Freestone County, Texas
Reflections



 
Freestone Past/Present
J. R. (Sonny) Sessions

Peach Production

  Today Tim Cooper’s orchards, hot houses and vegetable gardens are 
the leaders of such in Freestone Co. Tim reared in Fairfield area since 
coming here as a child with his father Bob Cooper who came to 
Freestone Co. along with many other fine citizens with TU and the Big 
Brown Generating Plant and lignite mining These intensive operations 
not completely new to the area. Cooper Farms is the largest known 
personally with peaches, other fruits and vegetables marketed not only 
locally but Waco, Dallas and Houston and supplying some chain stores. 
Late frosts and freezes can cause great damage to these crops, Cooper 
has installed a number of large fans or windmills that keep the air 
circulating on such occasions and help the situation. Smoke pots, fires, 
ect. have been used in the past with limited success; the large fans to my 
knowledge have not really been put to the test here. Cooper has 
numerous fruit stands on I45 in Fairfield and is well known statewide as 
not unusual to see his delivery trucks anywhere.
  Western Freestone Co. has been involved in this for many years. Mr. 
I.L. Capers known during his time as the best locally on peaches. Mr. 
Capers very active until his death at about l00 years old, always a 
gentleman and loved to visit. Having lived in the Cisco area when the 
infamous Santa Clause bank robbery occurred he loved to tell about it.
Mr. Capers planted his first commercial orchard in l932 and in this 
business for many years. Always hard working a neighbor told of seeing 
him working his garden in his late 90’s and falling, assisted in getting up 
and suggested he go rest a while Mr. Capers told him he would do that 
as soon as he finished hoeing that row.
  Near Mr. Capers was another peach grower Mike Schuster who 
started his orchards in l929 and also well known as an authority on 
such. Mr. Schuster and his wife natives of Germany and have been told 
Mike served in the Kaisers army during WW1 and migrated here 
shortly after the war. One of the Schuster’s neighbors was my friend 
Younger Summers who also very involved in peaches in that area 
served in the US Army in WWI in France also; he and Mike Schuster 
became very close friends. Mike raised a large family, all well educated 
and an asset to their community. Always fun to visit the Schuster’s, once
had a subpoena for Mike to testify in neighbors divorce case (this 
probably only time he ever went to court for anything). Having trouble 
catching them at home during normal hours so went to home very early 
one morning with them not even dressed yet, invited me in as always 
and drinking coffee at the kitchen table Mike stood it long as he could 
and asked me in his broken English “Vot in the hell do you want at this 
hour”.
  Other early growers in western Freestone were Roy Capers, Edmund 
Schuster, Avery McKinney, Andrew McKinney, the Stones and Mr. 
Cates. Nearby in eastern Limestone was a large operator Ellice Lightsey 
the only one still in business today. Years ago it was said Avery 
McKinney the largest cantaloupe’s grower in the area. Today Freestone 
well known for its produce stands on I45, US84, and FR 1365. Avery 
McKinney’s operation now operated by his daughter and son in law
Nancy and Joe Barrow. 
  Don Tolar had a peach operation east of Fairfield on US 84. There was 
also a peach operation  north of Fairfield on US 75. These are also out of 
business today along with one involving strawberry’s on US 84 west 
with orchards in the Rocky Branch area.
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