Freestone County, Texas
Reflections



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

Freestone County in World War II
  
Freestone Co. had a large population, mainly rural when Pearl Harbor 
occurred and still very much in the depression. Day labor wages were in  
$1 a day area and many did sharecropping on the thirds and fourths. 
Nearly immediately many followed the War jobs to the big cities or 
military construction areas. Texas had more military bases and training 
operations due to its climate and size. Many had tents and such rough 
living, not like what required in our prisons today.
  During the War years I was here there didn’t seem like a day that a large 
military convoy or such didn’t travel thru, some would last for hours and 
most were traveling to the east or west on US84. Prior to Pearl Harbor 
with the war clouds gathering the Texas National Guard Units such as the 
36th Division were mobilized, military training camps were started all over 
the State (Fort Hood, Camp Walters, and Camp Bowie and such. In the 
summer before Pearl Harbor enroute to the largest military maneuver ever 
held in the States the 36th traveled through and camped near Reds Lake for 
a period of time.  Troops and equipment passed through daily I know for 
the next couple years.
  Several prisoner of war camps were built in Texas, one in Mexia and 
Hearne. Pilot training a big thing with Connelly Air Base in Waco where 
fighter and bomber pilots trained. They’re also a pilot training field near 
Corsicana, which used by Navarro College for several years, the landing 
strips and some of the buildings still there. Training planes were seen daily 
in all local areas, a emergency landing strip was built south of US 84 at 
Prairie Hill which still there and later used for various things including a 
large truck driving school.  Bryan had a training airfield and it was used 
for several years by Texas A&M after the war.
  The railroads crowded with civilian and military passengers and 
equipment, troop trains were not unusual, in Kirven a soldier from Iowa 
on a troop train gave a local girl his address and returned later to marry 
her and live here for a while. With gasoline, tires and such very hard to 
come by trains and public buses were the only way to travel. I remember 
having to stand up on both, even slept in the baggage area above the 
passengers. Hitch hiking a popular way where they’re any traffic as not 
like today it was mostly safe, I did lots of this. Wonder how the public 
today would react to all this.
  For some time after the Pearl Harbor attack there many unknowns, in the 
early days there even for a short time watches at night for unidentified air 
craft. Virtually everything was rationed with ration books and coupons 
disrobed, gasoline and tires very hard to come by.
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                     Sheriffs Office l966-67
  Sometimes trips made to Rusk State Hospital with mentals and those they 
didn’t know what else to do with them. Death inquests worked with JP’s. 
Rifles stolen from Francis Fryer and others abandoned near Wortham. 
Theft gasoline from Gulf pipeline.
  Bryant gas well near Streetman blew out, rig burned up, finally had to 
call in Red Adair. Having so many grass and other fires Wortham area
 Wortham VFD alerted and ready when suspect went out of town. New 
cowboy boots for our boys. Lent new Wortham night watchman a pistol.
Rape report 3am, really wasn’t but sure impressed suspect. Transit mental 
picked up Butler living off little toad frogs.
  Real Texas Ranger Ben Krueger visited often, have great respect for this 
man. Juvenile car thief escaped, found top of hospital. Bulldozer stolen I45 
construction recovered Woodville. Cow found dead that been tied to tree 
with baling wire. Grand Jury inspected old Jail and recommended it closed 
to Judge Ferguson, prisoners carried to Anderson Co. for while.
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