FREESTONE PAST/PRESENT
J. R. (Sonny) Sessions

DUST BOWL DAYS AND DROUGHT

    Traveling to and from Mildred for grand kids Little Dribbler 
basketball games brought back memories. Later strong northwesterly 
winds and dust storm brought some West Texas farmers topsoil here. 
It reminded me of the droughts in the 30-40’s and 50’s and we are still 
in a continuing serious drought, a reminder we cant continue to use 
water like it never run out. Vision from the storm so impaired in 
Dallas flights were cancelled or delayed. The Dust Bowl storms were 
similar but more severe. A dark cloud like a Blue Norther would begin 
forming in the northwest with dust and sometimes looks like night. 
There was no air conditioning in buildings or vehicles and no way to 
keep it out or get away from it, sometimes it very hard to breathe. 
Kirven resident Truman Sparks who was raised in West Texas told as 
young child he and others would ride the large Tumble Weeds during 
the dust storms that blew by just for something to do. He said some of 
the Tumble Weeds six foot in diameter and you would get stickers and 
dust but it something to do. Thought I had rode everything but this a 
new one.
  When you turn off the big road at Mustang City this a town set up 
in the l960’s and owned originally by a Corsicana attorney friend 
known since early Navarro College days at the old WWII flight 
training base near here. At that time all Navarro Co. legally dry for 
alcohol he saw an opportunity to change that. He moved in enough 
old mobile homes and voters to vote wet after legal incorporation. A 
large honky tonk was built and still there, a liquor store and topless 
dancers club and other. For several years it the only wet place in 
Navarro Co. Today there several other wet places including Angus 
and Corsicana. 
 On the FR to US287 from here you pass the old military base which 
the first home of Navarro Junior College which I attended in l947-48
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               Sheriff’s Office l965
  Freestone County did not have or furnish any equipment; you 
furnished your own weapons, handcuffs even flashlights and 
batteries. They did buy us badges. I used an old pistol my Daddy had, 
a couple of old pump shotguns that his, even had the barrel cut off 
my personal bird-hunting shotgun.  The top floor of the old Jail was 
where the cellblocks were and prisoners confined, sometimes it a 
problem getting them up the narrow stairs. The ground floor mainly 
a two-bedroom apartment where the Jailer lived, James and Sue 
Gregory and their three children moved in here. The old Jail was in 
bad shape upstairs and downstairs,
in the living quarters the plaster was falling off the walls, the electrical 
wiring was not in the walls or confined. The Gregory’s lived here 
about 6 years, James started, as Office Deputy later became Field 
Deputy. Sue fed the prisoners, took phone and radio calls for several 
months without pay, became a full time deputy. James and Sue did a 
great job, could not have operated without them.
  At that time there were 3 Highway Patrolmen, Charlie Ray, Jim 
Kellum and Mac Glass, they had their hands full with traffic, 
accidents and fatalities on US 75. Fairfield had Mr. J.B. Scott
Chief and Night Patrol assisted by his well trained German Shepherd 
dogs, he furnished all his equipment including his vehicle and worked 
7 days a week, he was good and loved his work. Teague had City 
Marshall Blakeley. Wortham had City Marshall Massey. The 
Constables were Hollis Daniels, Doc Lee, Frank Utsey and Curly 
Robinson. Justice of Peace were Willis Young, Leslie Welch, Will 
Mathison and Billy Paton. 
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