Elm Fork Echoes, Volume 22, May 1994 Page: 21
64 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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AUSTIN RAY "CAP" LOWREY
and
THE WATER WORKS
by
H. Ray Ogle
Small town America of yester-year usually had a few well-
known citizens who made living there interesting. Carrollton
had Windy, Speck, Rufe, Cap, and others. The nickname Cap was
given to Austin Ray Lowrey at an early age by family and
friends because he always wore a cap.
Born in Ravenna, Ohio, May 10, 1883, Cap was employed with
a heavy equipment company. The company sold a dragline to
J. Fred Smith Gravel Company, Inc. in Carrollton. When they
shipped the dragline to Carrollton, They sent their trusted
employee, Cap, along to assist in the erection and operation
of the machine. Due to his skill and knowledge of the machine,
the gravel company hired Cap, and he worked for them many years.
Cap took an interest in the community and became active in the
Methodist church. He married Vera Perry in 1929. In 1938,
they purchased the theater located on the west side of the
square. This movie later moved to a modern building on the
south side of the square. It is now somewhat of an oddity be-
cause it contains only one screen. Their son, John and his wife
Jo, operate the theater. Cap died in 1946.
During the twenties, in keeping with small-town America, when
local utilities were sometimes owned and operated by local
citizens, Cap bought and operated the city waterworks. An
accompaning ledger recalls many older Carrollton citizens who
were charged the unbelievable price for water of $1.25 per month
for residential use or $1.50 per month for a business.
Also see:
Elm Fork Echoes
Vol III, #2 Working the Gravel Pits
Vol XII, No 1 Plaza Theater21
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Peters Colony Historical Society of Dallas County, Texas. Elm Fork Echoes, Volume 22, May 1994, periodical, May 1994; Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth760609/m1/25/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Carrollton Public Library.