 150 cars of beef cattle. A great many farmers in this vicinity feed cattle during the winter and ship them to St. Louis and Chicago in the spring and find the business remunerative. Consequently, general trade at Wortham is good-much better than in most towns of its size where this diversity of agricultural interests is not found. While Wortham has never had a boom since it was a town it seems always to have enjoyed a gradual, steady and healthy growth. An elegant new hotel has recently been opened and a half dozen or more handsome residences are now in process of building. There are two weekly papers, namely, the Christian Advance and the Freestone Vindicator. The former is a Methodist Protestant paper in its seventh volume and is edited by Rev. J.E. Bounds. The Vindicator is a people's party paper not quite a year old, with J. E. Sanders as editor and manager. Among other incisive things the Vindicator observes: Grandfather Reagan (the power behind the throne at Austin) is again waving his flag in the public prints. Big salary as a railroad commissioner and nothing else to do but work up party thunder, while little girls work in the field to make 6 cent cotton to pay taxes. Wortham has a newly organized brass band, which is making rapid progress in the divine art of music. The people here are not only a cool set of human beings mentally, but they believe in keeping cool physically. They do so on Dallas ice, many carloads of which are sold here during the heated term. As Wortham is the only railroad town in Freestone, it may properly be regarded as the commercial center of the county. ... ========================================================================== Dallas Morning News- August 19, 1895 - Page: 9 Wortham A Thriving Town on the Houston and Texas Central Railroad in Freestone Wortham, Freestone Co., Tex., Aug. 14 – The thriving town of Wortham is situated on the Houston and Texas Central Railroad in the northwestern corner of Freestone county, near the boundary line of Limestone and Navarro counties, eight miles north of Mexia in Limestone county and twenty- two miles south of Corsicana in Navarro county, and 189 miles from Houston and seventy-five miles from Dallas. The town of Wortham does perhaps as much business and has as much push and enterprise as any town of its size in the state. It is surrounded by productive prairie lands easy of cultivation and yielding bountiful returns to the husbandman. It is known and spoken of as the beautiful little city on the prairie. The locality is high, well drained and healthy. Timber abounds in profusion four miles east of town, extending to the Trinity river, the eastern boundary of the county. Water is obtained at form forty to forty-five feet, good freestone water with occasionally a flow of limestone water. The population of Wortham is 753 souls. The Houston and Texas Central railroad did the following business at this place during the last twelve months: Freight received: 4,854,912 pounds, earnings $1294.53; freight shipped, 11,573,683 pounds, earnings $3168.84. Ticket sales, $428.85. There was shipped from here during this time 185 cars of cattle. In will be remembered that small-pox quarantine regulations affected very seriously and damagingly the business interests of the town of Wortham during nearly three months of the present year, beginning on the 18th day of February, yet the report of nearly every business man in town shows that his sales and cash collections have been larger and more satisfactory than the year preceding, notwithstanding the extremely low price of cotton in connection with the quarantine regulations. There are thirty-one business houses. There is one weekly paper here, the Freestone Vindicator, A. Eubanks editor. There are four churches, in which seven denominations of Christians worship, one Masonic hall, one Knights of Honor, one temperance and one alliance organization, four Sunday schools, one Christian Endeavor and one Epworth League organization, one cornet band, a large and commodious hall for public exhibitions, two cotton yards, three gins with mills attached and one large school building with a large and flourishing school. ========================================================================== Dallas Morning News Feb. 20, 1896 Page: 3 H. and T. C. Railroad THE CORNER OF FREESTONE ... Wortham-The Houston and Texas Central railroad touches the extreme north- western corner of Freestone, having some two miles of track in the county. In this corner is situated the pretty little town of Wortham, alias Longbottom, alias Tehuacana Station. Do not suppose, however, that Wortham's record is bad on account of its having two aliases. It will probably compare favorably in the matter of morals with the average Texas town of 400 or 500 inhabitants. Wortham came by its aliases in this way: "The Houston and Texas Central railroad," says Mr. J. C. Lee, one of Wortham's first citizens, "reached this point in September, 1871. The depot then established was named Tehuacana Station, on account of Tehuacana Hills, just over in Limestone county five miles southwest and in plain view of this place. The name, however, caused confusion as Tehuacana was already a village of considerable note being the site of the Trinity university of the Cumberland Presbyterian church of Texas, and also being a post office. It soon became apparent that the naming of this place Tehuacana Station was a serious mistake, and in a year or so the name was changed to Longbottom. It was so named in honor of Mr. R. B. Longbottom, a pioneer citizen who came from Alabama to this part of Texas some time in the forties. Mr. Longbottom owned a league of land here and made liberal donations in order to get a depot established here. He died some ten or twelve years ago. The name of the town was again changed a little later on, to what it is now is, Wortham, in honor of Col. L. R. Wortham, deceased, who opened the first business house here, moving his store from the village of Bonner, eight miles east of this place. "While Col. Wortham ran the first business house in this town, he was not the first man to sell goods here. Capt. White (whose initials I have forgotten), opened a small stock of groceries, etc. in a tent and I bought the first bill of goods from him ever sold here. Soon afterward a man named Swing erected a little shed and opened a small stock of canned goods, tobacco, candles, etc. in it. Then came Col. Wortham from Bonner, formerly known as Woodland, where the Cumberland Presbyterians, in years past, had quite a large college." Among other early business men at Wortham were J. M. Byers and P. L. Stubbs, grocers; and T. A. Bounds, dry goods. At present the business of Wortham embraces three general stores, two dry goods and clothing houses, four groceries, two hardware and implement houses, a furniture and undertaking establishment, two drug stores, a hotel, a restaurant, a lumber yard, two cotton yards, two livery stables, a barbershop, a photograph gallery, a meat market and three blacksmith shops. There are also three cotton gins in and near the town with an average capacity of from 25 to 30 bales a day each. A corn mill is run in connection with each gin. Wortham has no bank, but needs one very much in order to facilitate the buying of cotton, cotton seed, cattle, etc. Several of the stores here do from $25,000 to $40,000 worth of business annually. There is a nice iron-clad, fireproof depot building at Wortham which is 25 feet wide by 100 feet long. Some eight or ten new residences have been built in the town during the last year. Shipments-- Last season nearly 6000 bales of cotton, 187 cars of cotton seed and 122 cars of cattle were shipped from Wortham. The present season, up to date, only 3000 bales of cotton have been shipped and 103 cars of cotton seed. The yearly average of cotton shipments amounts to about 4000 bales. From five to ten miles east of Wortham there are some extensive cedar brakes, from which a great deal of railroad piling, posts, telegraph and telephone poles are cut and shipped from here. From 30 to 50 cars of cedar timber for various purposes are shipped here annually, a considerable portion going direct to Germany. Journalistic -- The first newspaper published at Wortham was the Democrat, established in 1890 by Martin Dies, now county judge of Wood county, Texas. After running the paper two years Mr. Dies sold it to Lee Satterwhite, who published it about a year and half and sold it to a joint stock company, who changed the name to the Freestone Vindicator, running it as a populist paper up to January 1895, then leaving the plant to Mr. Abner Eubanks who now runs the paper as a free silver democratic journal, retaining the name of Vindicator, but beginning with a new volume number. By Mr. Eubank's chronology the Vindicator is at the beginning of its second volume, and is a six-column weekly folio. The Christian Advance, of which Mr. J. E. Bounds was editor was moved from Corsicana to Wortham in the spring of 1893, but its publication was discontinued in December 1894. Educational, social and religious -- Wortham has a fine, large, two-story public school building, where some 150 pupils are being educated. Prof. Monroe, with two good assistants, is in charge. A public term of eight months a year is taught and a subscription term of two months. There is also a colored free school of 30 or 40 pupils. The religious denominations having organizations here are the Cumberland Presbyterian, Christian, Presbyterian, Baptist, Primitive Baptist, Methodist, and Methodist Protestant. The secret orders having lodges here are the Masons, Knights of Honor and Good Templars. General notes-- Wortham is 189 miles north of Houston, 76 miles south of Dallas, and 20 miles west of Fairfield, the county seat of Freestone county. The town is upon a sandy location of good natural drainage, with an abundant supply of fine freestone water, insuring good health. It was the purpose of The News correspondent prepare an extended article upon Freestone County and he requested the tax assessor at Fairfield to give him certain important data for that purpose. The assessor declining to do so, The News is not able give an accurate write-up of the county, much as it would like to do so. ========================================================================== [From The Fairfield Recorder, May 1903, in three installments. Thanks to Wanda Willard Smith.] WORTHAM The Metropolis of Freestone County May 15, 1903 By the kindness of the Editor, I will endeavor to give the readers of The Recorder some idea of what exists in this extreme corner of one of the best counties of this great state. Only a few years ago our little city of over a thousand inhaitants contained but one church, a small one-room frame school building, one brick store--the balance being rude wooden structures--one small gin, one fraternal organization and about five hundred inhabitants. Follow me now, and see what push and enterprise has already accomplished. There are six churches, as follows: Methodist Protestant, Methodist Episcopal South, Primitive Baptists, Old School Presbyterian, Missionary Baptist and Christian. The Protestant flock has as pastor, Rev. Guinn; and Rev. G. W. Saunders, President of the State Conference of that church, is a resident of Wortham. The Methodist Episcopals are led by Rev. Heiser, small of statue, but large in love and devotion to his Master’s cause. The Primitives are guided by the earnest appeals of Bro. T. J. Moore, of Shanks. Rev. Bradley, of Waco, administers to the spiritual wants of the Christians. The Cumberland Presbyterians have an organization and worship with the Baptists. They have as pastor Rev. A. A. Davis, an able minister of Tehuacana. The Baptists have an undershepherd, Rev. H. A. Conway. The following Lodges are strongly represented in Wortham: The Masons, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Knights of Honor, Woodmen of the World, Fraternal Union of America, Ladies of the Maccabees, and the Rathbone Sisters. By the public spirit of the School Board, we boast of one of the finest school buildings in Central Texas. It is a beautiful two story brick, consisting of eight rooms, with all modern conveniences. The school is under the very efficient supervision of C. M. Thornell, aided by J. B. Kirven, Miss Ella Berry, Mrs. Clark, Miss Nuel Collins, and Mrs. George Brewer, the enrollment being over three hundred. Next we will notice the Brick Factory. By the indomitable energy and pluck of C. J. Turner, Wortham has one of the finest brick plants in the State. Some two or three years ago, a quality of shale rock was discovered here that produced a brick unsurprassed by any in Texas. The plant now employs daily from thirty to forty hands, and turns out twenty thousand brick per day. It is owned by the Texas Press Brick Company. May 22, 1903 We’ll begin on Main Street with the Simmons’ Dry Goods Co. This firm has its main headquarters in Wortham, under the management of Mr. Roy Simmons. They have a large branch house at Kerens. Next is one of Wortham’s old landmarks--Warren Allegre--who has been in the drug business since the early days of Wortham’s existence. He helped to lead the town through the dark days of Pisgah Ridge “reign of terror.” Next to Allegre is C. J. Turner’s general store. The next building is occupied by the First National Bank and C. C. Stubbs hardware business. This bank is the latest addition to our growing city. It is a substantial institution owned by citizens of Groesbeck and Wortham, conducted by W. J. Johnson and C. B. Dunagan. Mr. Stubbs was reared in old Freestone and is well known by her people. This takes us to the next block, which is composed of one brick, the balance being wooden structures. The proprietor of the first business is F. M. Piercy, who came here a few years ago from Stewards Mill and merged into the grocery business. The house next to Mr. Piercy is occupied by Allmon & Lindley’s beef market and Joe Roller’s restaurant. The next business, as we proceed west, is Frank Anderson’s barber shop and bath-room. Frank is a son of “Uncle Fink” Anderson, one of the oldest citizens of Freestone County. On the corner, then comes “little” Mr. Jones, who is aided by his genial companion in issuing family groceries to the public. Across the street, we come to the Bounds block, occupied, first by Morgan Bros. general merchandise. These gentlemen came to Wortham only a few years ago. In the second house of the block, A. & H. Bounds carry dry goods and groceries. They are successors to T. A. Bounds & Bro., and like their father, possess the right kind of metal and pluck. Next door we find the Wortham Piano & Organ Company, which is under the direction of C. P. Lester. John Williams serves cold drinks in the same building. We now come to L. N. Barbee’s Hardware business. Mr. Barbee served his country in the Legislature and was several years superintendent of the Oil Mill. We now cross to the south side of Main Street. The first block is occupied by J. W. Harcrow’s photograph gallery, W. F. Morris’ restaurant and Longbotham and Odom’s Meat Market, all in wooden buildings. Then J. B. Simmon’s furniture and hardware business, in a brick. We cross the street east to the Longbotham block. First we find Towns[end] Longbotham’s hardware, saddle shop and tin shop. Townsend is a successor to T. E. Longbotham, and he was a successor to Thomas Longbotham one of the pillars of this county. T. J. Hall is occupying the next building with general merchandise. This is a branch of Mr. Hall’s Fairfield business and is conducted by a Fairfield boy--Mr. Albert Gault. By Mr. Hall we find Jim Rhea, with his confectionary and cold drinks from Athens, Texas, but the Doctor is still behind the counter to serve his friends. On the corner is the Wortham Bank. This bank is owned by Kosse and Wortham capitalists. It is conducted by Mr. Tom Poindexter, formerly of Kosse. In the alley between the bank and the new Stubbs-Jones brick block we find the “old reliable” Jake Lee, the barber, another of the Fathers of Wortham, snugly domiciled in a neat wooden structure. The first building of the Stubbs block is occupied by the post office, central telephone office and Seely’s drug store. Mr. Seely is also one of the old residents of Wortham. J. P. Stubbs & Bro. are in the next house with dry goods and groceries. They are successors to J. J. Stubbs & Co., and are both young men of fine business qualifications, sons of Hiram Stubbs, formerly of Wortham. On the corner, in the Jones building is McClintic & Proctor’s dry goods business. This is conducted by Mr. C. E. Proctor, formerly of Groesbeck. Off Main Street, just next to Jones’ grocery store is G. W. Bell’s grocery business. Mr. Bell is an old citizen of Freestone. We have two fine lumber yards: T. E. Longbotham’s and the Hackney Bros., successors to H. C. Hackney. Our city has four large blacksmith shops, owned by R. Andrews, C. T. Burleson, J. M. Brown and P. M. Bounds. We would like to mention some of Wortham’s Cattle Kings. They are as follows: A. N. Weaver, T. A. Bounds, J. J. Stubbs, Col. A. N. Snapp, Capt. T. R. Ross, F. D. Wright, H. B. Stubbs and Thos. Longbotham. Wortham boasts of the champion fisherman of Freestone County, in the person of Maj. H. C. Hackney. The Major served out his time of hard work and turned the lumber business over to his boys. May 29, 1903 Wortham has four practicing physicians. Dr. C. J. Wooldridge, one of Freestone’s “old reliables,” has been in this vicinity for many years. Dr. K. W. Sneed, son of the late Kit Sneed of Fairfield, and brother of Dr. W. N. Sneed, county health officer of Freestone, was born and reared in this county. Dr. Kit came to Wortham a few years ago when quite young. Dr. J. N. Hooper came to Wortham two years ago and at once began an extensive practice. Dr. Griffin has just located in this city. We would not have the good people to foget to notice the legal talent of Wortham, Mr. Hop Burleson, a native Freestone boy is located here. Prof. C. K. Moffeet, late of Fairfield, also has his shingle hung out on our streets. We hear that Mr. Will Bryant, of Mexia, member of the last legislature from Limestone county is soon to locate with us. Before we close the discussion of our growing little city, we should not forget The Wortham Journal, which has been a very potent factor in the upbuilding of Wortham. By perseverance and energy, Mr. Ed Satterwhite has made it a credit to the town and county. THE WORTHAM JOURNAL The Wortham Journal was established in May 1899, by Lee Satterwhite. Mr. Satterwhite made the Journal a bright, wide-awake country paper, and its success was at once assured. He was one of the most diligent newspaper men and one of the best local editors that the writer of this article knew. In 1900, he was elected Representative of the county, and in 1902, he sold the Journal to his brother, Ed Satterwhite, who still owns it. Ed Satterwhite was born in Nevada County, Arkansas, in January, 1875. He came to Texas in December, 1885, settled in Wortham, and has lived at Wortham, and near there continuously since then. Ed is a genuine Southern boy, one that has fought his own battle, hews his own way to the beacon lights on ahead--who, by his attention to business and by fidelity to his duties, has been the architect of his own success. His courteous bearing in business and friendly relations, his integrity, progressive spirit and ability, have won for him that friendship of his town and county of which any young man might well be proud. Politically, The Journal is an exponent of straight Democracy. It has its views as to what is wisest and best for the party, but when the organized Democracy speaks, it stand by our colors, as faithful in conflict as in peace. Wortham, The Journal’s home town, is one of the best small towns in Texas. It is one of our best markets for cotton, cotton seed and corn, and for cattle, hogs and general produce. It is one of the largest shipping points in this part of the State. All this is largely due to the increasing efforts of The Journal in its behalf. In fact, The Journal is one of the greatest factors in building Wortham into a live, progressive, business town, and shipping point of some magnitude. As a home paper, a clean, neat, local newspaper, The Journal has no superior. It has a large circulation in Freestone county, and a fair circulation in Limestone and Navarro counties, and a very good circulation abroad. Thus, having a fine business home town, and reaching the business and trading public, it affords excellent advantages to the advertiser. The success of the Journal is not an accident; it is that success which is the result of incessant labor, able service, faithful and honest attention to business. Its own achievements are the best and ablest tributes to its worth. With its sound political policy, its safe business course, its elevated tone and moral character, its future outlook is promising and bright. Freestone County is, of right, proud of its newspaper service. ========================================================================== HISTORICAL MARKERS ========================================================================== Historical Marker #1: "City of Wortham - Situated on grant given 1834 by Mexico to Robert B. Longbotham (1797-1883), a Texas colonist from England who settled here in 1839. Years later, in 1871, when Houston & Texas Central Railway was planned through the area, R. B. Longbotham sold right of way through his land for token sum of $5, and townsite was bought from him by investors. Although town was platted as "Tehuacana", post office was established Nov. 10, 1871, as Long Bottom, for original landowner. In 1874 name again changed, to honor Col. Luther Rice Wortham, a merchant instrumental in securing railway for area. Wortham was incorporated in 1910, but remained a modest market town until the 1920s, when rumors of oil attracted such prospectors as hotel man Conrad Hilton, who soon left when wells yielded salt water. A Thanksgiving Day gusher in 1924 opened the boom. Population leaped from 1,000 to over 30,000 at once. Law enforcement was impossible, housing inadequate, but in time the town met its obligations. Churches and schools prospered. The municipal band was the official band of 1926 United Confederate Verterans' Convention in Birmingham, Ala. Intensive drilling had ended the boom by late 1927. In 1972 a few wells are still pumping, and new horizons are being explored." Historical Marker #2: "Wortham Schools - The first recorded school in the town of Wortham was a two-story frame structure built in the 1870s by the Masonic Lodge and local Methodist church. The Masons provided supplies and textbooks; ministers served as teachers. The first public school opened in 1883 in a one-room building; Professor Miller and Mrs. Thyrsia Garrison served as the first teachers. A two-story frame building was built in 1890, and in 1891 Wortham became the first independent school district in Freestone County. In 1902 the school building was destroyed and replaced by a brick structure with a bell tower. New facilities were built in 1922 to accommodate increased enrollment. The discovery of oil around Wortham in 1924 caused the town of 1,000 to swell to 20,000 almost overnight. The impact on the school was immediate; one classroom of 18 pupils increased to 84 in a four-day period. Through the years several rural community schools were annexed to and consolidated with the Wortham school system. In 1966 the F. W. Wheeler School for African American students merged with the main Wortham schools. Buildings were renovated and new structures were added to serve the district. (1997)" Historical Marker #3: "The Wortham Oil Boom - The city of Wortham rejected a well drilled by C. L. Witherspoon in 1912 when it produced gas, not water. However, oil and gas wells in 1919-23 gave prosperity to neighbors north and south, and petroleum exploration began here. Discovery well for the Wortham Field, Roy Simmons No. 1 (1 mi. S), came in as a gusher on Nov. 27, 1924. Within three weeks over 300 drilling rigs were in the field. 3,509,768 barrels of oil were produced in Jan. 1925; total for the year was 16,838,150 barrels. Wasteful drilling slowed yield to 3,000 barrels a day by Sept. 1927, and the boom was concluded." ========================================================================== LEGISLATIVE ========================================================================== Special Sessions of the Texas Legislature Special legislative session topics 39th 1st C.S. Proclamations Creating the Wortham Independent School District in Freestone County... [Thu Sep 23, 1926]