COUNTY HAPPENINGS IN THE 1920'S

Across the Fence 
From The Hamilton Herald-News


By Arvord Abernethy 

The accompanying picture* was supposed to have been in the Hamilton County History Book that was published three years ago. The picture was misplaced by the printer, but they left a space for it on page 391 where they listed the names of the officers. The name of the lady (Miss Alice McGarvy) next to Capt. Saxon was unknown, so was omitted. The printer later returned the picture without any explanation. May we suggest that you cut this picture and attach it to page 391. As far as we know, Lowesco Brann, now of Lubbock, is the only one of these officers who is still living. 

I thought it might be interesting to find out some of the business that these officers had to handle, so I went to the County Clerk’s office and scanned over some of the commissioner’s records. 

One of the early things they had to do was to sell 160 acres of school land that had ended up in Mills County after that county had been formed way back there out of Hamilton, Comanche, Brown, and Lampasas counties. They sold the 160 acres for $160.00 and had to take a note for the land. 

The Texas Fever Tick had caused so much trouble that a law was passed that all the livestock, cattle, horses, everything, had to be dipped to kill the ticks. Several dipping vats were constructed over the county so farmers would not have to drive their stock too far. On the record was where the commissioners voted to buy 2,500 gallons of Kilitik – D and to have the J. T. James & Sons Drug Co. to distribute it at $1.22 per gallon. This chemical, when mixed with the correct proportion of water in the dipping vat would do the job of killing the ticks. 

Evidently the tick control program was working well as some of the farmers in the Pottsville are came before the commissioners and asked that the state inspector be dismissed and that one of the stockholders in the Pottsville Dipping Vat be appointed as inspector. The commissioners did not have the authority to appoint an inspector. He had to be state appointed. 

One task that the commissioners had, as it is today, is the maintaining of the county roads. Roy (Roy Arthur) Chumney remembers what a job his dad, W. D. (William Daniel) Chumney, had in getting the right-or-way for a new and wider Hamilton to Evant highway which was to become Highway 281. 

More powerful equipment was needed to build these new roads, so Hamilton County bought its first tractor for road work. The specifications called for a track-laying tractor (we call them caterpillar tractors now) that could go 1 ½ mile per hour. They bought one from Yuba Products Co. for $3,100, the freight cost ran the price to $3,461. Roy said that it had a large single wheel in front for guiding purposes. Not much later, the county bought an 18-30 horse power Monarch tractor from the J. H. Osborne Co. of Dallas for $2,964. 

I have found no one who knew why so many of the 58 schools in the county were holding elections during these two years. Most of the petitions for elections stated the purpose for supplementing the State Board Fund. Evidently some recently passed law had made necessary the elections. Here are just a few of the bond elections that were held. 

We know why the Lund Valley election was held. The Lund school and the Center Valley school had recently consolidated and they wanted to build a new building. A $10,000 bond election was called to build the two story brick building they later built. The record shows that the voting was to be done in a small vacant house across the Pottsville road north of Grover McAnelly’s residence. The first election was a tie with 24 votes on each side. It was reheld later with the votes being 33 for and 28 against. 

The Great Depression was still 8 or 10 years ahead, but many knew what hard times were, so shied away from debts. Many of the elections did not carry. The McKirk school patrons defeated two bond elections that would put on them a small debt. The people of the Eidson school district were much more optimistic. All five of the ones who voted felt that they could pay off a $1,000 debt at 6% interest in 20 years. Willow Grove, which might have also been called Agee, was feeling even better, all 29 of the voters said yes. 

The commissioners had to grant permission for the elections, but Alsie (A. T., Sr.) Jones, the County Superintendent, handled the details. I thought that I was going to have a good story on L. A. Morris who was the District Clerk when the picture was made. He had been the teacher for Mrs. Mattie Tate at Lanham when she was a young girl, and I had the impression he went on to later become the Superintendent of Public Instruction for Texas. On investigation I found out that the State Superintendent was L. A. Marrs, not L. A. Morris. 

The Hamilton Volunteer Fire Department needed a place to keep their fire truck, so they petitioned the commissioners for some space on the county jail lot. Space was granted on the southwest corner of the lot provided the building would not exceed 20 feet in width not 40 feet in length, and to be built of stone, brick or concrete. A rock building was soon built and has long since served its purpose. The sound of the fire siren has long been silenced and replaced with the shuffling of dominoes. 

Had you noticed in the picture* that the base of the column that Mr. Clark is leaning against is leaning some? It is not because he was so strong, the base had just settled to the side. I didn’t see any mention in the records of the commissioners discussing the condition of the courthouse, but just 10 years later, on June 13, 1932 the county officers got to move. 

* Picture is not available.