The Cherokeean. (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 125, No. 17, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 28, 1972 Page: 13 of 16
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Cowty's First Bank Building Offers
Historic interest To Rusk Visitors
NATIONAL
The F. W, Bonner Bank
Building In Rusk is one of the
highlights of the historical
tour given hundreds of visi.
tors each year. Mrs. Walter
H. Meyers, a member of the
Cherokee County Historical
Survey Committee and mem-
ber of the Rusk Chamber of
Commerce Tourist Com-
mittee, serves as narrator
for the tour which Includes
many points of Interest.
Guests at the RegioAal Arts
and Crafts Fair Oct. 27-29
will be offered twice daily
bus tours. Sites of Interest
also include New Birming-
ham, a ghost town of the late
1880*s, the world's longest
footbridge. Governor Jim
Hogg's birthplace and several
homes.
The Bonner Bank, Rusk's
first, was housed in the little
building now restored at the
conner of Euclid Street and
Highway 69. It was purchased
by Rusk's two present banks.
Citizens State and First State,
in August, 1967. The building
was donated by these banks,
to the Chamber's Tourist
Committee and a historical
marker denotes Its histor-
ical significance.
'The history of the building
is quite interesting, ' says
Mrs. Meyers. Her research
has established its construc-
tion date as 1865 on Lot 6,-
Block 21 in Rusk Christopher
Chaffee, a promoter and cot-
ton buyer from New Orleans
constructed the building.
According to Mrs. Meyer's
records, Chaffee sold the
property to W. T. Long Sept.
29, 1866. Long was one of
Rusk's first settlers and his
daughter, Eliza, was the first
white child born here. He was
also the father of a prominent •
Rusk newsman and legislator,
John B. Long.
Long was the proprietor and
manager of the Cherokee Ho-
tel. He rented the small
building to S. A. Willson,dis-
tinguished Texas jurist,, as
an office when he opened his
practice here in 1868. Willson
purchased the building from
Long May 8, 1876. He re-
tained ownership until March
27, 1883 when he deeded the
property to F. W. Bonner,
member of 4 prominent pi-
oneer East Texas family of
lawyers.
F. W. Bonner was a broth
capital of the bank, a goodly
portion of which was many
acres of land in several coun-
ties of the state.
"For several years, prior
to the panic of 1892-93, the
deposits of the bank averaged
around $100,000.
"In the year 1890the Bonners
opened a branch bank In the
then town of New Birmingham
and later a branch in Heame,
Texas; all of which prospered
until the panic of 1892-93.
"On account of failure of
many of the Bank's largest
customers, and "Being unable
to readily realize on the land-
ed assents of the bank, the
partners In the bank assigned
all the lands to the banking
firm of Ball, Hutchings and
Company of Galveston, on
which they borrowed a suf-
ficient amount to pay all the
depositors remaining assets
over to Tom Finty Jr as
trustee; having paid all cred-
itors in full, liquidated the
business in 1893.'*
Finty, a well known news-
man and organizer of the Tex.
as Election Bureau was tnt
husbnd of Bonner's daughter,
Georgia.
The Finty'sdeeded the build-
ing to Mrs. Sarah Rebecca
Curtis of Rusk Oct. 24,1894.
It served as a music school
for her daughter. Miss Ella
Curtis, until the turn of the
century, according to Mrs.
Meyers' research.
Later, as rental property
for Mrs. Curtis, the building
haised various businesses;
1 cigar-rolling factory, a me-
chanic's shop, a shoe shop and
railway express office.
The Curtis family in 1964
made plans to clear the lot
and sell the land. Bernard
Mayfield of Jacksonville ex-
pressed his concern and in-
terest in the preservation of
historic buildings through the
purchase of the.little building.
Rusk's two banks realized
the significance of the build-
ing to this city's heritage
and fxjrchased the structure
from Mayfield.
The building is of pine con-
struction with horizontal
hand-planned siding, 25 feet
long and 1J feet wide. The one
room frame is '"shotgun"
style with small front stoop
and two handturned wooden
columns. There is a railing
arcxind the stoop, wooden
dows and door are intact.
A picture of the Interior of
the building when It was a
bank is found in the New
Birmingham promotional
brochure of 1891.
"Great care has been taken
to restore the interior as ac-
curately as possible,'' says
Mrs. Meyers. Fixtures simi-
lar to those of the old bank
have been located and donated
for the Interior restoration.
Many claim this building is
the oldest business structure-
in Cherokee County.
"At any rate, we do point
to the Bonner Bank Build.
Ing with pride and pleasure
as a part of our rich heri-
tage,"states the tour direc-
tor.
Redistricting Poses Problem
For Commissioners Court
er and partner of Mlchjah jingles on the roof and shut.
H. Bonner who was ChleJ Tgfed windows. The original
Justice of the Texas Sup^gmÉ# f^js, columns, walls, win-
Court, 1878-1882. : «>■'
In 1884 F. W. Ronnrferttlf *t* *
Quoting
his sons opened Chi
County's first bank f(
citizens of Rusk and Neyj*.,
Birmingham, then a flour-
ishing new city built on
dreams of a great'1ttn in-
dustry.
from Mrs. Hattle
book. 'The Hills
" Mrs. Meyers
early days various
|s frbm sugar bowls
ffodtlngs served as
for Cherokee
Later citizens ac-
quired the habit of deposit-
ing their money with local
merchants and lawyers who
had iron safes. Finally in
18M, F. W, Bonner, a Rusk
attorney, opened the county's
first bank. Transportation of
the cash necessary for bank-
ing operations was apparent-
ly no problem. Wade Bon-
ner, his older son, frequent-
ly rode horseback to Tyler
with thousands of dollars in
gold in a cloth belt which his
mother had made for the pur-
Condition
Still Critical
Jerry Mclntyre continues t^
"hold his own'' at Brooke*
Medical Hospital's Burn Cen-
ter in San Antonio.
His wife, Martha, reports
that doctor1- continue to be
cautious in optimism. Fam-
ily sources say it will be
several days yet before the
danger period Is past.
Mclntyre Is the last survi-
vor from the group of four
persons Injured in an explo-
sion Sept. 8 at Minien, La.
The Mclntyre's tei month
old son is here in Rusk with
relatives. Mrs. Mclntyre has
rented an apartment and her
address 10 1104 E. Cravon,
pose. T. H. Bonner, a young Sprlngwood Apartments No.
brother, one* 'Hiade the trip . "A San Antonio.
by train bringing from the
Tyler bank In which his fath-
er was also Interested,
$10,000 rolled In a newspaper
in the guise of old clothes."
The Feb. 28, 1956 edition
of The Rusk Cherokeean fea-
tured a brief history of the
Bonner Bank and stated,
"They conducted the busi-
ness In his small frame of-
fice until the year 1887 in
which year he purchased a two
story brick building located
on the west side of the square
and moved the bank to more
commodious quarters to ac-
comodate the increased pa-
tronage.
"In the year 1888 he took in
his second son,Thomas Hub-
bard, in the business known
s F. W. Bonner and Sons;
later, he took in his other
two sons, Walter S. and F.,
W. Bonner Jr., later in that
veer. F. w. Bonner pawed
out of this life and pasWl
hie business Interests to hlV;
wUe^Oeorginla. ,
"At the time of his demise,
the gross assets of the bag|
amounted to $200^000 mv Het .fartily in Ri
mor*: being a private bank , planHiefypeiijt. the
Realignment of districts for
Cherokee County's Commiss-
ioners is a more complex task
than the average person might
expect.
"We are having to consider
numbers of people, the res-
ulting confusion over who
vote1- where and the matter
Nine Couples
Tie The Knot
During Week
Things have picked up in co-
unty offices during the past
week. Couples applying for li-
censes of marriage number
nine according to reports fr
om County Clerk Mildred Ful-
ton with four cases appearing
on the criminal docket.
Tying the knot were John
Alexander Jigaof Tyler and
Donna Kay Liles of Alto; Ga-
ylon Harrold Johnson and Sh-
eila Yvonne Townsend of
Rusk; Joseph Sidney Corlev
of Sacul and Glenda Gall Derr
of Jacksonville; Gail Lloyd
Jones of Lufkin and Barbara
Sue Jones of Alto; Eddie tee
Ragsdale II of Jacksonville
and Mary Elizabeth Hulett of
Rockport.
Others included Gene Neal
McMillan Jr. of Dallas and
Gay Lynn Mlxon of Jackson-
ville; William Earl Shank and
Shirley Ann Sawyer of Ja-
cksonville; Billy Tom Herr-
ing and Audrey Ann Parker of
Jacksonville; and Tracy Glen'
West and Gaye Lynn Bickham
of Jacksonville.
$ *0<PP*riHg- on. the criminal ,
froH>é%j*«ta¡^onPld*Keith '
Dayes, prohibited;Weapon, fi-
ned $100 and cost of court;
James Wesley Garrell. DWlj
Jlmmj? Earl Ferguson, DWLS
and Curtis Simpson Jr., DWI.
District Clerk Mavis Parrott
reports ? definite increase in
action with a number of de-
llquent tax cases being filed.
Among them were State of Te-
xas vs. James R. Allen; St-
ate of Texas vs. Robert S.
Bramlett; State of Texas vc#
Melvln W. Erck et ux Essie
H. Erck; State of Texas vs.
James L. Daniel et ux Fay
Daniel; State of Texas v.
Ollle Lee Foreman et ux
Evelyn Foreman; State of Te-
xas vs. H. C, Jacobs et ux
Carolyn Jacobs and State of
Texas vs. Edward B. Tipton. .
Other action in the District
Clerk's office has been steady
too with 15 divorces being
"led during the month of Se-
ptember. A number of adopt-
ions an.' custody suits have
also been filed during tne
month.
of road maintenance," <=tates
County Judge Orvan B Jones.
The court held a meeting
Tuesday morning, marking
one more in a series of dis-
cussions on redistricting.
"We have four commiss-
ioners, so naturally we're
looking at four different plans.
Actually, we have five plans
because I have drawn one,
too," he said.
The many Intricacies of
realignment involve such de-
cisons as "how will the road
and bridge money be di-
vided?"
At Tuesday's meeting the
Commissioners were in total
agrement with the Judge on
one point, "We know we can't
draw a plan to please every-
one.''
A letter to the court from
the U.S. Commission on Ci-
vil Rights was read by the co-
unty judge. The judge acknow-
ledged the communication as
"basically a lerter of press-
ure. ''
"They are asking why
haven't you already done It
^•edistrict)and are you going
to do so without court action."
Cherokee County's Comm-
issioners have been given so
specific deadline, but action to
institute the change came two
years' ago by order of the Su-
preme Court.
Changes ultimately Involve
justice of the peace precincts
and voting precincts as well
as commissioner districts.
Commissioners are seeking
to more equally apportion th-
eir representlon of Cherokee
000 citizens. Th-
involves malnten-
ipproxlmately 1,2000 ,
of county roads. This
pose's a sizable problem to
the Commissioners as at-
tempt to. define new bound -
artes;
"I think we made more pro-
gress today than in past me-
etings," said Judge Jones a-
fter more than six hours of ne-
gotiations by the court. "We
will meet again at 9 a.m.
Friday and 1 hope we will
be able to complete a plan for
redistricting at that session. '
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT
James Oliver is proud ro
announce the arrival of his
little sister, Christie Lee.
The young lady was born Aug.
19 and weighed 8 lbs. 3 ozs.
Proud parents are Mr. and
Mrs. Orea Lee Oliver. Gr-
andparents are Mr. and Mrs.
Ed Oliver and Mr. and Mrs,
James H. Roach, all of Rusk.
Between now and 1975 the
cost to the public of cleaning
up the environment will reach
a minimum of $105 billion, •
according to Mr. Bert Cross,
chairman of the National In-
dustrial Pollution Council.
"Martha has appreciated ev-
eryone's kindness and in-
terest. The cards and letters
from home bring her so much
encouragement," says her
mother, Mrs. Woodle Skinner.
"She is saving all the mall
to share with Jerry when he
Is better," she said.
Funds established for the
four burn victims now total
$365 at Rusk's two banks.
The East Side Missionary
Baptist Church gave $100 to
the four families and one of
Rusk's Beta Sigma Phi chap,
ters contributed
three Rusk familles^Píe U-
nited Way Fund donated $800
to the Doug Crawfdfrd, John-
ay Odom, L, I. Hassell Jr.
and Jerry Mclntyre faml-'
lies," says Charles Rav Pet-
ers, one ot the coordinators.
'These amounts are not in-
cluded in the sum on deposit
at the.two banks."
•( ;;We hope to go to San An.
again this weekend,"
. ' peters. "It Is pretty
'4urd' dp Marthp being down
this amount comprised the there,
Rusk also
weekend1
4'
PROCLAMATION
4-H1 Week Proclaimed by Orvan Jones
WHEREAS the 4-H Club Program has since its be-
ginning contributed much to the health and welfare of
the nation and has encouraged many young people to
choose careers which help improve family and com-
munity living; and
WHEREAS 4-H members put into practice the skills
and sclenr they learn through their 4-H projects and
activities and strive To Make the Best Better,'" the
motto of 4-H Club work, and
WHEREAS young people, who are - the citizens of to-
morrow, must discover and acquire the virtues of re-
spctifltbillty, thoughtfulness, morality, and understanding
In these changing times; and
WHEREAS the boys and girls now enrolled In 4-H Clubs
throughout the County of Cherokee, under the guidance
ot adult icouers, will soon be establlsnlng homes of their -
own and taking their places In society as community lead-
ers:
NOW, THEREFORE, ITtPp'an B. Jones, County Judge
of Chej)^ar1@punty, In recognition yolt-the fine achieve.
members and their families, do hereby
_ f October 1.7 as NATIONAL 4-H
CUjpUPIlLTJ'll'rTRETOUNTY OF CHEROKEE.
'CP witness whereof. I have hereunto set my hand and
caused the Seal of this. County to be affixed this 26 day
of September, 1972.
Orvan B. Jones,
County Judfce,
County of Cherokee _______
OCTOBER 1-7
;
CONGRATULATIONS
TO AN ORGANIZATION
THAT WELL DESERVES
THE PRAISE OF
THIS NATION.
THE 4-H PLEDGE
Ipledge...
my HEAD to clearer thinking,
my HEART to greater loyalty,
my HANDS to larger service, and
my HEALTH to better living, for
my Club, my Community, and
my Country.
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The Cherokeean. (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 125, No. 17, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 28, 1972, newspaper, September 28, 1972; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth150985/m1/13/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.