HLRGazette Archives

Wood County History

By LOU MALLORY - Chairperson, Wood County Historical Commission

 (The following is taken from an old undated article by an unknown author - likely written before 1910 due to references to businesses and locations.)

The first social club in Mineola

On the 23rd day of February in 1875, the first Mineola Social Club was organized by the men of Mineola. Tom Breen was elected president, W.B. Teagarden as secretary and the treasurer was Julius Casparry.

The organization was perfected in the drug store of Doctors Frelena and Goldman, which was in a frame building where Callaway's Grocery store now stands. The object of the organization was to promote social interests in Mineola. One of the by-laws governing the organization was that whenever a young lady was visiting the city, it was reported to the president who at once notified a member of the club to call on her and escort her to a place of amusement. Should he fail to call as directed by the president, he was fined $2.50 which was placed in the club's treasury. A note of objection was his only legal excuse.

There were 23 charter members of this club. The number soon grew to more than twice this amount. The annual May Ball was usually the crowning event of the season. Many couples attended from Fort Worth, Dallas, Terrell, Wills Point, Tyler, Palestine, Longview, Marshall, Sulphur Springs, Winnsboro and Quitman. Those attending from Sulphur Springs came in an old-fashioned stage coach, taking two days to make the trip.

On the first night of May in 1877, a grand ball was given that will probably be remembered by some of those in attendance even until this late day. The music was furnished by the famous Johnson String Band of eight pieces from Marshall, Texas.

The dance was given in the old McDonald Hall, which was a two-story frame building fronting south on the lot which is east of where Bob Hall's Blacksmith Shop now stands. The McDonald Hall was beautifully decorated with festoons of evergreens and flowers and brilliantly lighted with tallow candles placed in auger holes bored in short pieces of two-by-four scantlings which were hung on the wall. Over eighty unmarried couples attended and over 20 married couples attended. Names well known in Mineola history were well represented. They included I.G. Bromberg, Dr. A. Patten, Minnie Patten, Mr. and Mrs. John Newsom, and many others such as Pegues, McDonald, Cage, Wigley and Lankford.

On this occasion, the Ladies Aid Society served refreshment in a nearby building and the proceeds reached far over $250. Miss Julia Hachell won the Prettiest Girl in Attendance title. The extensive dance program featured a grand march, many different kinds of quadrilles, the Scottish Highland Schottishe, waltzes, several versions of the polka and the fireman's dance.

Livery stables and good hacks were the modern transportation back 50 years ago

(This is an excerpt from an article likely written in the late 1940s or early 1950s - author unknown)

At the turn of the century, the modern transportation was the two-horse hack and the good old horse and buggy. In those days, money was scarce and the boys who owned a horse and buggy of their own were considered "well off," as the majority hired a rig when they wanted to take their best girl out.

The late John Nixon operated a livery stable in Quitman in the early days and old timers say it was located where the Cain Hardware building now stands. He had about ten rigs and a number of freight wagons that were drawn by two mules or horses and very often a team was made up of four animals. Ice was hauled at night from Mineola to Quitman with a four-horse team.

Mr. Nixon sold out to the late Uncle Bill Lloyd and the late Robert Butler. The last owner was J.F. Crofford. Others who operated livery stables in Quitman were the late Chris Rainwater and the Bill McCrary

Old timers recall that the late Jim Woods and Jim Bryant operated a big livery stable at Mineola and that for a long number of years, an aged black man by the name of Sid Parker, worked there. Earl Jones, now of Quitman and the late Charles Blount once operated stables at Winnsboro. T.L. Denton operated a livery barn at Sulphur Springs around 1905 and traded it to Uncle Sam Benton who now makes his home at DeKalb. He said operating a livery stable was hard work day and night.