A History Of Dickens County: Ranches and Rolling Plains Page: 14
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L. Collier postmaster and discontinued in Sept. 1895,
and moved to Dickens. The community was called
Cottonwood, because there were so many cottonwood
trees on the creek that runs through the community.
The first school was called Cottonwood and was
built in 1898 with Minor Wilson the first teacher. He
taught first in a dugout, but later a building was erect-
ed near where the cemetery is. H. Alford gave the
land for the school and cemetery. Later the school
house was moved to one mile west of the cemetery.
Miss Myra Kelly taught school in it in 1900. She is
now Mrs. Duff Green of Roaring Springs.
In April, 1900, a postoffice was re-established.
They wanted to name it Cottonwood, but there was
already one by that name; so they asked Miss Myra
Kelly to name it and she called it Afton.
The Afton Baptist Church has the honor of being
the first church organized in the County. It was
organized in 1888, before the County was organized.
Other churches are the Methodist, Church of Christ
and the Primitive Baptist Church.
The first store was in a tent, in front of the post-
office, just across the road. The owner was Mr.
Sitton. Later when the postoffice was moved fur-
ther up the street to the present location, this stock
of groceries is said to have moved up and thus the
village begun in 1900.
The first blacksmith was Uncle Wash Robertson.
He came to Afton in 1904 and in 1906 he built the
shop. He left later but returned in 1915 to build another
blacksmith shop with his brother, Uncle Ed. He
also had a corn and syrup mill here in 1907. On
Saturday afternoons people from all over the country
side would bring corn to grind and cane to make
syrup.
Ed Chambers built the first gin in Afton in 1904.
Afton was a thriving "little city" in late 'teens and
early twenties. It had two mercantile stores, drug
store, two doctors, two gins, blacksmith shop and
syrup mill. So many people came to town, it was
called "Little Fort Worth."
Liberty Hill
Liberty Hill community was situated six miles
Northwest from Dickens. A one-room school house
was built in 1899. The lumber was hauled from
Quanah in wagons by the men of the community and
most of it was built by them. The school house was
situated in a shinery thicket. The first school
teacher was a Baptist preacher by the name of Steve
Cobb. Some others were Ella Worswick, Lydia
McCormick, Thomas Loyd Hopkins, J.W. Hilton,
Blaine Speer and Mr. Walker.
A sad accident happened in the community in 1918
when Thomas Loyd Hopkins, the school teacher,
was drowned in Duck Creek three miles West from
Dickens, while he was trying to cross the creek in
a buggy. A big rain had fallen and he could not stay
on the concrete slab across the creek. He was
found down stream about four miles, by J.L. Karr;
one hand was the only part of his body visible.
The school has vanished and nothing left but few
scattered houses and the Shinnery patches. It is
consolidated with Patton Springs School District.
Midway
Midway community located half-way between Afton
and Dickens and that is why it is called Midway. Thecommunity is made up of the Old Liberty, Amity and
New Hope communities. They once had a consoli-14
dated High School but Father time changed all of it,
until now they go to Patton Springs. The churches
have closed their doors and the buildings are decaying
with the times.
Croton
Croton is an old community, which was first called
Frankfort. Frankfort was located near the Old Rock
House known then as the Baxter Land near the Poison
Mill, and near Little Croton Creek, which was about
1888. Most of the settlers worked for the Matadors
and Pitchforks. It had a general store.
The community of Frankfort played an important
part in the organization of the County. The first
county seat election was held in March, 1891, with
Espuela, Dickens and Frankfort vieing for the site.
None of these places received a sufficient vote to
determine the county seat. Again, the same year on
May 8, 1891, there was another election held with
the same three; but Frankfort in the meantime having
withdrawn; Dickens nor Espuela did not receive enough
votes for the county seat, but Espuela received more
votes and was elected to be the County Seat tem-
porarily. Frankfort soon vanished away.
The first school was named Noview. It was located
on the John Quattlebaum farm down on the creek;
Cottonwoods all around it. No view at all, hence the
name. The lumber was hauled from Quanah. The first
school teacher was W.C. Lanham. He was a veteran
of the Civil War and from the South. He was also
the first person to die after the County was organized
and to have his will probated, which is Case No. 1,
of the Probate Court of Dickens County.
The nesters of the community hauled the lumber to
build the school house from Quanah by wagon train.
They also built the house. LG, Crabtree was the
foreman and main carpenter. He taught Sunday School
in it, and his wife played the organ, for many years.
Later the name was changed to Croton Flat; the
land was flat and there were no mesquites on it.
Lots of Prairie Dogs, deer, antelopes andwild horses.
But now it is called Croton.
The community is in a good farming section; the
school, which was once a six-teacher school, is
consolidated with Patton Springs. There is still a
store and a Baptist Church. It once had a good gin
but then the cotton acreage was cut, the gin moved
away. The community has good paved highways
on which the farmer and rancher can go places.
Dumont
BY Annie Hand
Dumont postoffice was established Fegruary 17,
1894 with Joel T, Saylers as postmaster; at first
thought to be in Dickens County, but later when the
County line was re-surveyed was in King County.
They kept the mail in an old trunk in one room in
their home.
Before the post office was established someone would
ride a horse into Paducah and bring the community
.mail back to the store and everyone would be there
to pick up their mail. It took one day to go and one
day to come back. Until 1902, the mail came twice
a week, but after that year the mail came three times
a week.
For several years, Dumont was known as theNorth-
east Corner Settlement.
The first families that came to Dumont Settlementwere J.M. Davidson, Tom Carpenter, Pete Hollar,
John Parker, Dick McDuff, Bob White, W.M. Wagley
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Arrington, Fred. A History Of Dickens County: Ranches and Rolling Plains, book, 1971; [Dickens, Texas]. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth61098/m1/32/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .