Early Settlers of Eustace, :Henderson County Texas Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Bunny Shumate Freeman ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net *********************************************************************** Early Settlers of Eustace TX Henderson County Texas Copyright © 2001 by Bunny Shumate Freeman. This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives. Fourls1223@aol.com Early Settlers of Eustace The Earliest settlers of Eustace (Henderson County Texas) came mainly from Goshen, Payne Springs (formerly known as Mallard Prairie), and Cottonwood. Goshen and Payne Springs had already been established for a number of years as thriving places of business. The merchants, however, were eager to take advantage of the new railroad facilities, and they soon began to move to the Eustace town site. On the day that the train made its first scheduled run in 1900, people gathered up and down the tracks for miles, straining their ears for the sound of the first whistle and their eyes for the first glimpse of the great "iron horse”, the first that many had ever seen. The locomotive with its billowing black smoke must have been an awe-inspiring sight both to the on-lookers and to the horses and mules that had brought the visitors to the scene. Although there is a slight difference of opinion as to some of the following "firsts", the first business houses in the new town are said to have been as follows: The first Depot was two box cars brought here by the railroad to be used for storing freight and for selling tickets to those passengers who wished to ride the train. The boxcars burned within a short time, however, and were replaced with a frame depot in 1903 which lasted until 1945 when Eustace became a flag station. The first cafe or eating place was operated by Jim Hansard while the railroad was being constructed in 1899-1900. It was reputedly housed in a tent, part of its furniture consisting of large wooden crates. The first building erected for café or restaurant purposes was built by Tommy Walker in 1904 on the southwest corner of the Old Pear Orchard which originally belonged to Mr. Moore and later to Dr. Cockrell. (A few of the old pear trees are said to be still standing). The first grocery and dry goods store was owned by Mr. J. W. Moore in 1900, although J. W. Teal and G. F. Weakes soon put in similar establishments. The first post office was also in Moores store, thus giving rise to the report that he was the first or acting postmaster of Eustace. Opinions differ as to who built the first residence in Eustace. Some say it was Joe Pickle, while others contend that it was either Jack Isler or John D. Evans. It is generally conceded that the Joab Melton home was built in 1901 when Mr. Melton moved to Eustace from Goshen where he had been a successful merchant. The first saloon was operated in 1900 by W. E. McKinney and his brother in law, C. E. Hamilton. They sold out in 1902 to Mr. Isler. The first boarding house came into being in 1901, and was run by Mrs. Parilee McNeil. The first candy store was put in about 1901 by Henry Reynolds who also had a dry goods and grocery store. The first barber shop was established by Will Flannagan in 1901, and offered baths (for men only!) as well as shaves and haircuts. It was located on the south side of the railroad. The first gin was erected in 1900 reputedly by Jack Isler, although another source credits this first to Seb Varner. The old gin tank is still a landmark. The first drug store was established by John Foster about 1901, although Faulk’s History of Henderson County Texas states that Foster and Cockerell were partners in the enterprise. The first doctors were Dr. Lonnie L. Cockerell and his brother Dr. Ed Cockerell. The first ice house was built by Burkhalter Bros. and was located right by the railroad tracks in 1905. Ice was shipped in by refrigerated cars, unloaded, and stored in the ice house. The first meat market was put in 1911 by Ed Burkhalter. Prior to this date, meat was peddled throughout the town from the back of wagons. The first lumber yard was owned by Mr. Joab M. Melton in 1900 or 1901 and must have been a profitable enterprise with all the building that was taking place. The first grist mill was put into operation about 1911 by Mr. B. A. Monroe, who ground the shelled corn into the cornmeal that was a staple part of the early East Texas diet. The gristmill was operated for a "toll"--a portion of the cornmeal was retained as payment for grinding, usually 1 peck per bushel of cornmeal. Mr. Monroe also operated Eustace’s first garage soon after the "horseless carriage" came into vogue shortly before World War I. Other firsts--although somewhat later ones--include the livery stable run by Ed Selman and Doug Gilliam in 1908; the brick building erected in 1908 by George Cook; the first bank in 1910; the first newspaper in 1911; the first telephone system in 1914; the first movie in 1919 by Jim Jones; the first variety store by M. C. Andrews in the early 1920’s; and the first beauty parlor in 1949 by Mrs. Bert Baxter. Other business men and merchants who contributed to the development of the new town included Seb Varner, general mercantile establishment, 1901; Henry Reynolds, grocery and dry goods, 1901; J. F. Cooper, dry goods and grocery, 1901; S. C. Campbell and George Cook, general merchandise, 1901; and John D. Evans, who in 1901, purchased the G. F. Weakes grocery store. About 1904, a disastrous fire struck the little village, destroying almost all of the business establishments south of the railroad tracks, including the drugstore owned by A. J. Cook, the barber shop owned by Will Flanagan (where the fire is said to have started); and the general merchandise stores run by J. W. Teal and J. F. Cooper. The candy store and general merchandise store run by Henry Reynolds miraculously escaped being destroyed. This area of the town was later rebuilt and occupied by C. L. Green, groceries; by A. M. Bailey (and later his son, J. W. Bailey), groceries, feed and shoe shop; and by B. A. Monroe, who had a blacksmith shop, a grist mill and a garage. With the re-platting of the town in 1907-1908, the merchants began to center their establishments around the new public square, and brick buildings began to make their appearance in Eustace. George Cook is said to have built the first brick building in 1908, although the deed from Cook, Moore, Melton, Weakes, and Smith in 1907, mentions a "concrete stone" building owned by M. E. Edgar on "Lot 1, Block 4, of the new town plat". A second building, also erected in 1908, was put up by Ballard and Campbell on the north side of the square for their Eustace Mercantile Company. One side of the double Campbell-Ballard building was used as a department store; the other half as a general hardware store. Eustace enjoyed a large trade territory at that time, extending from Big Rock in Van Zandt County and Goshen in northern Henderson County almost to Malakoff to the south and including the Stockard Community to the east. The Eustace Mercantile Company did an extensive business with the farmers in this trade area and owned a large fenced lot north of their building where quantities of farm equipment were stored. Eustace’s only millinery shop, run first by Miss Gladys Reynolds and later by Miss Vera Noble, was located in the Campbell Ballard building. A coal-mining operation was begun in 1908 near the Vernon Moseley home south of town, and school was dismissed to let the children see the first dirt shoveled. Unfortunately, the mine soon went broke, and the operation was closed the same year that it opened. J. M. Hussey is said to have been the manager-operator during its short existence. According to Vernon Moseley, the livery stable owned by Ed Selman and Doug Filliam was exceedingly popular with "sparking couples" who had two alternatives for spending Sunday afternoon; of "walking the trestle" or 2) for the magnificent sum of two dollars they could rent a buggy and two prancing mares from the livery stables--and take a buggy ride in high style. A modern couple in a today’s sport car could be no happier than the two of yesterday were in their hired buggy. In addition to renting horse-drawn vehicles, the livery stables also operated a dray service, by which articles of freight were carried from the depot to the various mercantile firms. In 1908 Gilliam sold his interest in the stable to A. C. McLaughlin, and a short time later Mr. Selman sold his interest to U. V. Holland. A few years later, McLaughlin and Holland moved to Kemp and sold the Eustace business to Mr. X. Hastings, who later added a truck to the freighting business. Mr. Hastings continued to operate the transfer line for a number of years. Clem Westmoreland operated a general merchandise store in Eustace from 1910 to 1930, occupying several locations during this time. At one time Mr. Westmoreland sold his business to Charlie Green, who in turn leased the building to Jim Jones in 1919 for Eustace’s first "movie" house. The movie business did not last long, approximately one year, and then Mr. Green put in another general merchandise business. Eustace was destined to have other movie houses in later years, but neither proved to be successful; one built by Mr. Lamberth on the north side of the square in 1947 and a second operated by Mr. Barrows in 1949. In 1913, T. B. Green Sr. and his brother in law Sam Carlton, moved to Eustace from Athens and put in another mercantile business which was at first located in the George Cook brick building on the east side of the square. This firm occupied buildings on the north and the west side of the square also in later years. Mr. Green, Sr. as well as his sons, played a prominent role in the development of the town for many years. Several years after the death of Mr. Green, Edwin and Bruce Green moved to Mabank where they both still reside. Although Joab M. Melton had the first lumber yard in Eustace Joe Chamblee and Gus Smith put in a second one in 1913. Chamblee and Smith soon sold out to R. R. Smith, who in turn sold to George Cook. In 1916, Carey C. Williford purchased the lumber business and operated it for many years. He added a hardware store, located on the west side of the square in later years, which he operated in conjunction with the lumber yard. The blacksmith was an important man in the village of yester year, and Eustace has had a number of such "smithies"; Joe Pickle, B. A. Monroe, A. J. Cook, Rube Fugate, A. J. Moseley, Sed Varner, Mr. Compton, Lester Wycough, Simon Acker and much later Gordie Easley. In 1900 the State of Texas regulated the sales of whiskey by what was known as "local option", a term that simply meant that a community could decide among its residents as to whether the area would be "wet" (sell intoxicating beverages) or "dry" and prohibit such sales. From its earliest days Eustace was "wet" and remained so for at least a decade. The town’s first saloon, operated in 1900 by W. E. McKinney and his brother in law C. E. Hamilton, was sold in 1902 to Jack Isler. The Ernest brothers, John and Jeff, soon opened a second saloon which was reputedly located where the old First State Bank building now is. In 1907, Matt E. Edgar opened the third saloon, also on the west side of the present square. There were many hot arguments between the ‘wets" and the "drys" before the "dry" were finally successful in voting the saloons out of business about 1909-1910. For many years, agriculture played a major role in the economy of Eustace. Most of the farmers in the surrounding trade territory raised cotton and depended upon the local merchants to "carry" them financially until the fall months when the cotton was harvested and sold. The earliest method of harvesting the cotton crop was by picking the cotton from the bolls, which were left on the stalks; in later years "pulling" both the cotton and the bolls at the same time was used. Both methods were performed by hand, the cotton being put into long sacks that were hung over the picker’s shoulders. The cotton gin was, of course, a necessity, and the Eustace ginner who is best remembered is J. C. Harris who went into the business here about 1910, after buying out the old Jack Isler-Zeb Varner gin. Mr. Harris was not only a prosperous business man but also a man who contributed much to the growth of the town in many ways. A second gin stand, put into operation before 1920 by Lonzo Holland, was located south of the railroad . It was soon sold to Jasper Loper, who in turn sold it to the Athens Oil Mills. About 1929, J. M. Royal purchased it from the Oil Mills, and Edison Monroe operated it for Royal until 1942, when the gin was dismantled fro scrap iron and the gin lots were sold for residential use. Another occupation that depended upon the cotton farmer was that of weighing the bales of cotton before the bales were stored on the cotton yard until they could be sold. Each cotton yard had its own weigher, for cotton was sold by the pound and the bales were not of uniform weight. Some of the cotton weighers in Eustace are recalled as being "Dad" Hunter, Cordie Chambers, Selman Williford and George Stegall. The cutting of cordwood also had a financial impact upon the local economy, for only by this way could the hundreds of acres of woodland be cleared of timber and put into cultivation. The J. L. Kemmerlee and the Roy Clark families were prominent dealers in this product. They hauled the wood by wagons to be the railroad tracks, where boxcars were loaded and the wood then carried to many places to be made into usable products. The hotel business--or boarding house, as it was called in earlier days--does not appear to have been very successful in Eustace. The first person to offer accommodations to the traveling public is said to have been Mrs. Parilee McNeil in 1901. She was succeeded by Mrs. A. J. Cook in 1912. Mr. and Mrs. Kemmerle built a large home in 1920, in which the teachers are said to have boarded, but apparently they did not cater to the traveling salesmen or drummers, as such salesmen were known. Mr. and Mrs. Shade Graham are also reputed to have managed a successful boarding house, dates unknown. The first barber shop, as has been previously noted, was operated in 1901 by Will flannagan on the south side of the railroad. Subsequent barbershops are known to have been operated by Jim Morrow, Edward McKinney, John Alexander, Earl Reid, Lester Williamson, Arvie Alexander, Charlie Lewis and Everett Morton. The barber who worked so long and who remembered not only for his barbering expertise but also for the helping hand that he extended to his fellow man was Bill Pickle, no deceased. In most towns of the early 1900s, the depot agent also provided a means of emergency communications by means of the telegraph system. Eustace, however, was a "non-telegraph" station, and did not provide such a service. The depot agent played a vital role in the life of the town, nevertheless. The first depot agents said to have been George Osbourne in 1901, and there may have been others before 1908 when Mr. F. D. Shaw moved to Eustace to assume that position. Mr. Shaw served the community in many ways before he was replaced in May 1930 by Fred Spence. Fred was active in both civic and school affairs until he was transferred in November of 1941; his replacement was a Mr. Walters, who is believed to have been the last of the depot agents for Eustace. The local Justice of the peace was also an important addition to the life of the early town. He was empowered to perform marriage ceremonies, notarize legal documents, and collect fines imposed by the constable or municipal officers. Among the constables that served Eustace over the years were J. P. Morrow, T. H. Moseley, John Gouge, D. B. Reynolds (for many years) and Harold Killpatrick, who is the current constable. Justices of the Peace included J. D. Evans, George Stegall, a Mr. Lunceford, S C. McLauchlin and E. P. Mixon. Other businesses that were established in Eustace prior to 1950 were the George Frazier general merchandise store in 1941; Georgia Easley’s welding shop in 1949; Mrs. H. L. Wheat’s sewing shop in 1949; Irvin Tidmore’s grocery store in 1947; the Frank Reynolds mattress factory during the 1930’s; Boone Reynolds grocery store in 1948; Garrett and Warrens general merchandise in 1914; Irvin Yoes variety store in 1939 and J. W. Fords similar establishment in 1944-5; Ralph Smith and Johnnie Gilliams garage in 1946; Everett Smiths Humble Filling Station; Mixon’s Texaco; Bryon Andrews grocery store and Gulf Station; C. H. Chambers Sinclair station; the garages run by B. A. Monroe, R. F. Holcomb, Mangan Bros. and H. L. Smith; the ice house run by W. E. McKinney and later D. H. Riddle among others. Published in Texas AGO Journal Winter 1984-1985 Transcribed by Holli Boone Kees