The Gilmer Mirror (Gilmer, Tex.), Vol. 139, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 12, 2016 Page: 5 of 18
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: The Gilmer Mirror and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Upshur County Library.
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From Page 4
THE GILMER MIRROR, Gilmer, Texas May 12, 2016 — Page 5A
and families visited Mr. and Mrs. W.C. Mathis at East Moun-
tain .. . H.A. Fennell received Area VI FHA District honors
at banquet in Mount Pleasant... Lowell Salters, 50, of East
Mountain died ... J.H. Childress, 84, Gilmer merchant, died
at his store..
SIXTY YEARS AGO
Shirley Jo Johnson and Kenneth Dacus were top honor
graduates of Harmony High School . . . Wyatt Breazeale
was severely injured when logs fell on his legs when he was
unloading at an Ore City sawmill... Foy Knox held an open
house at his new cafe ... First of eight sections of the Indian
Rock School building was moved to Bruce School campus ..
. Martha Fikes and Harry Steger were top honor graduates
at Union Hill High School... A public drive was on to raise
$2,000 to operate and maintain the swimming pool in City Park
. .. Johnny Goolsby gave a piano recital at the J.S. Densons
... J.E. Venn left for New Orleans where he was to undergo
surgery . . . Winston Davis and Ronnie Skaggs were honor
graduates at Big Sandy.
SEVENTY YEAR AGO
Hal Newsom succeeded Dr. M.S. Ragland as chamber presi-
dent ... G.N. Sustaire, 68, died atMings Chapel... J.E. Johnson,
73, died at Pritchett... GHS honor students were Lou Ethel
Ramey and Edwinna Fulton; at Ward School, Celeste Avery
and JoAnn Stephens... Ross Baldwin was named head coach
at Bonham ... R.E. (Bob) Bell, 81, of Grice died.
T T cH* From Pa§e 4
Leno fired, but I believe he had announced his retirement
before most of these were told. In any case, it’s hard to argue
about them ... unless you’re a diehard liberal who gets his or
her opinions from CNN, The New York Times or Newsweek.
Here’s Jay: “I was going to start off tonight with an Obama
joke, but I don’t want to get audited by the IRS.” “It’s not look-
ing good for President Obama. Today, his teleprompter took
the Fifth.” On a new IRS commissioner: “He’s called ‘acting
commissioner4 because he has to act like the scandal doesn’t
involve the White House.’” On Obama saying he didn’t know
anything about the IRS scandal: “He was too busy not knowing
anything about Benghazi to know anything about the IRS.”
“It’s casual Friday, which means at the White House they’re
casually going through everyone’s phone calls and records.”
That’s enough about the buffoon we call president for today.
I buttress my argument that he’s a buffoon by recalling just
these three things: giving the queen of England a music CD,
yucking it up and taking a selfie at a state funeral and smack-
ing on a wad of gum at the recent D Day ceremonies. The man
is an embarrassment.
History of Union Ridge
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first part of a history of the
Union Ridge community. It was submitted by Wayne Arnold
from information provided by Geneva Murphy.
In a search to know more about the beginning of this com-
munity we found that a Mr. Knowles owned the place we know
as the Columbus Presnail Farm which is on the south side of
the road going west and east as the Jefferson and Quitman
Road.
To help supply the needs of the few settlers he opened a
store. Later the government set up a post office in his store and
made him postmaster. After a while he moved the store and
post office to a place we know as the David Rash Grass Patch
and gave it the name Ewell in honor of James Ewell Brown
Stuart a general in the Confederate Calvary.
We do not know the year but think it was before the store
and post office was named Ewell, that the few settlers in the
community built the first school house. They chose a place
about one mile north of the Jefferson and Quitman Road at a
place where two roads crossed.
As time passed this little one room school grew in students
and in learning. About two miles north was another small
school across the road from Mr. Jimmy Davis’s home. It was
known as a rural academy. Many years later the building was
nicknamed Possum Trot.
A group of Methodist people who lived in that community
had religious services in this school for many years. Then
they realized they not only needed a better school but a meet-
ing house.
So the people of both schools got together and decided to
combine the schools and build a Methodist church. The first
place chosen for the church was across the road from the
Algie Knights’s farm. But before the foundation was laid,
three interested men — Mr. Henry Moody, Mr. John Fielden
and Mr. Hampton Ellison — gave them two acres of land near
the church and it was build by gifts of lumber, shingles, nails
and free labor.
Another room was built on to the school and now it would
need two teachers.
Since the two schools had become a union and was built on
a ridge between two underground water ways it was named
Union Ridge, which certainly was fitting and of course the
church which was just a few yards west was given the same
name.
As years passed the community grew in population so a
larger building was needed. So just a few yards south a big
two room building was built with a stairway to a large room
up top, where the men belonged to an insurance company
named “Woodmen of the World” met on certain nights. In
just a short time it became a classroom and another room
was added to the north side. Now there were three teachers
and nine grades.
As years went by education became a necessity in the grow-
ing world. So in 1923 the people of Union Ridge, Poe Creek
and Nix Chapel got together and decided to consolidate the
schools. Together a school could be built that would give the
children a better chance of a higher education.
Now a place had to be found somewhere near the center of
these three schools. In trying to decide this there was some
opposition but finally two acres of land on the south side of
the old Jefferson and Quitman Road near the Ewell store was
bought from Mrs. Bobbie Wallace and the new school was
built. It had six classrooms, a wide hallway and two stairways
leading to the auditorium above.
It was decided to keep the name Union Ridge because the
schools had come together in forming a union and it was on a
ridge, not between underground water ways but on a ridge.
Now, we had a new school, six teachers and three buses to
bring children to school and back home.
We must not forget the names and places of these three
schools. We already know about one Union Ridge. Now, Poe
Creek School was first located near a creek not far south of
Mrs. Opal Haralson’s farm. It was named in honor of the man
— Mr. Poe — who gave the land. Later it was moved to a place
across the road from Mrs. Opal’s home. And Nix Chapel was
about 21/2 miles east of Ewell and named in honor of Mr. Nix
who gave the land for it.
The new school opened in October 1924 with lots of chil-
dren who were strangers to each other. But that lasted only
a few days and the school became a big family with love and
concern.
By BRENDA JOHNSON • 903-734-5142 • bdjohn2@etex.net
The Pritchett Community
Center meeting was held May
3, at which time several things
were up for discussion. Randy
Hill is going to check the sign
out front and get it working.
Mark Scirto is scheduled to
come on Sept. 6 to give a lesson
on tornadoes. There was also a
lengthy discussion on where to
have a cooking pavilion. They
do not want to do away with
any parking spaces. The ‘Music
and a Slice of Pie’ event will
be scheduled for a later date.
Tickets are still being sold on
the quilt raffle.
Cindy McMillan presided at
this meeting before the min-
utes were read by secretary Te-
resa Wilson and the financial
report was given by treasurer
Porter Click. The meeting was
friendly and not very long.
We’d like to see more Pritchett
folks attend and give us ideas
about future events.
Cooks for the quilters this
week were Barbara Holloway,
Maxine Kollman, Jeanette
Olson and Brenda Johnson
who served chicken casserole,
green beans with potatoes,
beets, corn with pimiento,
marinated vegetables, can-
taloupe, garden salad, celery
with pimento cheese, with
deserts of coconut pies and
ice cream.
WORDS OF WISDOM: We
are surrounded by those in
need of our attention, our
encouragement, our support,
our comfort, our kindness - be
they family members, friends,
acquaintances, or strangers.
We are the Lord’s hands here
upon the earth, with the man-
date to serve and to lift His
children.
Our condolences go to the
Reese family for the loss of
two brothers in the month of
Choir
From Page 10
April. Billy Jack Reese, born
Dec. 25, 1935, passed away on
April 8 and his brother, George
Alford “Hope” Reese, born
May 14, 1943, passed away on
April 30. This family lived in
Pritchett when the kids were
very young, but moved back
to Hope, Ark. They moved
back to the Gilmer area later.
They are both survived by
their families and their Reese
brothers, Homer, Harold, and
Larry as well as their sisters,
Jo Jones, Jan Peek and Mary
Musick, and a large extended
family. They were preceded in
death by a sister, Mae Tabor, as
well as their parents, Jack and
Oda Belle Reese, a number of
years ago.
The weather has been beau-
tiful this week but more rain
and storms are in the forecast.
Our hearts go out to the people
who lost their homes to the
tornadoes and storms in re-
cent weeks.
Several people called in
answer to my request of who
owned the Gilmer Drug in the
1950s and ‘60s. Joyce Duncan
Payne said she was a soda
jerk at the drug store that was
owned by Arthur Mullinix.
Frances Watson also called
to say the same as she also
worked at the drug store. My
homemaking teacher, Bonnie
Robertson Gorman, also told
me the same thing.
So, I was able to relate this
to my brother, Buck Denton,
the last time we talked, as
we had had a discussion on
the matter. I am now getting
emails from a lady with more
information.
We also had a discussion of
what my husband was able to
say after his stroke that took
his voice a number of years
ago. He has been gone for a
long time. Family and friends
could not remember nor could
I. It finally came to me that he
would say “That’s right” if
someone was talking to him.
It was strange that he could
say every cuss word he knew
as he had worked as a welder
in the oil field, yet he could
not talk.
Thoughtfor the day: May we
ever choose the harder right
instead of the easier wrong.
This is a continuation of last
week’s essay on the Roberts
Family from the records of
Myra Watts.
Last week we ended with
Meshack Roberts, the slave
who come to Upshur County
with his master, O.E. Roberts,
in 1847. Meshack managed the
plantation and looked after the
family during the Civil War.
After the war Meshack was
active in the affairs of Upshur
County. At one time he was
whipped by the Ku Klux Klan
and left for dead by the side of
the road. Mr. Roberts helped
him move to Marshall because
there they had federal troops
who could protect him.
It was from Marshall that
Meshack ran for legislature
and was elected, serving three
terms. In 1882 Meshack Rob-
erts helped establish the Wiley
College for negroes.
After the war Texas was un-
der military rule and the right
to vote was taken away from
most citizens. Taxes were out-
rageous. The federal soldiers
confiscated their cotton and
crops. Denied the fruit of their
labor, with taxes sky high and
their now worthless currency,
many lost everything. Obalost
his home and land.
Oba’s son, Richard Beasley
Roberts, born 3-25-1852, settled
in the Pritchett community.
His first farm was located on
what is today Cottonwood and
later he settled on the corner
of FM 1404 and Crepemyrtle
where he and his sons built
the rock house that is still
there today. He first married
Mary Etta Credille and they
had three children; Oba J.
and Elizabeth who remained
single and Lula who married
Dr. O.D. Lowery of Dallas.
They had one son, Oscar.
After the death of his first
wife he married Dora Cumie
Shackelford born 7-12-1880,
daughter of David and Sally
Rundell Shackelford. R.B. And
Dora had seven children: Pearl
who married Leslie Blunt;
Rosa who married Henry
Loyd; Dave who married Mary
Alice Mathis; Joe who married
Lena Mathis; Jasye Dean who
married Hyder Matthews and
Virginia who died at age 16.
Frank, Dave and Joe all
remained in the Pritchett
community. Frank and Kath-
leen had one daughter, Mary
Lou, who married Douglas
Pilcher. The had six children;
Kathleen, Vinnie, Douglas
Franklin, Shelia and Mike.
Richard Dave and Mary Al-
ice had: Alva Cleo who married
Delbert Snow and they had one
son, Joe Dell; David Glenn
who married Carol Viles and
they had Richard and Glenda;
Beth married Jack Foshee and
they had Richard, Ronald and
Judith. James Leslie married
Wanda Richardson and they
had James Anthony, Angela
and Jody.
Joe Bailey and Lena had
Richard who married Lois
Stone, they had Terry and
Lewis; Lula Nell married J. W.
Ward and they had Wesley
and Julie; Mathis remained
unmarried.
Next week our family essay
will be about the ancestors
(Johnson and Miller) of Leon
Johnson and Joel Johnson
who lived in Pritchett for a
very long time.
of music that they had never
seen before and are given six
minutes to chant rhythms,
solfege, and talk through the
music, but no singing sound
can be made.
When the practice period is
over the choir must then sing
the song on their particular
voice part (soprano, alto or
baritone).
Following this initial read
through, the choir is given
two minutes to talk through
any mistakes or trouble spots
that they faced during the first
read through.
After that two minute
practice time is completed,
the choir has a final chance at
singing the song on their voice
part, in tune, with accuracy
and dynamics.
For the first time in 13 years,
the Bruce Junior High Choir be-
came a UIL Sweepstakes Choir.
“Where You Get What You Pay For!!”
Grilled Fish ★ Fried Fish ★ Grilled Shrimp ★ Fried Shrimp
Chicken Fried Steak ★ Hamburgers ★ Boudin ★ Fish Tacos
Mon-Sat ~ 10 am-9 pm ^ Sunday~10 am-3 pm
Ball Park Plaza ~ 1420 US Hwy 271 N ★ Gilmer
POL. ADV. paid for by Campaign Treasurer Mike Judd and approved by Larry Webb
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Parker, Vic. The Gilmer Mirror (Gilmer, Tex.), Vol. 139, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 12, 2016, newspaper, May 12, 2016; Gilmer, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth879318/m1/5/?q=Homecoming+queen+1966+North+Texas+State+University: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Upshur County Library.