Footprints of Fayette L-R

M. O. Meriwether was appointed La Grange's first U.S. Postmaster after the

Postmaster General of the United States assumed control over the Republic of Texas Postal System on May 22, 1845. He served until 1848 when he was replaced by Swante Palm, a Swedish immigrant, silversmith and watch repairman by trade, but a scholar and bibliophile, who later donated his ten thousand book library to the fledgling University of Texas.

Along with Palm, other early La Grange Postmasters revealed different and interesting backgrounds. David Gregory, for instance, was a Presbyterian minister and attorney, while William Hermes practiced medicine and owned one of the earliest drugstores in the state.

Later in the century, the La Grange Post Office made statewide postal history when it established Texas' first rural free delivery route. Following passage of the RFD bill in Congress in 1896, Postmaster H. C. Heilig requested that August F. Loessin, known for his knowledge of the county and is residents, map a satisfactory route.

Henry Cremer was given the authority to circulate a petition to secure the required number of signatures, and on August 1, 1899, the Post Office Department granted the request. Cremer was appointed the first carrier and was succeeded by Charles Lampe two years later.

Walter P. Freytag is characteristic of the distinguished citizens who have served in this capacity. Freytag was a Captain in the U.S. Army during World War II, and was later Superintendent of Schools and Mayor of La Grange. Oscar Cook came to his position through the ranks, previously serving as Assistant Postmaster.

U.S. Postmasters of La Grange were: M. O. Meriwether, 1846; Swante Palm, 1848; David G. Gregory, 1850; James T. Patton, 1865; John W. Farley, 1865; William Hermes, 1866; Arthur Meerscheidt, 1874; William S. Robson, 1887; George L. Siebrecht, 1890; John P. Ehlinger, 1893; Charles H. Helmcamp, 1898; Herman C. Heilig, 1899; August F. Loessin, 1901; L. V. Vanek, 1901; Theodore W. Lueders, 1914; Edmund A. Giese, 1920; Carl Amberg, 1934; Walter P. Freytag 1949; Oscar L. Cook, 1973.

Richard Henning just retired after over 20 years as Post Master. He attended the University of St. Thomas and the University of Houston. Job security and attractive benefits appealed to him and he got his bid for the top postal job in La Grange. He stated that the events of September 11, 2001 shook the postal service and was a reason to be careful. La Grange is in need of a larger building and more parking spaces.

At present Bill Schwartz is the officer in charge until another postmaster is named.

La Grange, R.F.D.

(or, The First Texas Rural Mail Route)

"Tis nine o'clock, and Duty calls to the Friendly Road; And you ride over the hills of beauty, bearing your precious load—News from the world's far places—." So wrote one southern mail carrier many years ago, in a poetic a tribute to the Rural Free Delivery Service called "On the Route."

Fayette County's rural carriers have traveled "on the route" for nearly 104 years. In fact, postal service officially came to Texas communities on August 1, 1899, when the first Texas Rural Mail Route station opened in La Grange.

In the early days, before Texas was annexed to the United States, post-riders carried mail between San Antonio and the viceroy of Spain in Mexico City. Mail carriers were mostly Indian runners, weather-hardened men of great physical endurance. Mail bound for points other than Mexico was carried horseback from Texas to Louisiana or Mississippi, then forwarded to its destination in the States.

The first regular postal system for Texas was inaugurated in December 1836, during the Presidency of General Sam Houston. But the Republic had no finances to adequately establish the system. The first Congress of Texas authorized the postmaster general to solicit funds from the public, and mail carriers were often paid in land.

Financial worries were not the only drawback to the early postal system. Bad roads, few bridges, and highwaymen lurking in out-of-the-way places posed enormous problems to the carrier.

After entering the Union in 1845, Texas was partly relieved of the responsibility of mail delivery when the state postal system became part of the national system. Longer routes were established, and much of the mail was carried in stagecoaches. One of the longest routes in the nation was from El Paso, Texas, to San Diego, California.

Around the turn of the century, the federal post office began experimenting with a mail delivery system with shorter routes, a system that could greatly benefit people living in the country.

"No one knows better than those living miles away from mail accommodations how unpleasant it is when work is plenty and urgent upon the farm to take the time to ride or drive to the post office," wrote a La Grange Journal reporter in August 1899.

To alleviate the problem, and to make mail accommodations as complete as possible, the federal government established several test routes to determine the feasibility of a rural delivery system. As the Journal shared with readers, "the authorities have thought favorable enough of this community to make it one of the experimental stations."

The route entailed twenty-three miles of travel in Fayette County and served about 685 people. Laid out by the national post office department in Washington, the route went as follows: "Beginning at the bridge west of La Grange, go west one mile on the La Grange and Cedar Road; thence north on the La Grange and Plum Road to Manton Sand Ridge; thence west over MKT track over road by W.J. Kirk's place about three miles; thence south between Jos. Brown and Max Wildner's farms to La Grange and Cedar Road; thence to the Cedar post office; thence southeast to Parma's Store to Schulenburg and La Grange Road via Bluff post office and back to La Grange."

Henry Cremer was the contractor, and Ernst Prilop served as the postmaster at the Cedar Post Office when the rural route was established.

According to a January 1945 report in The Texas Carrier, the "first rural route" question was raised in 1933, when Hillsboro also claimed the honor. The question was aired in several daily newspapers, including the Dallas News. After much debate, and with the assistance of State officials, a marker was granted to commemorate and permanently mark this location, thus settling the issue.

Since it was a state incident and not a national one, the marker could not be erected on Post Office grounds. So the City of La Grange granted permission for its location on a site adjacent to the post office, on land that was not officially U.S. government property. Etched in a brass plate mounted on red granite, the marker proclaiming "The First U.S. Postal Rural Mail Route in Texas" graces the lawn at the corner of Colorado and Jefferson streets.

The Rural Letter Carriers Association of Fayette County had charge of the dedication ceremonies when the marker was erected by the State of Texas in 1936, the state's Centennial Year. A large number of citizens from La Grange and across Texas attended, as well as the 57 post offices in District No. 9. John L. Giese, the Rural Letter Carriers president, and mail carrier Chas. C. Albrecht organized the event.

A similar celebration was held on August 2, 1999 to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the Texas Rural Route System. A unique cancellation device, designed by local artist Sally Maxwell, was used on that date for outgoing mail. Linda Kossa, a La Grange post office employee, worked from an antique window in a special model post office brought in from Gonzalez for the occasion. Formal ceremonies held on the Fayette County Courthouse square attracted many local citizens and dignitaries, as well as guests from across the state and nation.

During the anniversary celebration, Fayette County Judge Ed Janecka remarked on the importance of the rural mail system, noting that its establishment was instrumental in developing Texas. Certainly, throughout its century-long history, it has proven to be a tremendous benefit to people living in the country. And though the routes are different and the mode of transportation has changed, today's rural mail carriers continue to "make mail accommodations as complete as possible."

A New York post office opened in 1914 with the declaration that "neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." Although this is not an official post office motto, it is nevertheless embraced by many in the U.S. Postal Service.

Indeed, that rural carrier and poet from the South, writing many years ago, echoed the sentiment, and no doubt Fayette County's mail carriers throughout the century understood. "Folks for their mail are calling—It's more than determination—it's something one can feel—a sort of exultation to the [One] behind the Wheel, That drives him into action, and a sense of duty done, Brings a thrill of satisfaction when the battle has been won."

Early Schools in La Grange Founded by Masons

Judge R.E.B. Baylor, a Mason since 1825, the author of Baylor University’s charter, a member of its faculty and Board of Trustees and a district judge of Fayette County during the Republic and later during statehood, opened a school in La Grange in the mid-19^th century. Another early school, the La Grange Female Academy, was supposed to have been located in a proposed two-story wooden building situated where the Senior Citizen Center is presently located. The structure was not erected for some reason, so classes were held in rented quarters under the supervision of Mrs. Virginia Mayo. It closed its doors before 1850.

From 1850 to 1870, different teachers came to La Grange, taught awhile and left. One teacher, “Judge” B.B. Hudnall, taught elementary subjects for over 20 years from 1852 until approximately 1876. He also served as county treasurer for two terms during his tenure as a teacher.

The most outstanding early school was the La Grange Collegiate Institute, which was established by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The La Fayette Masonic Lodge No. 34 loaned the church $500.00 to assist with the building of the structure, which was situated on the corner of South Jefferson and Walnut Streets. The first session was held in 1848. The upper story of the Institute was used as a lodge room for the Masons. The school was incorporated in 1852 by the State Legislature, but then it closed that same year, possibly due to jealousy and rivalry on the part of various religious denominations in La Grange. Between 1853 to1857, the building was used by various teachers for private schools.

In 1857, the Institute was reorganized, and a school opened under the supervision of R.P. Decherd until 1860. Additional equipment, paint for the building and necessary repairs were provided by local Masons who solicited funds for these necessities. In 1860, an act of the State Legislature changed the Institute’s name to Ewing College. There were 55 students and five faculty members in 1861. The Civil War cut short the prosperity of the school; it again became a private school with various teachers. After the war, it became the Ewing Female College. The Cumberland Presbyterian Church sold the property in 1870, ending the career of one of the most successful early educational institutions in Fayette County. Martha Graves bought the property for $500.00. It subsequently was sold several times, eventually to A.F. Weber. The building, known as the Weber house, was occupied by Roland Froehlich in the 1950s. In 1962, the 114-year old building was dismantled, and Dr. and Mrs. E.L. Fitzpatrick purchased the site for their new home.

The Latins and the Prairie Blume Society

The Latins were a group of young people who lived in and around the Bluff area of Fayette County during the 1840-1860 time period. They were so named because of their education and cultural background. They had emigrated from the small principalities of Central Europe in order to give their children better opportunities. These people hoped to find in Texas the democracy and freedom that had been denied them in Europe. Many of the Latins were political refugees who had taken part in the republican revolution of 1848.

The Latins were proud of their culture and education and often found it difficult to adjust to their new rural surroundings. One young woman wrote to a friend in Europe complaining that there was little mental stimulation in the daily life on a farm. She wrote that each day suffered from "eternal sameness" and was "painfully monotonous." In her desire to learn she often spent countless hours studying alone.

About 1857 things changed for the young Latins of the area when a local German poet, Johannes Romberg, formed the Prairie Blume Literary Society at Black Jack Springs. It was one of the first literary societies in Texas. The society published a journal featuring literary contributions from its members. The journal was named the "Prairie Blume" because the prairie flower symbolized prose and poetry.

The young Latins anxiously awaited every meeting of the society. It was nothing for them to ride fourteen miles on horseback just to attend one of the meetings. They were much more formal than is customary today. Julius Willrich would often ride to a member's garden gate and invite them to the next meeting with these words: "I have the honor to invite you to the next meeting of the Prairie Blume at our house." Various families took turns in entertaining the group of young scholars.

At meetings intellectual games were often played followed by a flute solo or a violin concerto. The young Latins discussed many subjects including the political and social conditions in the world. They would often spend hours philosophizing over books they had read or writing down these thoughts to contribute to the next issue of the journal. Today some copies of the "Prairie Blume" still exist.

At the outbreak of the Civil War the activities of the organization declined as many members joined the military. After a few more years the society was discontinued entirely.

Lawlessness in Fayette County, 1867

First Lawman on the Colorado

During the second year of the Republic of Texas, Fayette County was created out of Bastrop and Colorado Counties on December 14, 1837 and officially organized in January of 1838. But beginning in 1821, some seventeen years prior to that, the land that would make up Fayette County was a part of Stephen F. Austin's first colony, granted in early 1821 by the Spanish Governor of Texas.

Austin had been given the right to settle three-hundred Anglo-American families in Texas, and almost immediately the first of those settlers began arriving to lay claim to land, mostly along the Colorado and Brazos Rivers.

Then in 1822, after only about one hundred of those families had arrived in Texas, the Mexican Revolution successfully overthrew the rule of Spain. Suddenly Austin's colony was in jeopardy and he was forced to leave Texas and travel to Mexico City to convince the new Mexican government to approve his grant of land.

While Austin was in Mexico City for over 16 months in 1822 and 1823, his first settlers were not finding Texas a very hospitable land. A crop failure and increased problems with various tribes of Indians seriously threatened the success of the venture. There were also no Mexican Army troops in Texas to help guard against increasing instances of theft, intimidation and the attack on the few settlers by hostile Indians. New immigration into Austin's colony stopped.

Luckily for all concerned, the Mexican Governor of Texas, Jose Felix Trespalacios, recognized the delicate balance between success and failure of the colony. As a result, Governor Trespalacios sent Baron De Bastrop to the settlements on the Colorado River in December of 1822, authorizing the settlers to organize a militia command to defend against hostile Indians and also elect two alcaldes, or Justices of the Peace. One of those magistrates was elected in the "Colorado District" and the other in the "Brazos District" to rule on civil and criminal matters. The Colorado District was the first governing body organized in what would eventually include Fayette and Colorado counties.

Then just two months later on March 5, 1823 the alcalde, in the Colorado District, John Tumlinson, Sr., wrote Baron De Bastrop in San Antonio, that "I have appointed but one officer who acts in the capacity of constable to summon witnesses and bring offenders to Justice, yet a few complain of the expense which I thought as reasonable as could be allowed for the time and trouble of so disagreeable an office, to wit at the rate of five cents per mile--."

When taken with other records, it is confirmed that a constable, not a ranger, a marshal or a sheriff was the first lawman in Anglo-American Texas, and that the attitude of "a few" toward this office has not changed in almost 180-years.

Faith Healer: Henry Charles Loehr

Henry Charles Loehr was born Jan 30 1862, in the Bluff community. As a 16 yr old, he rode a freight train to the state of Illinois. There, Henry attending the Weltner School of Healing and supported himself by working on a farm growing corn. After graduation, he returned home.

He worked on the family farm for a while and courted Anna Hausmann. Henry then traveled to West Texas, settled near San Angelo and engaged in sheep farming. One year later, he returned home to claim his bride, Anna, whom he married in 1889. He took his new bride and returned to West Texas. The couple was blessed with one son, Robert, born in1891 in Irion County. After several more years of ranching, Henry decided to return to La Grange.

His success in the sheep industry allowed Henry to rent a complete train to relocate his homestead. In one railroad car, he put all his sheep, and another he loaded with his horses, buggy and wagon. A third car was filled with his household items and supplies. Henry, Anna and Robert enjoyed the ride in a Pullman car all to themselves.

They arrived at the La Grange stock pens, and were met by Anna's brother, Louis. From the stock pens, they drove Henry's sheep across Buckner's Creek bridge and up the old Bluff Road (now Country Club Drive) to the land, which is now the Loehr Ranch. He quickly resumed his ranching business, where Henry, an expert with a rope, was known by all as "Being Born in the Saddle."

Henry's reputation as a faith healer took root. From ledgers handed down through the family, the clientele list was very large. His healing was much like acupuncture and chiropractic medicine. Patients would come from miles around and wait their turn sitting on his front porch, to receive healing. He was strong in his convictions and stressed daily to all his patients that "all healing came directly from God." (thus he was known as a faith healer.) He also gave "absent" treatments, whereby he would sit and meditate on a patient who might not be able to come to him for treatment. The ledgers show the names of many influential people from Fayette County who paid 25c to $1 for a treatment. He healed people for over 40 years until his death.

Mr. Loehr had a very gentle nature, but was stern in idealistic values. He was in love with nature and went to all means to protect it and taught his son, Robert, to do the same. Henry died in 1948 and Anna died on June 3, 1955. Both are buried with the Loehr family members at Williams Creek Cemetery.

The home in which he practice is still located on the bluff and is owned by the Lloyd G. Loehr family and is being restored to its original state as much as possible.

A Machine Gun For Fayette County

from the La Grange Journal files at the Fayette Heritage Museum and Archives

On April 16, 1934, "Commissioners' court met in special session Monday morning, having several important matters to be acted upon and without much delay set to work. Unanimous was the decision of the members to buy a modern machine gun for the sheriff's department. This will enable the sheriff and his deputies to cope with the situation, should it materialize, when bandits invade a section and drive all opposition before them because of their machine gun fire."

Apparently the procurement processes in 1934 were a lot more streamlined than today because three weeks later in the May 3 edition of the journal this article appeared:

"The machine gun, ordered and purchased by the Commissioners' court for the sheriff's department recently, was received last Monday, and the news spread among the boys on the street rapidly. All had to take a look at the fast repeater, and see how it "worked." What to the bank robbers is "an old thing" to the peaceful citizen is new, and had to be seen."

"Deputy Jim Flournoy was showing it to several late in the afternoon, and was pointing it out of the window while explaining its operation. The Journal desires not to be funny, in mentioning this, but Jim did not notice what several others noticed. Out in the street, and standing near to an automobile, was a salesman, he had probably placed some groceries in the vehicle. When he saw the machine gun pointed directly at his body, and Jim Flourney wafting it from sided to side, this salesman became nervous."

"Small thing this machine gun, almost a toy, but $250 for it makes the blamed think look larger. Maybe it will not have to be put to use, can't say; but, the reader will remember the remark of the old woodsman who had neglect a part of his raiment: "Well, the Good Book says, ye must always go prepawed."

This equalizer is believed to still be in the arsenal of the Fayette County Sheriffs Department.

An Early Fayette County Marriage

A provision of Stephen F. Austin’s colonization contract with Mexico was that the Roman Catholic religion would be the only one practiced in colonial Texas. This “minor detail” was pretty much ignored by the majority of the Protestant settlers, until it became a legal issue when the subject of marriage came up. There being only one known priest that visited the colony, Father Miguel Muldoon, who spent a lot of time in Mexico. So to keep the colony growing spiritually, morally, and population wise, Austin authorized Marriage Bond ceremonies to be performed between a couple who could not wait the sometimes year or more for the priest to show up to perform a proper Catholic wedding, which was not high on their list of rituals. The following is a Marriage Bond issued in 1824 concerning the offspring of two families of Fayette County colonists. All original punctuation and spelling has been retained.

Stephen F. Austin then issued a proclamation that he had witnessed the ceremony and it was legal, at least in the eyes of the colonists. It has been noted that more than one Catholic wedding was attended by the children of the bride and groom.

Fayette County Medical Society

The Fayette County Medical Society was formed in 1874. Although the meetings were held in La Grange all doctors of Fayette County were invited to join including general doctors as well as surgeons, dentists and other specialty doctors.

The society met annually to compare notes, give an account of their experiences during the year and discuss matters beneficial to both themselves and their patients.

Though the membership of the society was not large it was composed of gentleman who stood high in their professions and who took great interest and pride in promoting its usefulness. Many well-known doctors of Fayette County were members of this society. Some of the more prominent members included W. W. Lunn, J. C. B. Renfro, R. A. McKinney, F. E. Young, J. K. Gault, J. T. Carter, J. W. Smith and C. E. Kellar.

Just as many patients question the fees of medical doctors and hospitals today, many in the community thought that the society was formed for the purpose of fixing the fees of the physicians in the county. But the society members firmly stated that the group was formed merely to enhance communication and cooperation among the different physicians, which in the end would help patient care in the county.

At the annual meeting, usually held every January, the physicians would discuss many topics including some that are still controversial today. For example, at the meeting in 1885, Dr. Renfro read a paper that discussed abortion that created considerable discussion between himself and Drs. Lunn, Smith and McKinney. They would also discuss new treatments as well as different illnesses that were affecting Fayette County. They would talk at length about the necessity of maintaining sanitary conditions in Fayette County towns so there would not be another yellow fever outbreak like the terrible tragedy of 1867. The doctors also discussed what medical issues were affecting surrounding counties and how these could impact Fayette County. Each doctor would speak of medical cases that he had and what treatment he gave so that they could try to improve patient care.

After the discussions the members would vote on officers and decide who would be the delegate to the Texas State Medical Association. After the meeting was adjourned the members would meet at a local La Grange eatery where a banquet was prepared for them and a lively discussion with members, as well as invited guests, was had over bottles of fine wines and liquors.

Medicine Men of Fayette County

The practice of medicine in the 1800’s was quite a bit different than it is today. Doctors traveled from house to house on horseback or in a horse drawn buggy. There were few hospitals, no fancy equipment or insurance companies. They hoped to get paid in cash for their services but many times they had to accept bartered payments or none at all.

In 1835, Dr. Abner P. Manly was a physician and an ordained minister. He was most likely the first practicing doctor in this area. He set up an office in La Grange in 1845 where he performed surgery and midwife duties. He was upfront about his fees and expected payment in cash. He charged $1 for each visit, $10 for consultations, 25 cents per dose of medicine, $5 for attention to simple labor cases and $10 to $20 for difficult cases. One dollar for extracting a tooth, $1 for using a syringe, 25 to 50 cents for drawing a blister, $1 for opening simple abscess and $5 to $25 for surgical operations with an extra charge for any other services rendered in the case. He charged 50 cents per mile, day or night and an extra $5 for each day he was detained by a bad case. He presumed no one would be dissatisfied with these fees, as he would give his entire attention to the business of his profession by serving the people promptly by day or night, without regard to distance or weather conditions.

Dr. Kenzie Routh settled in Fayette County around 1851. He visited his patients astride either his horse or mule carrying his medicines in saddlebags. Dr. Routh was widely consulted for eye trouble; and he more or less converted his home into a hospital for patients who came a great distance with such ailments. When a patient arrived he never asked, "What about the money?" He took them into his home and gave them the best treatment he could. If he wasn't paid, he had the satisfaction of knowing he had rendered a worthwhile service. On one occasion he was called to an obstetrical case twelve miles from home. After caring for the patient all night and well into the next morning, he was asked the amount of his fee. It was only ten dollars. The farmer replied, "Well doctor, that is nice; it just balances my charge for your board and horse feed while you were here." Dr. Routh seeing the humor agreed that it was quite nice.

Dr. William Wallace Walker, a Civil War and Spanish American War veteran began his career around 1871. His practice in Schulenburg provided him with several challenging cases. A local businessman was shot in the abdomen. As Dr. Walker was treating the wounded man, his assisting physician fainted so Dr. Walker called upon his three-year-old daughter, Mary Ann, to wipe away the blood as he removed the man's watch and fragments of his chain that had been blown into his abdomen. He sewed up the man's intestines; he recovered and lived for many years. There were no hospitals outside of the cities and Dr. Walker was probably the only surgeon between Houston and San Antonio who used his home to accommodate his patients. Accidents always occurred during the ginning season and many a man was brought to the doctor with his arm in shreds. The patient was placed in an elegantly upholstered operating chair where Dr. Walker would do what he could. Few arms could be saved and many had to be amputated. Surgery was often crude but usually effective. Dr. Walker was most careful, having the reputation of rarely losing a case to blood poisoning. He did everything from removing cataracts to major abdominal operations, with a record of success that favorably compared to any of the city doctors.

Medicine Shows, Drive-Ins and Movie Theaters

By Lillie Mae Brightwell

Part I – Medicine Shows and Movies

It began with medicine shows. Harry Graeters’ Round Top history tells of medicine shows on the square (approximately 1912). “The show started at 7:30 at night. In those days, there was hackberry trees all around Round Top, all around the square. There was a saloon on the corner where that cannon is sittin’ there now, Gus Bender’s saloon. A show put up a tent right there. At that time, it was customary anybody that uses the Square pays a dollar and the town Marshall has to collect it. This outlaw just happened to be the town Marshall. In prohibition times, he made whiskey. So he come up there to this Austrian (who ran the medicine show) who had rattlesnakes tattooed all over his chest and arms and everything. Alright, he was sellin’ this medicine and the Marshall walked up to him…he didn’t have his gun on or anything…and this man says ‘What the hell do you want shorty?’ He (the Marshall) was not a very big man. He says ‘It is customary in the town of Round Top to pay one dollar for use of the square.’ The medicine show man said ‘I ain’t gonna give you no dammed dollar.’ The Marshall walked up to him and said ‘What did you say?’ He had to look up at him. They got to scufflin’ and (the Marshall) got on bottom but he was a cattle man and he had on spurs. The man was choking him and all (the Marshall) did was...(Spurring motions). That was it. That blood come spurtin’ out. I never learned what happened to him.”

Harry Graeter continues, “Old Schiege was a comical fellow (The Schiege Cigar factory was the first of its kind in Texas and is on the grounds of the Round Top Inn). He had a long beard and he had about nine kids. He didn’t work much. He’d sit on the corner of the porch and raise cain. He had a son Snoogie and he was the same way…he didn’t work, but he got rich one time in the oil business and moved to Fayetteville.”

Back in the 20s through 40s there was great excitement, usually once or twice a year when the news was announced that the show on wheels, The Medicine Show, was coming to town. Some of the owners of these shows rented the Ellinger auditorium or the Pastime Theater building to sell their wares, including medicines that were a sure cure for all ills, as well as candy, popcorn, snow cones, etc. Others set up their tents, bleachers and stages on the outside. People who came from miles around to see Ma Goodwin and others and their troupes perform also bought their medicines, after which the vendors’ yelled out the very familiar, “Sold out, Doctor, Gimme some more!” To keep people coming back for more, contests such as nail driving, popularity and baby contests, and amateur performances were incorporated into the acts. The young lady winning the popularity contest was usually awarded a “diamond” ring or a wrist watch.

Kermit Heinsohn remembers medicine shows across from the Lutheran church in Fayetteville, upstairs in the Germania Insurance building and at the SPJST hall. Kermit also remembers when in the 1930s Mr. Melcher showed silent movies behind the Roznov store in Roznov (area of the Ben Halamicek home). They were in black and white, and music would accompany the movie. Mr. Schiege traveled around and showed movies in Park, Roznov, Ellinger and Fayetteville. In Fayetteville, the movies were shown in a tent on a vacant lot across from the fire station on the corner of Franklin and Washington Streets near the railroad track. Mr. Schiege and his wife lived in a two-story house that was located where the Fayetteville Bank has its parking lot today.

Eugene Michalsky remembers in the fifties that Snoogie Schiege was a short fellow, white-faced (probably from a lack of sunshine for he did most of his work in the evenings into the night), smoking a cigar and bringing movies to the Dawn Theater in Fayetteville and the Pastime Theater in Ellinger. Theater tickets were from 15 to 25 cents. Mr. Michalsky owned the Pastime Theater building when it burned in 1971.

Part II – Drive-Ins and Movies

The first drive-in movie theater opened in Camden, NJ in 1933. Essentially an open field with a large screen, the audience would drive into the “theater” and park. Originally, audio was provided by speakers on the screen. Later patrons parked next to a post which had a speaker attached to it, and viewed the movie from the car.

Drive-ins were especially popular with parents who didn’t want to have to pay extra money for a babysitter; it was common to see whole families in their cars, with the kids all in pajamas, watching the movie together. The original drive-in advertised, “The whole family is welcome, regardless of how noisy the children are.”

Before the war, there had been approximately 100 major drive-ins nationwide. One of the originals was Galveston’s Drive-In Short Reel Theater (July 5, 1934). The drive-in craze began to build very strongly following the end of the Second World War. At their peak, which most experts agree was in 1958, there were almost 5000 drive-ins. Teenagers with limited incomes developed an ingenious method to see drive-in movies for free: two teenagers (usually a couple) would take their car to the drive-in, and pay for two tickets. After the couple entered the theater and found a parking space, the driver would open the trunk and the other teenagers hidden inside jumped out to enjoy the “free” movies. To ensure one person was not continually stuck with paying, the ticket cost was often rotated or split among the friends.

Modern drive-ins were built after the war. In La Grange, there was the SkyHigh Drive-In. The SkyHigh was very popular, neat, and exceptionally clean. Destroyed by Hurricane Carla in 1961, it was located where Dr. Tiemann’s Fayette County Veterinary Clinic is located today.

The concession stand, also called a snack bar, is where the drive-in made most of its money. As a result, much of a drive-in’s promotion was oriented toward the concession stand. The typical snack bar offered any food that could be served quickly, such as hot dogs, pizza, hamburgers, popcorn, soft drinks, candy and French fries. They also sold mosquito repellant coils that could be burned. The smoke would keep mosquitoes out of the car.

Today, there are fewer than 500 drive-ins in the United States. Video tapes, DVDs, Direct TV, DishNet, satellite services, cable and microwave popcorn have taken over. Investment costs in land have made it harder to invest in drive-ins.

One of the “firsts” to which Ellinger can lay claim is that it was the first in Fayette County to have “talkie” movies. Mr. C.A.J. Meyer, owner of the Pastime Theater, was the projection man, and his able assistant, Robert Roesler, ran the theater back in the 20s and 30s with Mrs. C.A.J. (Norma) Meyer being cashier. According to Norbert Vrazel, Mr. Meyer’s son ran the “bicycle” for the movies, and everything was okay until he fell off the bicycle. After Mr. Meyer went out of the theater business, its operation was taken over for few years, first by C.W. Schiege and later by Bernard Stojanik.

Many indoor theaters have not survived for one reason or another. Jo Ann Mynar wrote in December of 2003, “THE RED & WHITE STORE and THE DAWN THEATER were owned and operated by my uncles Rudy Mynar and Joe Mynar. I went to many movies there throughout the Fifties and into the Sixties. My cousin, Tom Rohde, operated the popcorn machine for years.” The Fayetteville Area Museum has the projector and some items from the Dawn Theater on display. The famous Red & White building in Fayetteville is now a private residence.

Years ago in the late 1940s, and in the summer, before cars had air conditioning, my friends went to see a movie at the Cozy Theater in La Grange. Traveling to town, the car ran over a skunk. When they got seated in the theater, they noticed that people got up and moved away from them and sat in a different part of the theater.

Audrey A. Herbrich writes after a fire destroys the Cozy Theater in La Grange: “It was also where I first held hands with a boy, and where my cousin got in his first fistfight (over a girl). I knew those walls well. The Plexiglas ticket window was scratched and foggy. Two double glass doors connected outdoors to indoors. The theater lobby was a delicious den of assorted Red Hots, Junior Mints, Mike and Ikes, Snowcaps and Teriyaki Beef Jerky. The popcorn machine in the corner glowed beneath the homemade price signs. Movie preview posters always lined the walls. The entrance was split, allowing for access by going either right or left, and introduced viewers to three sections of seating. There was even a balcony, rarely used, but there nonetheless. The bathrooms were tiled a banana yellow and always smelled of pine. The theater itself was tall – a two storied ceiling – but the lobby area was not as grand because it had an upstairs. Above part of the lobby lay a quiet apartment flat, occupied, normally.

The theater had always been a town staple, not unlike cotton of the 40s, Chicken Ranch hookers of the 60s, or oil of the 80s. It was a prime hot spot. First dates, first kisses, first tastes of Cokes not from cans – all in the Cozy. It was the Friday night hangout, the Sunday afternoon retreat, the weekend default.”

The Cozy Theater in Schulenburg is still showing movies. The four-story Von Minden Hotel/Cozy Theater was built in 1929 and is located at 607 Lyons Ave. They featured a famous Czech movie a few years ago, which a friend and I thoroughly enjoyed.

Sources: The Internet; personal interviews and memories; Fayette County Deed Records, Vol. 795, p. 287; additional research revealed that C.A.W. Schiege’s name was spelled with one “g” and that his wife’s name was Willie May; their name was spelled with two “g’s” in the book Ellinger – Yesterday and Today. I remember him as Snoogie Schiege.

J.C. Melcher

by Connie F. Sneed

J. C. Melcher and his wife had come to Texas by way of Galveston. En route to the German settlement of New Braunfels, they found the Colorado River flooded. While they waited for the water to go down, Melcher had ample time to visit with ferry owner and Fayette County pioneer John Moore, also a noted Indian fighter. When Moore found out that Melcher was a cabinet maker, he said that a man proficient at that trade could make a good living right there. Moore soon convinced Melcher to forget about New Braunfels and stay in Fayette County.

In 1855, Melcher opened a general store at Black Jack Springs, a community between La Grange and Flatonia. While meeting the retail needs of his customers, he heard plenty of sad stories about crop-eating critters.

A creative sort who despite his success as a merchant still liked to make things with his hands, Melcher invented a solution. He called it “The Victory Ant, Mole, Gopher and Ground Squirrel Exterminator.”

The Exterminator consisted of two major components, a cast iron “fire chamber” and a wooden pump. The operator heated sulfur with coal in the 12- by 24-inch furnace, causing a build up of sulfurous gas in the chamber. It had a sharpened flange that went into the ground over a gopher or ant hole.

The 11- by 11-inch pump, nearly three feet high, at 30 strokes a minute pushed two cubic feet of gas into a pest’s underground domicile. That much gas, Melcher asserted, could fill a two-inch gopher hole 2,000 feet long with deadly fumes.

The Fayette County man’s device must have been quite effective. His invention won first place at the 1879 State Fair of Texas, an event then held in Austin. Melcher received an ornate “Diploma,” complete with an engraving of the limestone Capitol that would burn down a few years later.

Less than a month after winning his prize, on Nov. 18, 1879, Melcher received from the U.S. Patent Office a patent for his pest-control device.

Word of the invention’s effectiveness soon spread. The Jan. 3, 1880 edition of the Scientific American had a story on the Exterminator that gave it and its creator national recognition.

Melcher soon went to a job printer and had a handbill run off.

“I have manufactured over 400 pumps during the last few years,” the inventor-entrepreneur said in the advertising piece, “and have taken great pains to bring them as near perfection as possible and will continue to improve them if I possibly can.”

The piece also announced that “territorial rights” to tell the device could be purchased “very cheap for cash, land, notes, or other good property.”

Just how many salesmen Melcher recruited and how well his business went is not known by his descendants.

Unfortunately, the handbill is the only known evidence of Melcher’s product. A fire at the old family homestead at Black Jack Springs destroyed Melcher’s house and any unsold Exterminators he might have had around.

Menefee County

by Edward F. Janecka

In the 1870's, when the GH&SA Railroad was pushing its way west from Houston, there were many new towns that popped up. 1873 saw the establishment of Schulenburg and Flatonia. As more and more people moved to these new towns they brought with them a feeling of trying to create something new and the spirit of independence. Therefore, it would not be unusual that the citizens of Schulenburg and Flatonia were at odds with the courthouse in La Grange.

In 1876, the citizens of Flatonia and Schulenburg petitioned the 15th State Legislature to form a new county. The new county would consist of portions of Fayette, Colorado, Caldwell, Gonzalez, DeWitt and Lavaca counties. The name of the new county would be Menefee, presumably after William Menefee, a signer of the Texas Constitution and member of the legislature and the first county judge of Colorado County appointed by San Houston. Menefee had died on October 28, 1875 and was buried in Pine Springs Cemetery near Flatonia.

The process to create a new county was stalled over the determination on what city would be designated as the county seat. Weimar, whose populations had grown to just over 500 in three short years, was expected to be a vital part of this new county. But on May 29, 1876, the citizens of Weimar sent this petition to the state legislature:

"To the Hon. House of Representatives of the fifteenth Legislature of the State of Texas.

Whereas your Honorable bodies have, or will be petitioned to create a new county, to be known as the county of "Menefee", to be composed of a part of Fayette, Caldwell, Gonzalez, DeWitt, Lavaca and Colorado Counties.

And, Whereas, we the citizens of that portion of Colorado County proposed to be included in said new county of Menefee, are fully apprised of the increased expenditures, and many inconveniences that will necessarily accrue to us on becoming a part of said new county. Would therefore, respectfully ask and pray your Honorable bodies in setting forth and designating the bounds of said new county that they be so shaped as to make up its requisite area without including any portion of the County of Colorado.

Seventy citizens from Weimar petitioned the State Legislature to exclude them from the new county; therefore, hopes of creating Menefee County had died.

Fayette County Meteorites and Tektites

by Carolyn Heinsohn

Two unusual kinds of mineral specimens with cosmic connections have been found in Fayette County – meteorites and tektites. Many people are familiar with meteorites, but knowledge about tektites seems limited. Tektites are natural glass objects of earth material melted by meteorite impact, splashed up into the atmosphere and frozen into distinctly different shapes as they solidify during their fall back to earth. The shapes, which include spheres, rods, tear-drops, flat discs and boomerangs, are determined by the presence or lack of rotation and the speed of the initial molten blob upon re-entry. The colors of tektites range from yellowish to olive green to black.

There are only four major tektite strewn fields in the world – the Ivory Coast in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Czech Republic, and Georgia and Texas in the U.S. Most sources indicate that the point of impact responsible for the tektites in the U.S. has been found beneath Chesapeake Bay. However, another theory is that the impact crater for Texas tektites is in the Yucatan region of Mexico. Tektites found in Texas are classified as black Bediasites, which seem to have a certain pattern of distribution, which includes Fayette, DeWitt, Gonzales, Lavaca, Lee, Burleson, Brazos and Grimes counties.

Perhaps more interesting, however, are the Fayette County meteorites, which are known worldwide. Ten stone meteorites recovered from our county are grouped according to where they were found: Bluff, Cedar and Round Top. They represent four or five different falls. The first Bluff meteorite, a single stone weighing approximately 320 pounds, was found in 1878 by Frank Rainosek on his farm in the Bluff area about three miles south of La Grange. A local school teacher, H. Hensoldt, acquired the stone in 1888 and disposed of it to Ward’s Natural Science Establishment of Rochester, New York, who cut it up and sold it to as many as 41 different institutions and collectors. Rainosek’s meteorite was named Bluff, because La Grange had already been used to name a Kentucky meteorite.

In 1890, C. L. Melcher of Swiss Alp found three more meteorites, which weighed approximately two, twelve and sixteen pounds. They were first identified as Bluff meteorites due to their proximity to the location of the original Bluff specimen. However, chips of these meteorites were later analyzed and found to be from a different fall, so they were re-identified as Cedar specimens. The 16-pound meteorite ultimately went to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, and the two-pound specimen was acquired by Baylor University in Waco, but its current location is unknown. An extensive search at Baylor failed to locate the stone, so it is possible that it was traded in the past, but not documented. The 12-pound specimen was the most extensively divided and distributed of all the Cedar meteorites. A 2.8 kilogram cut of this specimen is now on display in the Hall of Gems and Minerals in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. Other pieces can be found at Baylor University, Arizona State University, the Texas Memorial Museum in Austin and the British Museum of Natural History. It is possible that pieces of the 12-pound Cedar meteorite may be mislabeled “Bluff” in some collections.

In 1896, Louis Hausmann found a 17-pound meteorite on the family farm near Creamer Creek Road. Identical in composition to Rainosek’s find, it has also been named a Bluff meteorite. It is now exhibited at the Texas Memorial Museum. George Bruns found the third Bluff meteorite circa 1917; it weighed 30 pounds and is now at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. All three Bluff meteorites were found within two miles of each other. A fourth Cedar meteorite, weighing approximately 25 pounds, found by Henry Rainosek circa 1896, is also in the collection of the Texas Memorial Museum.

There were also three stony meteorites from multiple falls found in the Round Top vicinity. One of the specimens, however, is similar to the Cedar meteorites, so since its provenance is unknown, it is speculated that it may have been a Cedar specimen that was transported to Round Top. All three meteorites were acquired by O.E. Monnig in the late 1930s and are now at Texas Christian University.

It would be interesting to know if there actually were more meteorite finds in Fayette County that were never identified. There may also be specimens still buried in unknown sites, waiting for chance discoveries by persons who someday will accidentally uncover their hiding places.

Moore's Fort

by Carolyn Meiners

Downtown La Grange is situated on land, which was part of a half league of land granted to Col. John H. Moore on May 17, 1831, by the Mexican Government. Moore previously had a half league grant as a single man, but was entitled to an additional half league upon his marriage to Eliza Cummins. This land was located on the east bank of the Colorado River, beginning at a point where the La Bahia Road crossed the river. Col. Moore was already established in the area in 1828, when he built a cedar log home and a two-story twin blockhouse, which became known as Moore's Fort. A granite marker erected in 1936 designated its first location on North Main Street. The founder of La Grange, Col. Moore was the commander of the Texas troops at the Battle of Gonzales in October 1835. A well-known Indian fighter, Moore led several expeditions against the Indians, which started from this little fort.

A description of Moore's Fort has been found in My Eighty Years in Texas by Physick Zuber. Excerpts from that description state: "There was a double log cabin with the ground for the first floor—a height of eight feet. A round of strong logs jutted out on each side and end, and probably 20 inches beyond the wall below. On these were placed two rounds of logs, one immediately above the wall below and the other six or eight inches farther out, making an opening through which a man could shoot down upon an enemy approaching the wall—a puncheon floor (broad, roughly dressed timbers extended about three feet inward from the side and all around the house. This served as a platform upon which a defender could stand or walk from point to point—A second story was built upon the outer round of logs and was finished as other log cabins—portholes were made in the walls, through which a defender could shoot at an enemy—"

Because of floods repeatedly inundating his home and fort, Col. Moore relocated his family to a farm north of La Grange in 1838. At an unknown time, the blockhouse was dismantled, the logs were numbered, moved and reassembled with the second floor to a new location eventually owned by the Schott family, approximately three miles east of La Grange on SH 159 close to the La Bahia Road. Over the years the old blockhouse was refurbished and covered with siding. The Schott descendants continued to live there until the mid 1970s. Realizing the historical significance of the original structure, the family donated it to the Pioneer Arts Foundation of Round Top, Texas in 1977.

The blockhouse was moved farther from its original site in La Grange, The remaining bottom half of Moore's Fort, one of the oldest existing structures in Fayette County, can be found in a well-maintained setting on the west side of Round Top, surrounded by ancient live oak trees, old wells, and several vintage building. If its walls could talk, the old twin blockhouse would have a remarkable story to tell about its journey.

Father Michael Muldoon

by Ann Lamer

Father Michael Muldoon, a controversial and lovable character was the son of prosperous farmers in Ireland, who came to San Felipe de Austin in 1831. He was the first Roman Catholic priest to serve Stephan F. Austin's Colony, although there had been Catholic priests in San Antonio, Goliad and Nacogdoches for many years.

Early on in his youth, Michael wanted to become a priest, so his parents sent him to Europe to study. He was probably educated at the then popular Irish College in Seville, Spain. Father Muldoon was a diocesan priest, one who did not belong to a specific religious order.

Father Muldoon had come to Mexico as early as 1821. His first duty was to serve as chaplain to Don Juan O'Donoju, the last viceroy of Mexico. He late served as chaplain to Santa Anna, becoming that president's "almost inseparable companion."

Stephen F. Austin met Father Muldoon, by then in his mid 50's, in the early part of 1831, while attending legislative sessions in Saltillo, Mexico. Austin was immediately attracted to the genial priest and was pleased that Father Muldoon had been appointed the new curate vicar general for Austin's colonies. The padre spoke Spanish fluently, so he would be a valuable interpreter in San Felipe de Austin, where all government negotiations were done in Spanish. By speaking English as well, the priest could mix and mingle with the American colonists. To be accepted into the colony, the family had to be Catholic, the only recognized religion in Mexico. One of Father Muldoon's duties was to officially convert the newly arrived settlers to the official faith. This was done quickly, without any training in the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. These converts became known as "Muldoon Catholics". Father Muldoon, being the only priest in the colonies, would travel around Central Texas performing multiple marriage ceremonies at a single site. Wood's Settlement, presently West Point, hosted such an event, and Rabb's Prairie was the sight of a wedding with Stephen Austin in attendance. It took many months to arrange a wedding; in the meantime, couples entered into contracts and began living together. At some of the ceremonies there was already offspring of the couple in attendance. Thomas Barnett, in 1831, requested that Austin and Rev. Muldoon stop by his house and "the marriage contact betwixt myself and wife may be consummated and my children christened".

Austin and Father Muldoon had become such good friends, that when Austin ran short of funds, Father Muldoon loaned him some money. He also helped Austin with the Spanish language. In gratitude, Austin was instrumental in aiding Father Muldoon to eventually receive eleven leagues of land, some 48,600 acres in Galveston, Wharton, Fayette and Lavaca counties. Two of the leagues, a combined tract of 8856 acres, were in Fayette County. Father Muldoon was said to have built a small stone hut or cabin on that location. This would have been in keeping with the Spanish laws regarding taking possession of the property. In 1834, when Austin was imprisoned in Mexico, Muldoon visited him several times and used his "Priestcraft" to carry messages out of the prison and ensure that they made it to Texas.

It is thought that Father Muldoon believed that his newly acquired land would make it unnecessary to depend upon his flock's generosity for a living. His admiration and respect for Austin had played a major role in bringing him to Texas. However, he soon realized that life in the colony was certainly different from the luxurious one he had enjoyed with the rulers of Mexico. Yet, he had voluntarily left that cultured environment and traveled to Texas where hardships were every day occurrences. Why did he make such a change? It is believed that the good natured and polished Irishman was a true missionary. Father Miguel Muldoon, like the padres of old, came to Texas to minister and to build up what he believed was the true Christian church.

But what became of Father Muldoon? Various rumors have been circulated about his death. Family tradition among his Irish descendants says he was murdered. Other rumors say he returned to Spain, or he was drowned at sea. It seems that Father Muldoon walked off the very edge of history.

The small, quiet town of Muldoon lies about fourteen miles from La Grange, Texas, located on one of the original tracts owned by Father Muldoon. He was remembered by many settlers as a man of generous spirit and warm heart.

South of La Grange, on U.S. 77, is a granite marker recognizing the memory of Father Michael Muldoon.

Fayette County Music Societies – La Grange Handel Club

by Sherie Knape

There were many music societies in Fayette County in the early 20th century. Some of these societies were the Cedar Mannerchor, the Die Froesch, the Edelweiss, the O'Quinn Gemischter Chor, the Fayetteville Gemischter Chor, the Liederkranz, the La Grange Concert Band and the La Grange Handel Club.

The La Grange Handel Club organized on September 25, 1905 in "response to a long felt need among the musically minded of La Grange." The club, under the musical direction of George Lenert, had about 20 charter members. They met weekly for practice at different member's homes and performed monthly for audiences. Eventually the group practiced and performed at the Handel Hall.

The first event was held November 9, 1905 at the music room of Miss Martha Meerscheidt. The Handel choir performed well and a tear was brought to the eye when Fannie Haidusek performed a solo of "Angels Serenade".

Many well-known La Grange residents were members and qualifications for membership were quite strict. Only persons of high character were considered. A by-law in the constitution stated that if you were a resident of La Grange for three or more years and received a unanimous vote of the members you could be admitted. However, if you did not reside in La Grange for at least three years, a secret committee of Handel Club members would be appointed to investigate the character of the applicant. After a thorough and exhaustive investigation the committee would submit a written report, without signatures, to the president of the club. If the report was unfavorable the applicant was denied membership. If the report was favorable the applicant was treated as if they had resided in La Grange for at least three years and a vote was taken.

The club provided frequent recitals for the entertainment of its members, their families and non-resident guests. They also responded to requests for musical performances on many special occasions. Membership in the Handel Club grew to as many as 70 members who either performed in the choir or worked in the Handel Club library. The library consisted of sheet music and other music items that the club had bought and collected over the years.

In May 1938 the charter members of the club met and voted to disband the club and dispose of the assets including all of its property with the exception of the large repertoire of octavo music and books and the Chickering Grand Piano. They also voted to donate their treasury of $500 to the Perpetual Fund of the Ladies Cemetery Association.

Celebrating a Natural Resource

by Donna Green

On Friday, March 27, 1931 a very special celebration took place in the city of La Grange. This event underscored and fulfilled a long cherished wish of many of the citizens of the city. It was a celebration held in recognition that natural gas had become available for use by the public. Average citizens and business owners sighed with relief at the thought that fuel would now be so readily available in their homes and businesses with just the touch of a simple switch. Today the use of gas for fuel is pretty much taken for granted. However in 1931 it was a luxury. Therefore, local officials and members of civic clubs planned a memorable celebration to acknowledge the occasion. The celebration was planned to demonstrate the overwhelming enthusiasm that the local citizens felt for the new utility. The program was to be carried out under the large oak on the courthouse lawn about 7:30 p.m. Community singing was to be led by George E. Lenert. After which the La Grange High School Orchestra would entertain the crowd by playing several selections. Representatives of both the Lions Club and the Chamber of Commerce scheduled speeches. After those speeches a short talk was to be given by officials of United Gas Public Service Company. This company would be the local provider and custodian of the natural gas. After the program, an official of the Gas Company would ask the public to accompany him to the southeast end of the courthouse lawn. At that location a torch had been erected. There the crowd would witness Fayette County history as the local official of the United Gas Public Service Company ceremoniously ignited the torch for the first time.

Unfortunately the weather turned against the revelers and much of the celebration had to be postponed. But this did not dampen the spirits of the residents of La Grange as a boisterous crowd still gathered in the inclement conditions. Likewise, the gas company officials were determined to prove that gas really was available. So they did manage to light the torch to the immense joy of the sparse but vocal crowd that had gathered at the courthouse.

As of the first official day of available natural gas sixty-one permits had been issued. However, plumbers and gas employees were all kept extremely busy installing service lines and lying pipes in private residences.

Fayette's First Newspaper and It's Offspring

"The intelligence of a community may be judged by its newspaper press; the press is the mirror of the intellect, the morals, and the manners of the people," wrote F. Lotto in Fayette County: Her History and Her People, published in Schulenburg in 1902.

In the early days, Fayette County's intellectual life made itself felt throughout the county, with its center in La Grange. The county's first newspaper was the La Grange Intelligencer, which began publication in February 1844 and continued through September 1845.

James P. Langley was the publisher of this mirror of the county's character. The editor was William P. Bradburn, a nephew of John David Bradburn, known in Texas history for the role he played in the clash between the colonists and the Mexican authorities at Anahuac in the early 1830s.

In An Early History of Fayette County, published in La Grange in 1936, authors Leonie Rummel Weyand and Houston Wade quote the flowery eulogy of the publisher in the first issue. Langley wrote that he had traveled much, having "sailed over various seas, visited many cities and beautiful islands, having trodden the shores of foreign nations—and looked down upon green valleys and white valleys, but with the exception of a few towns washed by the waters of the sea, we assert that no little village has ever enchanted us more than this in which we now reside."

Bradburn, too, complimented the town's citizens. "Nowhere is there a village the size of this, which can bring before the eyes of a stranger more of that refined beauty and graceful demeanor so prominently admired and distinguished here," he wrote. "If there ever was a spot destined to be a place, say of love and poetry, not forgetting the pursuits of life, it is our delightful and growing city of La Grange."

The La Grange Intelligencer was a four-page newspaper, fifteen inches by twenty-four inches in size, with four columns to a page. At the top of the front page, beneath its name, the newspaper displayed its motto: "Westward! The Star of Empire Takes its Way!"

According to Weyand and Wade, a subscription cost six dollars and fifty cents per year. A local business could place an advertisement at the rate of one dollar for the first insertion and fifty cents for the second. The insertion of a political card cost four dollars, and the announcement of a political candidate was priced at ten dollars.

Typically, the first page was devoted to articles reprinted from other newspapers. Many of the articles were of national interest. The second page was the editorial page; it discussed the strong and weak points of political candidates and the government's administration, often with caustic comments on the political views of other Texas newspapers. Death notices and advertisements were located on the third page, and the fourth page contained more advertisements and various court notices.

During his brief editorship, Bradburn exchanged journalistic blows with an editor of the Texas Democrat, who supported Anson Jones for the presidency of the Republic of Texas. Bradburn supported his employer's candidate, Edward Burleson, who had served as the republic's vice-president in 1841. Burleson, a supporter of Mirabeau B. Lamar's policy of extermination and expulsion of Indian tribes, lost the election.

Established in the mid-1840s, the La Grange Intelligencer reflected the intellect, morals, and manners of early Fayette Countians. Chronicles of Fayette author Julia Lee Sinks wrote that this newspaper, the county's first, was established to advocate Edward Burleson's bid for the presidency of the Republic of Texas. Certainly, the paper strived to advance the interests of the county's residents.

Unfortunately, the newspaper's circulation did not meet the expectations of its publisher, James P. Langley, and editor, William P. Bradburn. After a few months, Bradburn left La Grange to pursue more lucrative opportunities. The editorship then went to S.S.B. Fields.

In his first issue, Fields presented the events of the week: "Two weddings, two fairs, one dancing party, four old bachelors deceased, a fine rain, a great swelling of the Colorado River, one lady fell in love, and strange to tell - we fell off our horse - sprained an ankle - bruised a side - mashed our hat and don't know where to get another."

Although his journalistic capacity lacked development, Fields' flamboyant style was typical of the man. He announced that a fair portion of the newspaper would be devoted to "politics, the sciences, agriculture, religion, foreign affairs, miscellaneous items, domestic matters," which he carefully culled from other newspapers. He was given to editorial outbursts on occasion; often vigorously denying various accusations by the editor of a newspaper called the Vindicator.

Financial difficulties prompted a plea for support of the county paper in the September 12, 1845 issue. A week later, the La Grange Intelligencer suspended publication.

Eventually, the newspaper passed into other hands. The name was changed to The Far West, and William G. Webb served as editor. In her reminiscences, Sinks writes of a late 1840s fire in La Grange that consumed a large portion of the south side of the square, including Webb's office. The newspaper files were destroyed, and Sinks could never determine how long The Far West was published.

Other county newspapers followed, including the Texas Monument, The La Grange Paper, The True Issue, and The State Rights Democrat, which were published successively during the 1850s, each existing for a relatively a short time.

The 1870s and 1880s saw the establishment of the Flatonia Argus, the Flatonia Record, The La Grange Democrat, The La Grange News, and The La Grange Journal. Introduced in the 1890s and early 1900s were the Schulenburg Sticker, the Schulenburg Sun, Carmine's New Century, and The Fayette County Record.

The county also boasted two foreign language newspapers that existed for a short time. The Svoboda, a Czech newspaper, was established in 1887; the La Grange Deutsche Zeitung, a German newspaper, began publication in 1896.

Today, three of the above newspapers remain in publication: the Flatonia Argus, established in 1875; the Schulenburg Sticker, started in 1899; and The Fayette County Record, born in 1922. The Banner Press Newspaper, established in 1985 also covers the county's news and events. This publication serves a tri-county area that includes Colorado and Austin counties.

As author F. Lotto remarked in his book Fayette County: Her History and Her People, one can see that "a healthy intellectual life pulsates in all parts of the county."

Jeanette Gouldsberry adds that the Schulenburg Argus was established before the Schulenburg Sticker and Sun, and that the Flatonia Argus came later.

After Reconstruction, the Stagner family was among the largest cattle raisers in the area, but during the 1890's, they had fallen on hard times. Bunk Stagner was no ordinary cowboy. He was an important local man, who had once owned 600 head of cattle, over 1,200 acres of land in several tracks, a one-third interest in the rock quarry and several buildings located in Muldoon, along with the liquor stock in two local saloons. He and his family were also mixed up in the ongoing theft of livestock. The Stagner family was far from the only suspected cattle thieves in the area, as a mixed group of both black and white men were suspected, occasionally accused and sometimes arrested for trading in stolen cattle.

By 1891, a number of cattle owners hired a detective agency out of Waco, to help identify the thieves. In July of 1892, Bunk Stagner's oldest son, Charles, was charged with 8 counts of theft in which 52 head of livestock were taken in Fayette County. Charles pled not guilty and his case was never brought to trial. In the spring of 1895, Charles Stagner was charged with, tried and found guilty of the theft and butchering of two oxen in Bastrop County. He was sentenced to 4-years in the Texas State Penitentiary. Only a year before in May of 1894, another of Bunk's sons, William J., had been shot at while hunting stray cattle, and when that developed into a gunfight, he was finally shot and killed by a neighbor, Tom Birge. That fight was allegedly due to suspected cattle theft. Tom Birge was tried, but acquitted of murder and their feud was joined.

The Pliska Aeroplane

Built by a Former Fayette County Resident

by Carolyn Heinsohn

The Pliska Aeroplane, one of the first aircraft built in Texas, was constructed in 1911-1912 in Midland, Texas only a few years after the Wright Brothers first successfully flew their aeroplane at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. This feat was accomplished by Gray Coggin, a chauffeur and auto mechanic, and John Valentine Pliska, a master blacksmith, who had emigrated to Fayette County in 1897 at age 18 with his family from Tyn nad Becvou, Moravia, near Lipnik, which is now in the Czech Republic. He was the third oldest of eight children of a blacksmith, Frantisek and wife Marianna Lesana Pliska.

The family followed the oldest son to America, landed in Galveston, and eventually settled near other Czech families at Flatonia, Texas. After working as a blacksmith and machinist in Flatonia, Moulton and Meeks, John Pliska left Central Texas in 1903, in search of a place where there was more opportunity. He had heard stories of fortunes that could be quickly made in Mexico, so he decided to try his luck. Traveling by train on a circuitous trip to Mexico City to “make his fortune”, he stopped in Midland, Texas where he visited a blacksmith shop. Supposedly, something on the town water well had broken, and no one had been able to repair it. After Pliska successfully repaired it, he was offered a job at the blacksmith shop, which he accepted, and his dreams of Mexico were put aside. He also took a six month leave from the blacksmith shop to work at one of the largest ranches in West Texas, the C.C. Slaughter Ranch outside of Midland, where he made branding irons, repaired windmills and cared for Arabian stallions.

In early 1905, John Pliska returned to Flatonia at age 26 to marry Louise Hundle, age 22, the daughter of Albert and Annie Elick Hundle. Both of her parents were born in Netolice, Bohemia, and emigrated to Texas with their families - the Elicks came in 1867, settling in Frelsburg, Texas; the Hundles came in 1875, settling in Praha, Texas. Louise was born in Praha, but her family moved to another farm closer to Flatonia when she was a young child.

After their wedding, the couple returned to Midland. Pliska was the first person in Midland County to become a naturalized U.S. citizen on October 12, 1905. He and his brother-in-law, John Hundle of Flatonia, decided to open their own blacksmith shop in Midland in 1908. The two of them began talking about building an aeroplane shortly after opening their shop, worked on drawings and began collecting materials for the plane in 1909. However John Hundle decided to move back to Flatonia less than a year after arriving in Midland. John’s oldest brother, Frank, then moved from North Dakota to work with John in his blacksmith shop.

Pliska had studied in a balloon and glider school in Bavaria while serving in the Austrian army and had considerable knowledge about the rudiments of lighter-than-air craft. When Robert Fowler landed his Wright Flyer II in Midland in 1911, Pliska’s dream was rekindled. He enlisted the help of Gray Coggin, who was an experienced automobile mechanic, and together they studied Fowler’s plane and made plans to create their own aeroplane. They thought that they could fly their plane at towns and cities around the country, charging enough money to view the event to help pay for their expenses, plus provide a sufficient profit. Few people at that time had ever seen an aeroplane fly.

The Pliska Aeroplane, which was 26.5 feet long with a 33-foot wing span, was built by the two men in the evenings after their normal workdays with the simplest materials Pliska had in his shop – wood, piano wire and canvas. They hired out as helpers on a cattle train in return for a free train ride to Sandusky, Ohio, where they purchased an aeroplane engine, which was a modification of a marine engine, for $1500. They had to order expensive high-test fuel, a combination of lubricating oil and benzene, from New York City. The biplane framework was made of wood. The ribs in the wings were made of thin pieces of straight-grained wood, glued together into a pre-formed, curved structure. Pliska made many of the metal couplings and fittings for the plane in his shop. The engine was mounted in back of the pilot’s seat, far enough back so that the attached propeller would not touch the rear edge of the wings. They developed a system of cabled aileron controls that was not common to most aircraft at that time. Their controls were far in advance of those used by other aircraft builders and have become universal in aircraft design. The pilot could control the movement of the ailerons by leaning his body to the right or left, as was necessary to bank the plane in turning. A wheeled control stick in front of the pilot was moved forward or backward to gain or decrease elevation of the plane. The propeller was made by gluing pieces of straight-grained wood together, and the curved surfaces were formed by hand with a draw knife and rasp. To remedy damage encountered by brush and mesquite while landing, Pliska attached a metal sheath to the tips of the blades, creating the first metal-tipped propeller ever made. Thereafter, the metal-tipped propeller became standard equipment on most planes until replaced by all-metal propellers in the 1920s. Since balloon silk, which was usually used on aircraft wings, was expensive, Pliska decided to use canvas. After experiencing problems with too much “drag” on the air passing under the wings, which caused difficulty in keeping the plane off the ground for any appreciable length of time, Pliska and Coggin shellacked the canvas, which helped considerably. However, the treated canvas made the plane heavier than it would have been had silk been used on the wings. They discovered that their engine, which was supposed to reach 1,400 r.p.m., was only guaranteed to do so at sea level. Since Midland had an elevation of 2,800 feet, the engine was never able to reach the maximum speed. Therefore, the aeroplane, which operated perfectly with the exception of the motor, had problems reaching the elevation needed to travel any distance. They were only able to fly for a maximum of two miles on any test flight.

Pliska and Coggin wanted to return their engine to the factory and secure a larger one. However, in the meantime, there was no hangar in which to store the plane, and because of lack of funds and the protests of Pliska’s wife, who thought the project was a foolish folly, the plane was dismantled and stored in the rear of the blacksmith shop, where it remained for a period of over fifty years. When the blacksmith shop was torn down in 1962, the plane was given to the City of Midland by the seven children of John Valentine and Louise Hundle Pliska, to be restored and housed in a suitable building. Today it proudly hangs in the Midland airport terminal, permanently suspended in the air where it was meant to be, an example of the inventiveness of an ingenious Czech-Texan, who once lived in Fayette County. &

Footprints of Fayette

These histories were written by members of the Fayette County Historical Commission. They first appeared in the weekly column, "Footprints of Fayette," which is published in local newspapers.

Ladies' Cemetery Association of La Grange

(La) Fayette

The Marquis de Lafayette

The Original La Grange

References: wikipedia.org; www.friendsoflafayette.org; www.chateau-lafayette.com; www.marquisdelafayette.net

Image courtesy of Stan Klos, marquisdelafayette.net

103 North Main Street, La Grange

102 years ago – skating craze reaches La Grange

Submitted by La Grange Main Street with information and early photo provided by the Fayette Museum and Archives.Place cursor on photo to see building today.

114 South Main Street, La Grange

Information and early photo provided by the Fayette Museum and Archives. Place cursor on photo to see building today.

The Old La Grange City Library

La Grange Gold Rush Company

La Grange Jewish Cemetery

La Grange Live Oaks

La Grange Matress Factory

Source: Oretha and Leslie Hunger

La Grange Postal Masters

La Grange, R.F.D.

(or, The First Texas Rural Mail Route)

Early Schools in La Grange Founded by Masons

The Latins and the Prairie Blume Society

Lawlessness in Fayette County, 1867

First Lawman on the Colorado

Faith Healer: Henry Charles Loehr

A Machine Gun For Fayette County

An Early Fayette County Marriage

Marriage Bond

Witness our hands the 29th of April 1824

Witnesses present

Be it known that we Sylvanus Castleman and Elizabeth Castleman the parents of the within named Nancy Castleman do hereby give our consent to the marriage of our said daughter with the within named John Crownover—April 29, 1824. Attest.