Mt. Vernon Optic-Herald (Mount Vernon, Tex.), Vol. 99, No. 48, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 8, 1974 Page: 1 of 12
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This will make it possible to
reduce the number of stu-
dents in each section in these
last Sunday. Others on the
program seated behind the
senator are Fred Stanley,
'Aikin.
Judge
Neal
Lanny
. Mrs.
Solomon.
Ramspy.
and
have
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UITIIOI TA
FATAL THAI I l<
ACCIDENT IN
ER VNKLIN
( Ol VIA
SENATOR AM. AIKIN Is
seen here on the city plaza
where he delivered the
pre-
Uerrnrn (0pttr- Wralh
Vol. 99—No. 48 Mt. Vernon. Erankiin County. Texas 12 Pages 1 Section - Thursday. August 8. I»74 15* Per Copy
Pleasat*
E T S il
with
Pleasant
Mrs Sears is the wife of
Walter Sears, superintendent
ol Mt Vernon I S I) She is a
See SALTILLO Page 2
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why
82 Days
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Following the unveiling by
Mrs. Meek. Charles Ruther-
ford on behalf of the
Rutherford family and Ered
Stanley on behalf of the
business accepted the mark
er Rutherford expressed his
appreciation to the people of
Mt. Vernon for their support
of the business. Stanley said
that he wasn’t sure he would
be around after another
century, but that if he was. he
would do it again.
County Judge Lanny Ram-
invitation to the dedication of
the bell to be held at Pleasant
Hill on July 14. 1874
Railroads lor this part of the
country were still in the
distant future so Governor
of
school.
Sears has announced that
twelve new teachers have
been hired in the Mt. Vernon
School system.
Mt. Vernon High School will
Pleasant Hill.*In an entry in
his Journal made in 1872,
before the bell was ordered
from Liverpool, England.
Captain Hastings wrote: "It
Rev. George Mosier. Doris
Meek and Billy Hicks.
(Optic Staff Photo).
k
more were the circumstances
which dictated to the pioneers
of the region
the visitors and also intro-
duced Senator Aikin. Mt.
Vernon Mayor Joe Jordan the reception honoring Sena
introduced the guests present
kJ*
rTtsm*-* 71*74?
• «
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eighth grades
Rita Eubanks,
aide, will be in
Kindergarten.
direction of Sue Barker
Marilyn Joyce will teach
public music. Kindergarten
through the eighth grade
Ronnie Harden will be one
bus driver with one posTtion
y'ef Io be filled
Tiie head cafeteria worker
is Ruth Allen There is one
position to be tilled in this
department
Two new board members,
Bill James and Walter
Quattlebauin. have been
elected
Approximately 85 students
are expected Io enroll
The PTA will have its first
meeting on August 19 right
alter the morning assembly
Government; Janice Wheat- Wayne Hackney.
ly. homemaking; and Wayne i New teachers in junior high
Woodley, math, principal
Other members of the high
school faculty will be Charles
Winfield. Marilyn Eenton, Bill
Hill. Minnie Laughton, Virgil
Miller, Doloris Robinson.
Charles Stretcher, Thomas
Welch, Claiborne Wright and
their votes in any election.
.,<tn that hot July Sunday al
■the » dedication, Governor
< uke was al his best as he
took lor his topic "The Rights
of Stale - Governments", a
subject that appealed to the
' See BELL Page 2
V J
school will be June Foster.
Languagef'ArtS’, and Lana
Gloria, co&ch. Girls' PE.
Other members of the Junior
High faculty include Robert
Robinson, principal. Joe
Bass, Mathus Black, Leonard
Cannaday, Harold Edwards,
In reviewing the history of
the business Senator Aikin
said that he had noticed that
Mt Vernon’s name had
originally been Lone Star.
Aikin pointed out that the
name of his home town was
originally Pin Hook before
someone decided it needed a
classier name.
Senator Aikin ended his
address with a plea for more
recording of history of our
area By researching the
history now and marking the
points of interest with
historical markers, we not
only preserve the history for
future generations, but we
instill a sense of appreciation
for that history in\the public.
Following Senator Aikin’s
speech, Doris Meek, chair-
man of the Franklin County
Historical Survey Committee,
spoke briefly on the Texas
historical marker program
and the steps involved in
having a marker approved for
•H
say served as master of
ceremonies for the dedication
program. He introduced each
person who had a part on the
at school for the entire day
New teachers are Frank
Stretcher, superintendent,
Betty Robinson. Special Edu
cation, Danny Buchanan,
Social Studies and P E.; Mrs
Waller Sears, Business.
Mrs. Robinson is the former
Betty Bell of Saltillo She is a
graduate of Saltillo High
School and ETSU She is
married and has two children
Buchanajy^a graduate of Mt
f Hk li School and
^U^s single and lives
his parents in Mt
Virgie Beth Hughes and Jack
Ray Phillips
One new teacher, Marilyn
Elbert, has been added to the
grade school faculty. She will
teach the first grade Other
members are Robert Atta
way, principal, Ruth Bacon,
Laura E Briley, Mary
Duncan. Nena L Gadlin.
Shirley Hogan. Mary Ruth
Jones. Janet Jordan, Michael
Knowles, Ruth Mills, Laura
Phillips, Kathryn Robertson.
Virginia Rutledge, Linda
Talley and Dorothy Winfield
A new addition to the Title I
program is Jeanne Lawrence,
Developmental Reading
Other Title I teachers are Nell
Clinton and Mary Beth Davis
Facility members at the
South Franklin School are
Hilda Attaway and Billie
Crump
Personnel in the school tax
See FACULTY Page 3
THIS CENTURA OLD
BELL, on display in the
First National Bank in Mt.
Vernon, is up for sale to the
highest bidder. So far only
one hid for $500 has been
made by II. Clifton King,
who also wrote the article
describing the bell’s his-
tory. "Whoever purchases
this bell." stated King,
president of the Pleasant
Hill Directors, "buys not
only a beautiful and
functional instrument but
S'.pa'rt of history." (Optic
Staff Photo).
Rutherfords and Stanleys
which was held following the
unveiling in the Franklin
County Water District Office.
______________________________________A
teachers'
charge of
under the
IF*7**
have eight new teachers,
Karen Knight, English. Span
is; John Tommy Mullins.
Distributive Education; Ray
Mullins, band director. Tom-
my Gene Ramsey., coach,
American History; Roseann
Rawls, Homemaking Cooper
ative; Jim Sloan, coach.
Economics and American
- . . ^4
in the War
between the States I have
noted much enthusiasm
among the citizens of Plea
sant Hill regarding this bell as
a worthy monument to both
am
astonished, and I must admit
pleased, with the response
was not a “fbe idea of purchasing and
occurrence What erecting this bell in Pleasant
Hill was truly an act of divine
HilLstandout as unique all the inspiration."
Cast In England
The bell was originally cast
this in Liverpool. England in 18^2
program Neal Solomon,
president of the 1975 Franklin
County Centennial Corpora
tion, extended the welcome to
Walter Sears, superinten
dent of Mt Vernon Indepen
dent School District, has
announced that the first day
of Classes in the district will
tie Monday, August 19 Buses
will run on their regular
schedules and lunch will be
served
All students who attended
Mt. Vernon School last year
pre-registered in the spring
and are not required to
register again
Students in grades nine through
through twelve must pick up
student schedules Friday,
August 16, “between 8 30 a m
and 11:00a.m. The principal’s
office will be closed on that
afternoon
Students who will be
entering Mt. Vernon School
for the first time, grades nine
through twelve are requested
.17- ’
Local Schools To Begin Classes On August 19
Registration
R equirements
AreAnnounced
»
to contact the high school
principal's office previous to
August 16 Those students
transfering from other school
districts must furnish book
cards, report cards, and
immunization records, either
from their previous school or
their doctor Immunization
records forms are available
at the superintendent's office.
Students who will be
entering school for the first
times, grades Kindergarten
eighth, wltt be
registered the first day of
school, August 19 They must
furnish a birth certificate and
immunization records. The
records should show vaccina- ’
lions for Oral Polio, DTP
and or TD, measles and
rubella.
The school calendar for the
See LOCAL Page 2
Saltillo School
Begins August 19
Monday, August 19, will be
registration and first day of
instruction for the Saltillo
Rural Schoo) students Lunch
will Im* served and all buses
will make their regular
routes. The price of lunches
has not yet been set
Enrollment is expected to be
about 170
All first grade students are
asked to bring a copy of their
birth certificate and imrnuni
zation records with them the
first day of school The
Kindergarten program will
begin at mid term, January
14. 1975, for all students that
are five years*~bld by
September I, 1974 The
Kindergarten students will be
Winfield Classes
Start Aug. 19
Winfield will start its
1974 75 school year with
student instruction on Mon
day. August 19. Buses will run
as usual and the first meal
will be served on that dale
Students entering the Win
field school lor the first time
must have their birth certifi
cates and immunization rec
ords
Faculty will include Sue
Barker, first and second
grade, Marilyn Joyce, third
and fourth grade. Ronnie
Harden. fifth and sixth
grades, and the principal, to
be selected, seventh and
eighth grade
Ronnie Harden will coach
girls’ basketball, filth through
eighth grades, and the
principal will coach boys’
basketball. fifth through
*- - aOUe * •*-*'*-
Pleasant Hill Bell On Display In Bank Lobby
Century-Old Bell To Be Sold At Auction
By II ( lifton King
On display at the First
National Bank in Mt Vernon.
Texas, is the bell which has
rung out for a hundred years
to spell joy and sadness for
the Pleasant Hill Community.
On Sunday, July 14th. the
Board of Directors of the
Pleasant Hill Memorial Asso-
ciation voted to remove its
historic bell and in October of
this year to sell to the highest
bidder. "This decision was a
heart-breaking one," stated
H. Clifton King, President of
the Association, "for this bell
has kept silent watch guard-
ing the cemetery and taber
naele of Pleasant Hill. We
made the decision to preserve
the bell so as to keep it safe
from vandals and thieves and
thus honor this instrument
which has meant so much to
the pioneers and their
descendants of Pleasant
Hill." The other directors of
the association. W.C. Mills
and Bennie Ruth Connelly,
both of Mt. Vernon, Texas,
concurred in this decisioh.
For Whom The Bell Tolled
Brought to Pleasant Hill in
1 1874, the bell is known and
loved by all ]who have ever
lived or attended reunions in
Pleasant Hill. Throughout its
century of pervice, the bell
served as a means of
communication for the com*
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Microfilm Center
»»ox 4^43^
CHARLES RUTHER-
FORD is seen here with
Doris Meek just after Mrs.
Meek unveiled the histori-
cal marker in front of
Rutherford Drug Store.
Rutherford expressed his
appreciation to the people
of Mt. Vernon for their
support of the business.
(Optic Staff Photo).
Senator A M. Aikin deliv-
ered the dedicatory address
in ceremonies preceding the
unveiling of the Rutherford
Drugstore official Texas
historical marker Sunday,
August 4
Senator Aikin expressed his
personal interest in the
dedication, pointing out that
former owner. Griff Ruther-
ford had been one of his
strongest supporters when he
first ran for office. Aikin also
pointed out that another of his
strongest and earliest sup-
porters, Judge R.T. Wilkin-
son, Sr., had maintained an
office in the back of the store
for many years.
dedicatory address
ceding the unveiUng of the
Texas historical marker
1
School Faculty And Employees Announced
Since adding Kindergarten
.Mt Vernon
has qualified fo?\ two extra
teachers’, according to Super-
intendent Walter Sears
Through reorganization of
the teaching staff, an addi-
tional Language-Arts teacher
is being assigned to Junior
istorical site High and an additional math
i teacher is being assigned to
Billy Hicks, member of the Junior High and High School.
Franklin County Historical
Survey Committee Who had
done the actual research in
applying for the marker, then subjects and will allow the
thanked the various people offering of a larger selection
who had assisted the histori- of math courses in high
cal committee in procuring
the marker and in preparing
the program
MW; I
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munity. Heard for miles in the particular bell would always
surrounding peaceful farm- be a monument to noble
lands, the bell indicated a thoughts and deeds The story
grave to be dug. church is best told in the Journal kept
services on Sundays, commu- by Captain Marion Hastings,
nity and family get-togethers, one of the pioneer leaders of
and in times of sadness the ’
hell tolled for funerals of
loved ones. Its peals on
occasion summoned help for
disasters such as fires.
Historically, the old bell gave is fitting that we honor the
the first warnings of the
outbreak of the Spanish-
American and World War
I and its joyful ringing told
the community of the end of
these wars. In the past few
years though, It has seldom
back Politically, however , it
was a bit ot major strategy,
for after serving as (mvernor.
Richard Coke ran for and was
were still in the elected to the I S Senate
future so Governor December 1. 1K7G He was a
Coke and his party made the favorite of East Texas voters
and could always count on
ings, always a showman at
heart, enlisted the support of
the citizens of Pleasant Hill
Mt. Vernon, Mt. Pleasant and
Sulphur Springs in planning a
dedication which would point
out the significance of the bell
and its influence on the people
in the region
The year before. 1873.
witnessed the defeat of
Governor Davis, Republican,
by Governor-Elect, Richard
Coke, a Democrat The vote
was 85,549 to 42.633 Captain
Hastings, his Confederate
leanings apparent, joined his
East Texas neighbors in the
joy of seeing the Reconstruc-
tion and Carpetbag rule
finally ended Governor Coke,
grateful for the great support
given him in East Texas, felt
compelled to accept the
heroes among us who served
their country so well. There is
not a family in Pleasant Hill
not scarred by the war and
some homes have empty
places at the fireside, places
reserved for the loved -ones
rung In fact, it lolled only for who gave the last drop of their
funerals of pioneers and their blood for their cause. The
descendants who returned to wounds of the civil strife heal
rest in the shady and peaceful slowly but this bell will serve
cemetery of Pleasant Hill and as a bond of union bringing
it rang with happiness on the together those who fought on
second Sunday of July which opposite sides
date has marked for years the
annual Pleasant Hill Memor-
ial Day.
Planning For The Bell
A Community Project
A hundred years ago the thy living and the dead I
acquisition of bells for
churches or community cen-
ters in Texas was not a
common
makes the bell of Pleasant
GOLD] t
After a long and difficult
journey over the seas by
Clipper Ship, it arrived in
New Orleans in 1874. then the
largest and most important
port in the South From New
Orleans the bell was shipped
by boat to Caddo Lake and
Jefferson. Texas, where the
freight wagon brought it to
the Stage Coach Freight
Station some two miles south
of the present Mt Vernon.
Texas
The pioneers ot Pleasant
Hill watched the old Jefferson
Stage Coach Trail each day
for the arrival of the freight
coach bearing the bell The
happy news that the bell had
finally arrived at its destina-
tion brought joy and action to
the good people, of Pleasant
Hill Captain Marion Hastings
organized an expedition to
transfer the bell from the
coach station to its new home
m the belfry of the Methodist
Church In a wagon drawn by
four horses the bell was
brought to Pleasant Hill,
there to ring out its nVessages
for the next hundred years
Dedication Of The Bell
It is,.easy to understand the
excitement that gripped the
Pleasant Hill and surrounding
communities with the setting
up of the bell in the church
tower after much delay and
expectation Captain Hast-
<
.dL.
Senator Aikin Speaks At Marker Dedication
for the dedication.
A crowd of 97 registered for
ecept
and Mrs.
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Bass, James T. Mt. Vernon Optic-Herald (Mount Vernon, Tex.), Vol. 99, No. 48, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 8, 1974, newspaper, August 8, 1974; Mount Vernon, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1278175/m1/1/: accessed July 12, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Franklin County Library.