NORTH TEXAS STAR

North Texas StarApril 2013

THE BONE COLLECTOR

2013 PALO PINTO COUNTY HISTORIC AND WILDFLOWER TOUR

SHAW-KEMPCHASING OUR

TALES

OUTDOORSALONGTHE BRAZOSOpen House

April 2013 • NORTH TEXAS STAR STORYTELLER & RAMBLER • Page 2

ADVERTISINGMary Jo Watson

(940) 229-9941 or (940) [email protected]

[email protected]

PUBLISHERMel Rhodes

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LAYOUT & DESIGNLindsay Bryant

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CALL(940) 325-4465

ONLINEwww.mineralwellsindex.com

North Texas Star 3OUTDOORS ALONG THE BRAZOSBy Don Price

Outdoors Along the Brazos

4THE BONE COLLECTORBy Jim Dillard

102013 PALO PINTO COUNTY HISTORIC AND WILDFLOWER TOURBy Kate Nowak

8By Margarita VenegasSHAW KEMP

14By Sue SeibertCHASING OUR TALES

COVER SHOTNebo Valley School and Church / Courtesy


More than anything else he's ever received, this 20-mile-long rail-trail has given him freedom –

wind in his hair, birdsong, the flutter of cot-tonwoods, perhaps a flock of wild turkeys, even a skein of clarion calling Canadas, all free.

As free as the wind, billowing clouds, all free.

He hears the unmistakable whistle of coal-burning #5, a freight train coming straight at him, just a black dot billowing smoke, loom-ing on the 1891 now abandoned roadbed, big drivers working, sparks flying, true as the flight of a woodcock, closer, nary a bend in the trackage to be seen. He's trapped on a narrow bridge, no escape.

But this is an illusion, for this is 2013, not 1891. This is the abandoned roadbed of the Weatherford, Mineral Wells & Northwestern Rail Road, a short line spin-off of the mighty Texas & Pacific [now Union Pacific] as it rumbles through W'ford, Millsap, Strawn and points southwest.

There are no less than 57 curves out there to add wonders to his walks. It's like a Brazos River float trip in a canoe with John Grave's book "Goodbye to a River" open to page 61 on the boat's seat telling about [Goodnight at Black Springs, Oran today] – you'll always wonder what you'll see around the next bend in the river or on the rail-trail.

Curves are frequent, every one-third mile or so, anything but a monotonous trek, a refreshing walk. You can even think of the coal-burning #5 slipping upon you in rolling hills east of Garner, surprisingly sparse with structures.

Trekking the abandoned railroad corridor, he began on Aug. 8, 1997. As of July 17, 2004 he'd completed 1,000 round trips [over-lapping] every section from Mineral Wells to Cartwright Park in Weatherford.

As of this writing he's now completed over 2,000 round trips; it's never boring, keeps his weight under control, exercises his body as well as his mind. He doesn't watch TV, so he has 3 more free hours to walk each day.

There are mile markers on the trail, elimi-nating truth stretchers and braggarts. You'll know how many actual miles you've been.

One trek covered 14 miles, but his average is between 5 and 6 miles; he keeps a log, and he does wear out shoes rapidly on crushed limestone [the roadbed].

He tries to maintain a heart-pumping 4 m.p.h., great exercising. But if he is approaching a couple of colonies, where he

frequently [in season] has spottld painted buntings, east of the Bunker Hill Ranch House, he'll slow to a pace of circumspec-tion.

And the bluebirds! At another spot he's been amazed to find an uncommon number of eastern bluebirds [in season] perched in the green chainlink fence at the white over-pass crossing HIghway 180, approximately 4 miles east of Mineral Wells.

But he's like the fisherman; he's not going to tell you where every productive lunker largemouth bass hole is.

This guy doesn't own a cellphone [he thinks it's a distraction]. Text messaging is an addiction, and 39 states have made it unlaw-ful while driving. iPads, email, blogging, and Google crank the user's mind into an Information Overload fuzz until you won't know your house is on fire. The fire trucks are at your curb and when you are through text messaging, you'd better check it out [only one wall is standing].

Let's get back to the rail-trail for gosh sakes.

As you are walking toward Garner about 300 yards before you reach Clark Garden's front gate, you can take a path to the left that takes you up a series of switch backs. As soon as you level out on top you can take a right to walk north about three-quarters of a mile.

You are now on the brink of Penitentiary Hollow, a favorite spot for rappelling and picnicking. And while there, a lookout point allows you a panorama of our lake, remind-ing one of Henry David Thoreau's Walden Pond.

A charming ambience the rail-trail [trail-ways] has. In some stretches the crushed limestone pathways become as tunnels, in whose ceilings oaks' and elms' branches meet overhead, creating a canopy of shade. Being amongst these trees gives one balance, a sort of gyroscopic effect.

And handsome wooden bridges with weathered floors and railings, all 17 of them adorning the trailway, minus two, which are concrete; the white overpass bridge across Highway 180 and the sturdy Dry Creek Bridge which Union Pacific rebuilt after a gullywasher, a year or so before the City of Mineral Wells bought the railroad, a costly mistake.

But thank goodness for a guy named Steve Jones and the Texas Park & Wildlife Department, we can now enjoy a picturesque trail in rolling Cross Timbers.

Our faithful user of this trailway doesn't meet a single soul often, coming or going, on the crushed limestone. This is on a weekday but early and late; however Saturday morn-ing is a different story, with many scout troops from the metroplex having found the trails.

In 1916 American railroads peaked with 254,000 miles of line; today [1995] less that 145,000 miles of track remain and that mile-age is shrinking.

But this decline has provided a rich oppor-tunity. A benefit for that abandonment of rails and shift to other transportation modes has been the forming of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and the legislation that encour-ages the conversion of abandoned corridors to recreational trails.

The Lake Mineral Wells State Park & Trailway is a model of this type of venue, providing hikers, joggers, bikers and eques-trians with access to nature and local history.

It was late on Saturday morning, March 2, 2013. Almost having completed my trek one more time, I was about one mile and-a-half east of McDonalds, heading west. While walking around a bend in the trail I spotted two distant walkers, also heading west.

Within half-a-mile or so I caught up with them, a man and a woman, both about 70 years of age.

I was the first to strike up a conversation, soon finding both were from Marshall, Texas, about 225 miles east, near the Louisiana state line.

As we three were now walking side-by-side, they opened up to say they loved walk-ing, it kept them young at heart, and that they'd heard so much about our trail, they decided to spend the weekend here.

Then the man said he was surprised, with its being Saturday, that they'd met only a cou-ple of walkers as they neared Mineral Wells, but noticed several near Cartwright Park in Weatherford.

The gentleman asked me where I was from and I said Mineral Wells and that I walk the trail most days. He then said, "I guess you probably recognize a lot of familiar faces on this winding trail?"

I didn't comment. Oddly enough, I hardly see a familiar face. It's been this way for 15 years, ever since the trail opened August 7, 1997. The weather is nice today. And this is Saturday, too. I just don't understand. Is it because a few neighbors haven't accepted this trailway? I don't mean to sound brash, but I'm at a loss for words. • •

Outdoors Along the Brazos S p r i n g t i m e o n t h e T r a i l B y D o n P r i c e


The BONE COLLECTOR By Jim Dillard

Cold winds, rain and hail pelted the men as they trudged along the crude network of muddy roads that led to the small East Texas village of

Washington in late February 1836. On December 12, 1835, the General Council of the Provisional Government of Texas had posted notices that elections were to be held on Feb. 1, 1836, to select delegates for a convention to be held at Washington on March 1st where a document would be drafted to declare independence from Mexico. On Feb. 28th, 44 of the 59 elected representatives from the 21 existing municipalities and dis-tricts in Texas arrived. Fifteen other delegates would trickle in during the following few days. The document that would be written and signed by these men would forever change their lives and the course of history for generations of Texans to come. Like those who had signed the United States Declaration of Independence from England in 1776, the lives of these men would also be at risk should the revolution fail; but none turned back.

The first Consultation and Convention had been held Oct. 1-6, 1832, at San Felipe (in present Austin County west of Katy, Texas) where 58 delegates gathered to petition Mexico for the creation of the independent State of Texas from Coahuila, a northern state in Mexico, to which Texas then belonged. The Mexican Constitution of 1824 included a provision whereby Texas could petition the Mexican government to create a separate state “as soon as their situation would permit, to appear as a distinct state.” A written document called the Memorial to the Mexican Government was prepared outlin-ing grievances and conditions of the Texas colonists. With little response or support from Mexican officials, a second Consultation was held by 56 delegates at San Felipe during April 1833 to further petition for Texas to become a sepa-rate state within Mexico. A Texas Constitution was pre-pared by a committee but primarily written by Sam Houston who drew heavily from principles found in the United States Constitution.

When Stephen F. Austin traveled to Mexico City as a commissioner to present the proposed constitution to authorities there, he arrived during a period of internal revo-lution and turmoil as General Lopez de Santa Anna plotted to overthrow the Mexican Constitution of 1824 and estab-lish a dictatorship. Austin was arrested at Saltillo after information was obtained that he had written to the people of Bexar (San Antonio) encouraging them to join in the movement to create a separate state government in Texas. He was put in prison for one and one-half years without trial and not released until the summer of 1835.

On Nov. 4, 1835, another Consultation of elected repre-sentatives from the various districts and municipalities in Texas was convened at San Felipe to consider options for a more autonomous rule in Texas. As an outcome of the con-sultation, it was established that Texas had a right to declare independence from Mexico and voted to organize a Provisional Government by drafting an Organic Law with provisions for a governor and general council. Henry Smith was elected governor, but the Consultation of 1835 failed to

adequately provide for clear leadership, purpose or military authority.

During May 1834 the Mexican army and clergy persuad-ed Santa Anna to overthrow the Constitution of 1824 and declare a dictatorship thus dissolving the social compact which had existed between Mexico and Texas. In response the Texans declared “they were no longer morally or politi-cally bound by the compact of the union.” It had become apparent that Texas must now revolt and chart its own course and destiny to protect the rights and liberties of its citizens. To that end a new convention was called to be held at Washington, Texas, on March 1, 1836, to proclaim a permanent separation from Mexico and prepare a written declaration of independence. War would be inevitable.

Located a mile southwest of the junction of the Brazos and Navasota rivers 70 miles northwest of Houston, Washington had become an important commercial center. Merchants and tradesmen had begun establishing businesses in the fledgling town to supply emigrants moving to the interior of Texas and profiting from the expanding agricul-tural commodities being grown in the area. Early pioneer Andrew Robinson of the Old Three Hundred (a member of

Stephen F. Austin’s original colony in Texas) began operat-ing a ferry at the crossing of the La Bahia Road on the Brazos River in 1822 and in 1824 received a grant of a half league of land from the Mexican government. The small community of La Bahia developed at the crossing and a town site was laid out in 1833 by John W. Hall. Robinson established the Washington Town Company in 1835 along with Dr. Asa Hoxey and other investors to promote the sale of lots. The new town was situated on a bluff above the

river and was to be named Washington after the hometown of Hoxey in Georgia. It would not be known as Washington-on-the Brazos or Old Washington until after the Civil War. In December 1835 Sam Houston had selected the town for his headquarters and the concentration point for the gathering Texas army of volunteers and as a location to obtain supplies to provision them.

By 1836, the time had come for action as William B. Travis and his men were now under siege at the Alamo in San Antonio de Bexar by General Lopez de Santa Anna and additional Mexican armies were on the march to quell the uprising in Texas. A con-frontation had also occurred at Gonzales, Texas, between a small Mexican force and citizens over possession of a small cannon the Mexican government had previously pro-vided the community for protection against Indian raids. When the demand was made to return the cannon, the Texans’ reply was, “Come and take it.” After a short fight the

Texans kept the cannon. Texas volunteer military units had also attacked an occupying Mexican force under General Cos at the Alamo in San Antonio (The Siege of Bexar), forcing him to flee back across the Rio Grande River. James Fannin was also commanding another force at the Presidio de La Bahia near Goliad in the face of an advanc-ing Mexican army under General Urrea.

When the Convention of 1836 was called, local business-men Noah T. Byers and his partner Peter M. Mercer rented a building for a period of three months beginning March 1, 1836, at $56 dollars per month to a committee of Washington merchants who tendered the building free of charge to the Convention. It was nothing more than a half-finished frame house which provided little protection for the delegates from the cold north winds then blowing deep into the heart of East Texas. Cotton cloth was tacked over the open windows to help break the wind. When the committee failed to make payment to Byers for use of the building, he petitioned the fledgling government for payment. Although the building was only used for 17 days, it appears that he never received any payment for use of the building from the committee or government.

continued on page 6



Many of the 59 men who would soon sign the Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico were new to Texas. One quarter had been in the Mexican province of Texas less than a year and only 10 more than six years. Virginia was the birthplace of 12 of the delegates, North Carolina 10, Tennessee nine, Kentucky six, Georgia four, South Carolina and Pennsylvania three, New York two, and Massachusetts, Mississippi and New Jersey one each. Four were born as British subjects and three were native to Mexico.

It would have been difficult to assemble a more diverse group of men at this place and time and put them in the situ-ation they now faced. Most had come to Texas in hopes of acquiring land or to pursue their various occupations. Some were well educated and had left behind successful careers and businesses. The group included doctors, surgeons, law-yers, farmers and planters, sheriffs and deputies, merchants, newspapers editors and printers, land speculators, ministers, United States senators and legislators, hunters, trappers, sur-veyors, teachers, druggists, and many who had served in military units in the United States. But now they were assembled as elected representatives of their new home in Texas and unified in a common cause: freedom from the tyrannical rule of Mexico.

On March 1, the first 44 delegates who arrived began deliberations. The credentials of each member were exam-ined and the election of permanent officers conducted. Richard Ellis was elected president of the convention; H. S. Kemble, secretary; E. M. Pease, assistant secretary; John A. Hueser, doorkeeper; Thomas S. Saul, engrossing clerk; and Isham Parmer, sergeant-of-arms. George C. Childress was appointed as chairman of a committee of five to draft the declaration of independence and is credited with being the primary author of the document. It is believed he had a rough draft of the Texas Declaration of Independence with him when he arrived at the convention.

Childress, a native of Tennessee, had studied law there and was editor of the Nashville Banner newspaper for 10 years. Heeding the call to arms in Texas, he raised money and recruited volunteers for the Texas Army and arrived at his uncle Sterling C. Robertson’s empresario grant colony on Jan. 9, 1836. He and Robertson had been elected to rep-resent the Milam Municipality at the convention. Childress County and Childress, Texas, were later named in his honor.

On the following day the committee submitted the draft of the declaration which was reviewed, and after a rhetorical speech by Sam Houston, he moved the draft be accepted, engrossed and signed. The declaration included a statement of the nature of government, a list of grievances against the Mexican government and a final Declaration of Independence to become a sovereign republic. After “a copy of the Declaration having been made in fair hand, an attempt was made to read it, preparatory to signing it, but was found so full of errors that it was recommitted to the committee that reported it for corrections and engrossment.” During the day there were 41 delegates present and it is believed that the initial signing of the declaration did not

take place until March 3, 1836. Eight other late-arriving delegates would add their names to the document before the convention closed 17 days later.

Five copies of the signed document were sent to Bexar (San Antonio), Goliad, Nacogdoches, Brazoria and San Felipe. A printer in San Felipe was instructed to print 1,000 copies in handbill form. The original copy of the Texas Declaration of Independence was deposited with the United States Department of State in Washington, D.C., where it remained until it was transferred by the United States Secretary of State to the Texas State Board of Control dur-ing February 1929. It was unveiled for display in a niche to the left of the elevator of the first floor at the State Capitol on March 2, 1930. The custody of the document has since been transferred to the Texas State Library.

After the convention closed on March 17, 1836, most of the elected delegates joined the Runaway Scrape, the mass exodus of panicked Texas citizens toward Louisiana and Galveston Island of Texas. With the massacre of 182 Texans at the Alamo and 340 at Goliad by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and his Mexican armies, the outlook was bleak for the fledgling new republic. Some of the sign-ers volunteered for service in the rag-tag volunteer Texas army for the fight to come and followed Sam Houston throughout the campaign to victory at San Jacinto on April 21, 1836.

Twenty-six of the 254 counties in Texas were named from signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence in honor of their sacrifice and courage during the Texas revolution. They include: Briscoe, Caldwell, Carson, Coleman, Childress, Collingsworth, Ellis, Fisher, Gaines, Grimes, Hardeman, Hardin, Houston, Maverick, McKinney (Collin), Menard, Motley, Navarro, Parmer, Potter, Roberts, Robertson, Rusk, Swisher, Waller and Zavala. Many of the signers would also become prominent elected and appointed government officials.

Were it not for his love of Texas history and the extensive research of Louis Weltz Kemp (1881-1956) during the 1940’s to document the biographical story of each of the signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence, many of their names and deeds would have vanished into obscurity. Born on Sept. 4, 1881, in Cameron, Texas, Kemp attended high school and later majored in engineering at the University of Texas (1901-1903.) He was employed by the Texas Company (Texaco, Incorporated) in 1908 and spent his entire career with that company until he retired.

Texas history was his passion and he spent most of his spare time researching and studying the events, people, and places that defined Texas to preserve its historical past. He was instrumental in improving access at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin by getting the state highway department to pave roads within the grounds for visitors. In addition, he was responsible for the reburial of more than one hun-dred important people there who played important roles in the early history of the state.

His book “Our Unlikely Fathers: The Signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence,” which was published in 1944

and reprinted by Copano Bay Press in 2012, is the definitive treatise on the lives of those brave Texas patriots. Among other accomplishments was his compilation of a complete biographical sketch, known as the “Kemp Sketches,” of every known soldier who fought at the Battle of San Jacinto. He also wrote the book “The Heroes of San Jacinto,” in 1933 and was a prime motivator for the construction of the San Jacinto Monument and Museum.

In addition, he was a member of the Texas State Library and worked extensively during the 1936 Texas Centennial Celebration on the project for erecting 1,100 markers and monuments throughout the state at buildings and places where historic events occurred. Monuments were also placed in cemeteries and at gravesites of early patriots, including the signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Kemp was president of the Texas State Historical Association from 1942-1946.

Kemp died on Nov. 15, 1956, in Houston where he was buried but reinterred in the Texas State Cemetery on May 5, 1957, beside a granite marker placed there to honor him. Kemp’s contribution to the knowledge and appreciation of Texas history and of those who literally put their lives on the line to build this great state is a tribute to a man who once described himself as “a retired asphalt salesman who makes a hobby out of history.” Others called him the “bone collector.” • •

References: “Texas Boundaries: Evolution of the State’s Counties,” by Luke Gournay; “Our (unlikely) Fathers: The Signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence,” by Louis Wiltz Kemp; and many Internet websites.

continued from page 4

Mr. Kemp


STORIES & SNIPPETSTuesdayNovember 30, 1943

POLICE CAR IS STOLEN HERE MONDAYSome thief has stolen one of the police cars––took it from

right in front of the police station door––and at 10:45 Monday morning. And to noon today it had not been recovered.

Patrolman Jack Llewellyn drove the car to the station after a call, went inside the building. A few minutes later, Desk Sergeant Heath asked where the blue police car went to––and then the search started. Chief Granbury was at the Health Center at the time and he hurriedly called outlying cities in an attempt to find it––and the thief.

Sheriff John Edmondson came to the station just after the car was stolen and reported two men in a blue Ford, and he thought it was the police car, going east on Hubbard. He attempted to whistle them down for they were making about 60 miles an hour.

The car is a 1942 Ford, license number A-97,549.This makes the third car stolen here in the last three days, two of them yet missing.

One was recovered by Weatherford Police. People are warned to lock their doors, even if they are going to be away from it just a few minutes.

One drunk was the only other trouble at police headquarters.With all the “kidding” the police have about losing their automobile, it is not at all

advisable to get a red traffic ticket, or to be brought in for anything for the next few days. It would be bad for the thief if they get him also.

CAMP OFFICERS SEND GREETINGSIt is fitting that an issue dedicated to the service men and women of Palo Pinto

County should have a word of greeting from Camp Wolters commanding officers, and in an interview with General Bruce Magruder, commanding officer of the I.R.T.C. and Col. Earl Flegel, camp commander, each of them expressed his best wishes for these men and women to a representative of the Index who contacted them for a word of greeting this morning.

Gen. Magruder said: “Many men from Mineral Wells have received their basic training here. We are happy to see them enter, glad to do all that we can to make their first days of training as worthwhile as possible and we hate to see them leave. It gives us a great deal of pleasure to extend to the service men and women of Palo Pinto County our very best wishes.”

Col. Flegel said: “We are glad to send to Camp Wolters’ neighboring community our appreciation on this occasion. We have received friendly cooperation from the authorities and the civilians in and around Mineral Wells. We have enjoyed our as-sociation with them. We extend to the men and the women in the service from Palo Pinto County our sincerest best wishes [and] to their relatives who are left to carry on. We extend our gratitude for their friendship and good will.”

Mineral Wells salutes these camp commanders and the thousands of men and women who have passed through Camp Wolters’ gates since it was opened.

Publisher’s note: The moral of the stolen police car story seems to have been: “You’d best lay low and keep your nose clean if folks are going to kid the cops... At least until it blows over.”


PARKER COUNTY – Mary Kemp lets out a long sigh as she gazes over at the bluebonnets in front of the cabin on the Shaw-Kemp property.

Years ago, the family planted the bluebonnets out by the cabin, which has a state historical marker in front of it, and the flowers are already well into bloom.

“They have about two weeks,” Kemp said. “I need for them to have three weeks.”

The annual Shaw-Kemp Open House, set for Saturday, April 13, is a community tradition that is now in its 33nd year. Although it has been pared down from previous years – they no longer serve food, though guests are welcome to bring their own, and it’s only from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. rather than all day – the open house is still a much-beloved tradition in Parker County.

The event doesn’t just celebrate the lovely blue blooms for which Texas is famous, it also provides a history lesson and a trip back in time.

“I was born and raised in Parker County. My family came here in 1905,” Kemp said. “We didn’t have running water or electrici-ty.”

Recalling the hard scrabble times of the county’s early years, Kemp maintained an interest in history.

That’s what led her to collect nine buildings, which are open during the tour. Through bidding processes and by negotiating buys, Kemp and her family bought old railroad buildings, a home and other early 20th century structures and have transformed them into a village at Mount Nebo – the name of the small mountain/large hill (depends on which way you look at it) on the property.

There is a schoolhouse (which is also the church on Sundays), a jailhouse, grocery store, barber shop, a dentist’s shop, a home and more.

And, of course, there is the historic cabin. Tennessee native Thomas J. Shaw built the cabin, which has a very Little-House-on-the-Prairie look. It has a loft and one big room in which he and his wife had eight of their 13 children. In 1876, Shaw enlarged the cabin, doubling its size. It was in that cabin – without electricity, without running water – that he lived, until his death in 1904.

The outside of the cabin is decorated with items that people have donated to Kemp – old saws and tools from the late 19th century and early 20th century. The inside of the cabin and the other buildings on the property are also decorated with period pieces.

The DeBeauford-Kemp home, which was built between 1908 and 1910, even has an old-timey phone – the kind with the two large bells and a hand speaker, a predecessor of the rotary phone. It was in that house that Kemp and her husband lived and started their family. The house, filled with antique dolls, has a boy doll and a girl doll in the window, which Kemp said represents her children.

Kemp said visitors are welcome to take photos on the grounds and in the fields of bluebonnets. Community members who volun-teer to help Kemp will be on hand to help direct traffic onto the grounds and to add character.

A hill that passes along the main road will have the six flags of Texas flying overhead during the day. There will also be music throughout the afternoon at the DeBeauford-Kemp home. • •

Shaw Kemp Margarita Venegas


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While most may think of April as a time for celebrating fools and spring showers, some of the local folk in Palo Pinto County are

more apt to think of it as the perfect time for celebrat-ing history. They have good reason. Ever since 1837, when Bigfoot Wallace first planted his reportedly big feet on a portion of the 948 broken and hilly square miles that make up the county, the area has been steeped in a rich and varied history worthy of celebra-tion.

This is why, every other year, the Palo Pinto County Historical Commission hosts a driving tour, opening wide the gates to yesteryear and giving history buffs an opportunity to venture through the beautiful Palo Pinto mountain range and straight into the past.

Offering fascinating legend and lore along with post-card-worthy landscapes, this year’s biennial tour, aptly dubbed the Palo Pinto County Historic and Wildflower Tour, will take place April 27, the last Saturday in April, beginning at 9 a.m. and lasting until 4 p.m.

Tickets are $10 per adult and $2 for children, ages 6-15. Advance tickets are available: by calling the Mineral Wells Area Chamber of Commerce at (940) 325 2557; by calling the Possum Kingdom Chamber of Commerce at (888) 779-8330; or at the Palo Pinto County Old Jail Museum in Palo Pinto, which is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

You may start your tour at any of the eight locations along the way and proceed as you wish. Tickets are available for purchase at the various tour stops on the day of the event.

For more information about the history of Palo Pinto County and this year’s Tour, visit www.palopintohisto-ry.com.

The following will give you an idea of what to expect along the designated route:

• Palo Pinto County Old Jail Museum in Palo Pinto, constructed of native sandstone in 1882.

• Lovers’ Retreat, located on private land outside

Palo Pinto. This former park along Eagle Creek is one of the most scenic spots in the county.

• Johnson League Ranch, also on private land. This working cattle ranch was once owned by Strawn resi-dent William Whipple Johnson with his brother, Harvey. Johnson established a successful business sell-ing cedar post, to the westward-advancing Texas Pacific Railroad. The ranch, just north of Gordon, is 4,428 acres, or one league, hence the name. The ranch features restored buildings and an infamous mausoleum, built high on Salt Point hill.

• Strawn Texas, where the tour features several sites, including the Opal Guest Chapel.

It was originally built as the Presbyterian Church in 1917 at a cost of $10,000.

After sitting vacant since the 1970s, local ranchers Jimmy and Jerri Guest purchased the building in 1997 and restored the church, naming it the Opal Guest Chapel, after Jimmy’s mother. Today, the chapel is

continued on page 13

2013 PALO PINTO COUNTY HISTORIC AND WILDFLOWER TOUR By Kate Nowak

Strawn Opal Guest Chapel


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continued from page 10regularly used for public meetings, weddings, funerals and baccalaureates.

Also in Strawn, the tour will visit the Strawn Historical Museum. The small one-room tile structure once housed the local Boy Scout troop. The little building now houses a varied collection of photos, newspapers, fur-nishings and artifacts and memorabilia from various homes and businesses in the area.

Next is Palo Pinto Mountains State Park. Still in the development pro-cess, this 3,335-acre park surrounds Strawn's 81-acre Tucker Lake and con-tains Palo Pinto Creek and rolling, varied terrain, including valleys, hill-sides, mesas and deep ravines. The park also boasts a variety of mammals and numerous birds. Park Ranger John Ferguson will present an overview of the developmental timeline of the state's newest park.

Another Strawn stop is the Stuart Estate. Built in 1917, the house was built to last, with double-bricked outside walls and a 6-foot-deep double-brick foundation. After remaining vacant for a number of years, the home has recently been beautifully restored and is now inhabited by the original owner's great granddaughter.

• After Strawn, the tour will head north, toward Possum Kingdom Lake, to the historic Belding Ranch. Also a working cattle ranch, numerous gener-ations of Beldings have occupied the family ranch house. Though family members of each generation have added on, the little one-room cabin that early settler Henry Belding and his wife built in 1859 still remains at the home’s core. The ranch has hand-made split-rail-and-rock fences construct-ed by itinerate fence builder fittingly named “John Rock.” • •

Stuart Estate Strawn, Texas

Lover’s Retreat


Quite a while ago Donna Maddux asked me to do some

research on the Clarence Monroe Maddux family of Parker County. So here goes!

Clarence Monroe Maddux, Oct. 14, 1914 - Sept. 13, 2000, was the son of Franklin Thomas “Frank” Maddux, 1876-1958, and Marthia Elizabeth “Lizzie” Hughes, 1881-1965. He married Jealeta Fowler on Sept. 24, 1939, and was the father of Alton Monroe, Billy, and Kevin Maddux. Clarence Monroe is buried the in Ballew Springs Cemetery in Parker County, Texas.

Franklin Thomas Maddux, Dec. 31, 1876 - April 9, 1958, was the son of Johnson C. Maddux, 1847-1920, and Nancy Lucretia Taylor, 1851-1930. He and Lizzie had five chil-dren, Franklin Thomas, Joncie Crawford, Clarence Monroe, Myra Mae Harrington, and Alton S. Maddux. Franklin and Lizzie are also buried in the Ballew Springs Cemetery.

Johnson Maddux was born in Mississippi in October of 1847 and died Nov.28, 1920. His and Nancy’s children

include James, Mary, Lucy, Thomas Franklin, and Robert L. He and Nancy are also buried in Ballew Springs.

Johnson’s parents were Peter Alexander Maddux Jr. and Mariah Johnson. Peter was born in Virginia about 1920, and Mariah was born in Georgia about 1922. Mariah and Peter had seven children, Robert A., William H. H., James L., Francis M., Johnson C., Mary D., and Snowden H. Snowden was a family name on his mother’s side.

Peter’s parents were Peter Alexander Maddux Sr., 1788-1866, who was born in Virginia and died in De Soto, Mississippi, and Dorcas Darky/Darkes Maddux, 1795-1870, who was born in Fauquier, Virginia, and died in MS.

Dorcus’s parents were William Maddux, July 17, 1750 - Feb. 10, 1810, and Margaret Palmyra Snowden Wharton, 1752-1791, and William’s father was Thomas B. Maddux, who was born in Somerset, MD, in 1720, and died in Fauquier, VA, in 1783. His mother was Margaret Scholfield. And this appears to be where cousins married cousins, as Thomas B.’s father was Thomas Maddux, and his mother was Mary Bell, as you will see in the following paragraph.

Peter Sr.’s parents were Thomas Benton Maddux, 1740-1801, born in Somerset, MD, and died in Virginia, and Magdalen Boggess, 1743-1804, born in Virginia and died

in either Ohio or Kentucky. Thomas’ father was also Thomas, 1679-1735, and his mother was Mary Bell, 1662-1736.

The story is told that Thomas, the elder (although there may still be another Thomas...and my local friend Joe Maddux is a Thomas), is listed among the trustees of Washington Academy, which was first known as Somerset Academy. The Academy was formed in 1767 by a promi-nent planter and lawyer Samuel Wilson. Recognized as a rare type of institution for the region, the Academy was for-mally incorporated by trustees in 1779. The building on Back Creek was sufficient for the comfortable accommoda-tion of 80 students. In 1779 the Academy name was changed to Washington Academy to honor George Washington.

Here is the will for this Thomas. “Will of Thomas Maddux (b: 1684 d: 1736), from the Maryland Calendar of Wills, will made March 3, 1735, proved April 20, 1736. Wife Mary and children Bell (or Sell or Bill), Alexander, Thomas Margaret, and Sarah. Wills of Anapolis, Maryland. Liber. 21, page 475, 596. Per Book `Nathaniel Maddux & Descendents`, pg 247 Shows children of Thomas Maddux and Margaret Tombly: Ester (Sally or Sarah) Maddux


Chasing Our TalesBy Sue Seibert

April 2013 • NORTH TEXAS STAR STORYTELLER & RAMBLER • Page 15continued from page 14

Fanny Maddux (Garrison) Darkes Maddux (Jones) Thomas Maddux 3rd (Pvt Rev. War) b: 1755 d: 1811 VA m- Sarah Harrison Lazarus Maddux Matthew Maddux d: bef 1830 TN m- Eve --- Scolfield Maddux d: 1-30-1812 m- Susannah William Maddux b: 1750 Prince Wm. Co. VA d: 2-10-1810 m- Peggy Snoden Wharton - 2nd m. Hanna h Mount Nathaniel Maddux m- Ann Tennison 3-9--1786 Fauquier Co. VA Will of Thomas Maddux (b:1720 d: 1782) Will probated 15 October 1782 (Wills of Fauquier Co., VA 1759-1800, pg 23). Wife Margaret al l personal estate and tract of land in Prince William Co, VA, 260 acres. Devisees: Ester, Sally, Fanny, Darkes; Sons: Thomas, Matthew, Lazarus, William, Scolfield, a nd Nathaniel. One shilling to each of his sons. Per Book 1500 Maddox Marriages: Thomas` wife was Margaret Schoolfield.”

The Maddux family members who were buried in Ballew Springs include, Alson S., 1981-1970; Bessie D., 1894-1974; Bessie M., 1907-1907; Bret Rheudell, 1985-2012; Cassaundra Jeanea, 1992-1993; Clarence Monroe, 1914-2000; Elizabeth Hughes Maddux, 1881-1965; Franklin Thomas, 1876-1958; J. C., 1846-1920; J. C., 1909-1909; James, 1905-1939; J. L., 1869-

1949; Joncie C., 1888-1970; Joncie Crawford, 1906-1987; Jonice Crawford, 1888-1970; Leila Isbell, 1906-1990; Martha Elizabeth, 1881-1965; Mary, 1879- 1959; Nancy L. 1851-1930; Reba Rebecca, 1908-1985; Thomas Franklin, 1904-1969;and William Acy, 1911-1981.

Parker County is the home of quite a few of the various Maddux family, including the towns of Millsap, Poolville,

and Brock, as well as Ballew Springs.

The etymology of the surname Maddux is quite interesting. It is Welsh and is derived from the early Welsh personal name Madoc. This was also written as Madawc and Madog, and it has the meaning of “goodly.”

Although there are not an extremely large num-ber of Welsh surnames, there are an inordinately larger number of spell-ing variations of those surnames. This variety

of spellings began almost immediately after the acceptance of surnames within Welsh society. As time progressed, these old Brythonic names were eventual-ly recorded in English. This process was problematic in that many of the highly inflected sounds of the native lan-guage of Wales could not be properly captured in English. Some families, however, did decide to modify their own

names to indicate a branch loyalty within the family, a reli-gious adherence, or even a patriotic affiliation. The Maddux name has seen various spellings including Maddox, Maddix, Maddick, Mattick, Matticks, Mattix, Maddock, Maddockes, Maddocks, Madocks, Madox, Madoch, and Mattock along with many more.

The Welsh migration to North America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries contributed greatly to its rapid development. These migrants were in search of land, work, and freedom. Those Welsh families who survived the long ocean journey were critical to the development of new industries and factories, and to the quick settlement of land. They also added to an ever-growing rich cultural heritage. A search of the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Maddux including Henry Maddock who settled in Delaware in 1682, John Maddock who settled in Philadelphia in 1686, John Maddock who settled in New Jersey in 1654, and Henry Maddocks who settled in Maine in 1630.

There are several noteworthy people with the surname Maddux. They include Gregory Alan “Greg” Maddux, a former major league baseball pitcher and the first pitcher in major league history to win the Cy Young Award four consecutive years; Jared Maddux, the Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee from 1953-1959 and 1965-1967; Roger Maddux an American mathematician; Michael Ausley Maddux a former American League baseball pitcher and coach; and Jon Maddux, an American singer/songwriter, entrepreneur, and CEO of You Walk Away.

The states with the largest populations of Maddux are Texas, California, Missouri, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio and Virginia.


Maddux


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APlace in TimeAPRIL 3, 1913

Palo Pinto County pioneer/rancher Jere Benjamin Hart dies at his ranch house. He is buried in Brad Cemetery in the western part of the county.

APRIL 5, 1941Brig. Gen. William H. Simpson assumes command at Camp Wolt-ers. Simpson was a Weatherford native born May 18, 1888. He served in both world wars. He left Camp Wolters Oct. 14, 1941.

APRIL 26, 1858Golconda disappears from the record and the county seat of Palo Pinto County becomes known as Palo Pinto.

APRIL 27, 1957First class of the U.S. Army Primary Helicopter School in Mineral Wells graduates.

continued from page 15 Interestingly, when I was in Fort Worth sometime back to

attend a Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) birthday celebration for George Washington, I met a woman named Linda Maddux. So far as she knows, her husband is not related to our local Maddux family, but one can never tell!

Another interesting DAR thing I discovered is that the only Maddux patriots listed, so far, on the DAR ancestral rolls all spelled their name Maddox. They are as follows, Caleb Maddox, a seaman from Massachusetts; Hezekiah Maddox, a soldier from Maryland; Ignatius Maddox, a pri-vate from Maryland; James Maddox from Maryland who gave patriotic service; James Maddox from Virginia who gave patriotic service; John Maddox from Maryland who

gave patriotic service; John Maddox, a private from Georgia; John Maddox, a private from Maryland; John Maddox, a private from Virginia; Joshua Maddox, a private from Massachusetts; Matthew Maddox, a private from Virginia; Michael Maddox, a private from South Carolina; Nathan Maddox, a private from Maryland; Notley Maddox, a soldier from Virginia; Notley Maddox, a private from Maryland; Notley Maddox Jr. from Maryland who gave patriotic service; Notley Maddox Sr. from Maryland who gave patriotic service; Notley Warren Maddox Jr. who was a sergeant from Virginia; Rhody Maddox, a private from Maryland; Richard Maddox, a private from Pennsylvania; Robert Maddox from New Jersey who gave patriotic ser-vice; Samuel Maddox, a soldier from Georgia; Samuel Maddox a private from Massachusetts; Samuel Maddox,

from Maryland who gave patriotic service; Samuel Maddox Jr., a private from Vermont; Samuel Maddox Sr., a captain from Connecticut and Vermont; Sherwood Maddox, a pri-vate from Virginia; Thomas Maddox from Virginia who gave patriotic service; Thomas Maddox, a private from Virginia; Valentine Maddox, from Virginia who gave patri-otic service; William Maddox a captain from Pennsylvania; William Maddox, a sergeant from Virginia; William Maddox from Virginia who gave patriotic service; and, finally, Wilson Maddox, a private from Virginia.

The Maddox/Maddux family, as you can see, gave of themselves in the course of the American Revolution as they fought for freedom from England. You will note in Thomas’ will that some of those patriots are listed. What a wonderful legacy from the Maddux family! • •


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