HLRGazette Archives

Wood County History

By LOU MALLORY - Chairperson, Wood County Historical Commission

 The first mayor of Mineola was John C. Allen. He was born near Rome, Georgia in 1835. He came to Texas by wagon train in 1859 with his eight brothers, his wife Ophelia, and their one-year-old son Walter.

In the early 1870s, Allen bought some land in southern Wood County and a portion of this land became a part of the city of Mineola. He built his home on what is now the 600 block of South Johnson Street. According to reports, Allen gave two acres of land to the city to be used as a cemetery. The first marked grave is that of Mineola Dockery, the daughter of J.A. Dockery, one of Mineola's first merchants.

Information handed down through Allen's descendents states that he was elected mayor at a mass meeting on a street in Mineola on May 23rd, 1873 and served two terms. After his last term, Allen remained active in the town and was often called upon to help hold elections.

John Allen died at his home in south Mineola in 1905. He was buried in the section of the Mineola City Cemetery that he gave to the city. This section is now designated as the original cemetery.

Allen was succeeded by George W. Butler. Butler was born March 10th, 1830 in Jasper, Tennessee. He was the father of seven children. Deed records indicate that he bought 4.22 acres of land in the Ham Addition in northwest Mineola on November 3rd, 1879 and sold the land in 1881. The site of his home is reported to be the site of the Worth-Bruner Home at 715 Sycamore Street. Later the family lived on Walnut Street in a home once owned by the Wren family and later by the Buford Taylor family. This family owned the Eat Shop Café located where East Texas Burger is now.
Butler is believed to be the second mayor of Mineola, serving from 1877 through 1879.

The most important act of the city government during his term of office was the incorporation of the City on January 7th, 1878 as a general law charter city. The census enrollment, a part of the application, was reported to be 1,044. The city map at that time showed it to be a 46 block city.

George Butler died on May 24th, 1902 and his wife died of tuberculosis on March 8th, 1907.

Dallas S. Lankford was the fourth mayor of Mineola. Lankford was born in Alabama on December 4th, 1850. He arrived in what became known as the Golden Community when he was six years old. His father left home shortly after the move to Wood County to serve in the Confederate forces.

Dallas Lankford served a Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace from 1878 to 1882. He owned and operated a drug store in Mineola and was postmaster from 1915 to 1921. Lankford helped organize the Mineola Ice, Light and Water Company. He was mayor for a total of eight years. He was first elected in 1993, then in 1894, and again in 1909 and 1912.

Dallas Lankford died at his home in Mineola on May 11th, 1932.

Isaiah Huffmaster was the sixth mayor of Mineola. Huffmaster was born on February 12th, 1840 at Newport, Kentucky. He and his family moved to Sherman,Texas from Tennessee in 1874. After the death of his wife in 1878, he moved to Mineola. Huffmaster served as captain of Company K during the Civil War. He helped to organize Masonic lodges in East Texas and owned and operated a restaurant in Mineola for many years. He also served as tax assessor/collector for the City from 1893 until 1895.

In 1895, after he was elected mayor, he conceived the idea of building the tank and 60-foot windmill for the artesian well in downtown Mineola at the intersection of West Broad Street and North Johnson Street.

Huffmaster retired as mayor in 1903. He suffered a heart attack in 1916 from which he never fully recovered and died on January 2nd, 1921.

J.W. McMurry was the seventh mayor of Mineola. He was born on January 10th, 1852 near Nashville, Tennessee. McMurry along with his wife Mary and their young daughter, Avis, arrived in Mineola in the late 1870s. The couple had six children however two of the older girls died young. The McMurray home was located at 526 West Blair and was around the turn of the century. Mr. McMurry was a saddler and had a business in the 100 block of South Johnson Street. He served as alderman under Mayors Lankford and Huffmaster.

On April 7th, 1903, McMurry was elected mayor. Right after he assumed office, a local option election was held and the result was that alcoholic beverages could no longer be sold in the City. Eight saloons closed.

McMurry lost the election in 1905 but remained active in civic affairs. He died on July 7th, 1915.

This series will continue in the next edition of the newspaper.