Hunt Co., TX - History of Celeste and Surrounding Area ****************************************************** This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb by: Sarah Swindell USGenWeb Archives. Copyright. All rights reserved http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ****************************************************** History of Celeste and Surrounding Area The First Methodist Church in White Rock was built in 1898 with Rev. Ballard as the pastor. Also, the Davenport School two miles northwest of Lane was established with one room and one teacher. In 1899, the people of Celeste decided to open another academy named Elmwood Institute, operated by Professor B. A. Stafford and Professor C. F. Gibson. All courses offered were required with no choices, including five years of Latin and three years of Greek. One business that opened its doors on May 1, 1900, was the First National Bank. It was chartered with M. K. Harrell (father of the famous Metropolitan Opera singer, Mack Harrell) as the first president. Mr. Harrell's tenure of office ended in 1913, when Mr. S. R. Granberry became president and chief executive officer. This was a position he held for fifty-two years, until 1965, when his son, Albert Granberry, succeeded him as president. A prominent businessman, William Bibby Taylor, moved to Celeste in 1900. He was associated with the Old State Bank of Celeste and the First National Bank. He retired and then went into the feed and ice business behind the old Herman Compton Grocery Store (east side of North Second Street). Mr. Taylor also had a cafe, selling cold drinks, candies, popcorn, peanuts, and cigars. Mr. Lum Williams also moved to Celeste that same year. Celeste Church of Christ elders C. W. Luna and C. C. Perrin purchased a lot in 1900 and moved a small frame building on it so that that congregation would have a place to worship. J. R. Hazal and Alice Hazal and their family settled in Lane in 1900. Their son, V. E. Hazal and his wife, Pansy Elam Hazal, also reared their two sons, Paul Hazal and J. W. Hazal in the Lane community. When V. E. and Pansy were married in 1909, Lane was an active town with two stores operated by Will Bruce and John Pierce, a gin, a blacksmith shop, and two churches. V. E. operated a one-chair barbershop until 1923. A life-long resident of Hunt County, Pansy Hazal attended her first school at Knox in 1894. Close to the Lee Cemetery, southwest of Leonard, Knox had a school, a gin, and a sore. Maude Masters Roach was the teacher in 1894 and the next year, Florence Elam Wharton was the teacher. Another country school that Mrs. Hazal attended was the Davenport School, which was north of Lane on the Handley land. This school had two teachers from Kingston in 1898, a Mr. Nicholson and Mr. Saffold. Another family that came to Lane in 1900 was James Melvin Nichols and Nancy Rachel Nichols. James Nichols carried the lumber from Celeste to the Lane gin site. White Rock and Celeste saw lots of important activities in 1901. White Rock built a new four-room school that was used until the 1940's when most of the high school students started going into Celeste or Wolfe City. They continued to have a two-teacher grade school until 1949. This was also the year that Dr. Pierson (sic) got the first telephone line in White Rock. Claud Lowry also soon got a phone line. He had a switchboard in his home and served seventy-five people. The last major event in White Rock in 1901 concerned the Pleasant View Baptist Church membership voting to move their church to White Rock and change the name to White Rock Baptist Church. Celeste's employment picture got a boost in the arm in 1901 when a cotton mill was erected at a cost of $60,000.00. It employed more than fifty men. Also the first women's club of Celeste was organized. It was called the Mutual Improvement Club with Mrs. Chaney (Caney) as the first president and Mrs. Harris as secretary. It disbanded in 1908. Tommie Shoemaker, daughter of a Methodist minister in Celeste, and Tom Ben Sparks were married in 1901. This couple would operate a grocery store in Celeste for almost fifty years. The Celeste Volunteer Fire Department was organized in 1902, but it was not very effective because when a fire broke out, every available man was expected to form a bucket brigade to fight it. Also, a new Celeste Methodist Church building was erected that year at a cost of $5,000.00. On February 2, 1903, the first rural mail carriers in Hunt County went out from a train wreck occurrence just north of Kingston. There were several injured and one killed. Baalum Glasscock and Elizabeth Glasscock moved to Celeste in 1903 with eleven of their children. Many of their descendents are still in the Celeste area. Blanche Bell Eastwood came to Celeste in 1904. She had learned to be a milliner at the College of Industrial Arts in Denton. She opened a shop in association with the J. C. Thompson Dry Goods Store. Blanche married J. R. Eastwood in 1909. She was a charter member of the Thursday Club and served as club president two or three times. The Club honored her on her 96th birthday. Maude Masters was a teacher at the Lane School in about 1905. Although Lane did not have a bank, area people would ride their horses across the prairie to Jim Clymer's home. A large landowner, Clymer had a safe in his home and people would borrow money from him in gold. Hickory Creek had a gin, two general stores, a drug store, two churches, and a school in 1906. Some of the early families were the Blankenships, R. W. Brown, the Feltys, the Crawleys, the Wilkes, the Thorntons, Joe Young, O. L. Nelson, the Greens, Jim Hulsey, the Battles, the Bells, the Gattiss, John Perkins, the Floyds, the Yarboroughs, the Denneys, the Comptons, the Harris, and the Alexanders. The Old Prairie Hill School was also established about this time. Baalum and Elizabeth Glasscock moved to the Antioch area in 1906. One of their sons, Sam, was a teacher at the school there in 1914. Basketball and football were organized in Celeste High School in 1906. Pansy Hazal and Louise "Tot" England were forwards on the girls' basketball team. The girls were just learning the rules so they did not play any games with other schools. There were about 35 - 40 students in the tenth grade in 1906. Some of them were Fannie Adams, Cassie Aldridge, Bertie Barnett, Zella Lewis, Lakie Carter, Eura Cloar, Hubert Ewing, Spalding Williams, and Pansy Elam. Three of the teachers were J. C. Pyle, Lucy Casey Patterson, whose father owned a dry goods store in Celeste, and Mr. Taylor. At this time, Celeste had plank sidewalks and everyone had his own water well. Downtown Celeste had two dry goods stores, a millinery shop, two banks--the First National and State Bank--a blacksmith shop, an insurance company, several gins, an oil mill, the Katy and Santa Fe train depots, and four churches--Methodist, Baptist, Church of Christ, and Christian. In 1907, the Katy Tower was built at Celeste. It was one of the best known landmarks in this section of Texas. During the evening of July 4, of that same year, Celeste was hit by a tornado that destroyed many homes on Mill Row and did a lot of damage. The White Rock Methodist Church was also blown away, but was soon rebuilt. The Celeste Baptist Church building burned down in the fall of 1907 and the members met in the Christian Church for awhile. The last disaster of the years was a fire that struck the main business section of Kingston, destroying most of the business on the west side of the railroad. Edward Clinton Lacy and Eva Webb Lacy moved to the Lane community, five miles west of Celeste in 1907. Their children were Lois Lacy Lewis, who would retire from school teaching from Celeste schools, James Perry Lacy, Jess Lacy, Mattie Lee Dillon, William Carl Lacy, who would be a rural Celeste rail carrier for almost thirty-seven years, Mrs. D. C. Middleton, and E. C. Lacy, Jr. The year 1910 would bring many other new changes to the area: a new First Baptist Church building was completed in Celeste, Mr. Oscar Thomas would settle in Celeste, Burr Porter, Sr., bought the first car in Kingston, a new gin was built in Lane by Mr. Nichols and his son, Laute Nichols, the first black church was organized when Mr. Frank White, Mr. John Samuels, and Mr. Dave Ganaway paid $275.00 for the Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church to be built. The Orange Grove School in north Hunt County was established with Mrs. Sim Owens teaching in the one-room school. The winter of 1911 was so dry in Celeste that water had to be shipped from Whitewright in railroad tank cars. Long lines of wagons would line up waiting for the water to arrive. Sometimes there was not enough to go around. Also that year, the entire north business block burned down in a nighttime fire and the Celeste Thursday Club was organized. The Lyday Band, consisting of Omer Lyday, Ivan Lyday, Tom Lyday, Alvin Lyday, Tom Craigo, and Rob Craigo played for most of the area dances in 1911. Omer Lyday, who was born in Celeste to Henry C. Lyday and Molly Culver Lyday on November 19, 1900, was married to Leta Aven on September 9, 1919. Three of their eight children also spent their entire lives in Celeste just like their father. They are Bethalyne Lyon, Richard Lyday, and Larry Lyday. Gilford Lyday retired from Sherman back to the home of his youth. Elmwood Institute became Celeste Public High School with Mr. J. C. Pyle as the superintendent in 1912. Also that year, a larger Church of Christ building was erected and Mr. Albert Norris' Drug Store burned down, but was soon rebuilt. Mr. J. M. (Mon) Passons opened his first blacksmith shop in a farm shop east of the Sabine River bridge south of Kingston in 1912. He and his wife, Mattie Caroline Porter Passons, moved to Celeste in the 1920's. The blacksmith shop was in a building just south of the First National Bank from 1927 to 1963 on South Second Street. In 1933, he installed a ten-horse power motor to power all the shop equipment including the forge blower, which greatly improved working condition at the shop. Mr. Monroe Passons had the last blacksmith shop open in Celeste. The first record books of Celeste City Government were destroyed by fire on January 6, 1913. Book two was started that day with D. C. Kennedy as mayor, J. P. Harrison as secretary/treasurer, F. B. Norris, E. D. Thompson, J. J. Stephens, J. W. Pyle, and H. L. Mickler as aldermen. Fire also struck the Celeste High School that year when he first brick school building burned down. After the Celeste City Council gave them permission on May 5, 1913, a much larger one was erected. It was expected to be competed by September 15, 1913. Harrell's Chapel in the Alliance community was torn down that year leaving only a store and cotton gin left there. Davenport School also closed its doors and those children went to Lane after this. "Town Ball," a form of baseball, was a popular sport in Kingston in 1913. Mord Lyday and Omer Lyday formed an independent baseball team. They played the Dallas Giants in the Amateur League. Other team members were Doc Lyday, Gilford Lyday, Horace Masterston, Charlie White, Ed White, Louise Weaver, Howard Roach, Rankin Roach, Dave Bickham, and Felton Sparks. The year 1915 was a busy year in Celeste City Government. The City Council granted Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railroad permission to construct a passing tract on First Street at Marsalis and Sanger streets. A Justice of the Peace was appointed and court was held. With a police force, Celeste had its own jail. Everyone between the age of 21 - 45 was required to repair and work on streets five days per year. Also that year, the Central Christian Church of Celeste built a new building. Also, Mr. and Mrs. George Copeland moved to town. On January 3, 1916, a franchise was granted to J. W. Pinkston to build and operate Celeste's first electric plant. Customers only had lights until 9:00 PM at night. Also that year, the Enterprise School was established several miles north of Celeste with one room and one teacher, Mrs. Ford. Hickory Creek Methodist Church was established. Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Chiles donated the parking lot north of the Celeste Church of Christ to the church. In 1917, Antioch, Prosperity, and Alliance schools consolidated to form the Crescent School. Also the Orange Grove School consolidated with Prairie Hill School and a new school building was built on US Highway 69, half way between the two old schools and about half way between Celeste and Leonard. The Lane community residents built a new two-story school with three rooms. Dr. Harrison Baker married an area girl, Eula McGuire, on June 30, 1917. He began his sixty-four years of ministry in the Lane-White Rock areas. He performed over 3,502 wedding ceremonies including that of the late Sam Rayburn, plus countless baptisms and funerals during his years as a preacher in Hunt County. Businesses advertising in The Celeste Courier in 1917 included Dyer Brothers Drug Store, C. J. Barnard Wallpaper and Prescriptions, Celeste State Bank, W. W. McMichael Clothing, Marshall and Frasier Eating Place, Hoard and Bickham Groceries, Dr. J. B. Hall Dentist, J. W. Pinkston Blacksmith, C. L. Lewis Clothing, Kerr Brothers Pure Food Store, George Fields Concrete Hitching Posts, G. B. Norris Physician, J. R. Eastwood Barber and Cold Baths, J. A. Jackson Deep Well Water, J. W. Pyle Insurance and Real Estate and Loans, J. E. Cannon Fitted Glasses, Celeste Lumber Company, G. D. Henslee Lumber Company, Van Cleaver Telephone Exchange, Ewing Telephone Exchange, Dr. Gebhardt Music Teacher, Mitchell Hotel, J. O. McGuire Grocery, Fraley Company Hay and Seeds, Neely Gin Company, Buchanan-Lewis-and Company Millinery. In 1918, the whole south business block of Celeste burned down except for the bank, the Enterprise School consolidated with Celeste, and Celeste High School played its first football game versus Leonard and won 33 - 0. Monroe Compton married Jewel Comer in August 1919. Mr. Compton taught school for twelve years. His first school was Enterprise, three miles northwest of Celeste. Besides his teaching career, Monroe was Celeste Postmaster for twenty- five years. His daughter, Theda, and son-in-law, Carl Lacy, also served the local post office department with thirty-three and thirty-six years of service respectively. Pete Hudson bought out Charlie Lewis' Tailor Shop in 1919. At that time, they had one press. In later years, Pete added steam presses and a hot head press. He carried a line of men's clothing. He occupied the same building for thirty- seven years. Pete Hudson was the oldest tailor in Hunt County and the oldest businessman in Celeste when he passed away on December 26, 1956. His wife, Cleatis Green, tried to keep the business going until 1973 when she sold out and thus ended the cleaning and pressing business in Celeste. Also in 1919, William S. Ross was Postmaster in Kingston and Jimmie Norris was rural mail carrier. In 1920, Kinston was a community of about two hundred residents. It still had a business district consisting of a blacksmith shop, Odd Fellows Hall, a drug store, a grocery store, a post office, a barber shop, and a public school teaching ten grades. Several oil wells were drilled in Hogeye about this time. They finally gave up after drilling in three places, striking wet gas and capping each one off. Henry Grady May organized an orchestra for the White Rock Methodist Church in 1920. The members of this group were Ardell Green, Stella Green, Thomas King, Gladys DeFee, J. W. Moore, John Holloway, and Carl Ross. The Celeste Thursday Club was federated in 1921. An auditorium was built on the Celeste High School property in 1923. At one time in the 1920's, there were four doctors in Celeste. They were Dr. J. E. Cannon, Dr. E. Williams, Dr. R. S. Norris, and Dr. Harris. Their offices were over Norris Drug Store and Dyer's Drug Store on the south side of downtown. Celeste also had two undertakers, one was E. D. Bickham and I. M. Stringer and the other was G. D. Henslee. The Henslee's old horse-drawn hearse was sold in the late 1950's to be used in Hollywood as a movie prop. Conine Lane Motor Company was the new Ford card dealer in the 1920 - 1930's. It was located where Love's cutting department was (west end of north side downtown). Mules were bought and sold in a building east of Oral Smith's Garage (east end of south side) and also in a building south of the old Magnolia Filling Station. Mules were the forerunners of tractors. S. R. Granberry and Bill Cole operated the two mule barns. (To Be Continued Next Week, April 12, 1984, The Wolfe City Texas Mirror)