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011KLORE-wHITE PIONEER,
Miss Effie Cowan,P.W.
MbIsennan County, Texas,
"istrict 86
REFERENCE.
ff Interview with Mr George W.Storey, Lott, Texas.
NO OP WORDS
File NO. 240.
Page NO. )2..
I was born at the old 6torey home.plawe near 1)odson Wells,exas in
1858.My parents Mr and Mrs George W.8torey came from Alabama in 1851,
settling first in Freestone county, Texas, then moving to a farm near
Dodson Wells in 1855 This was not far from the village of Ittrango and
the present town of Lott, Texas. When my father arrived Lie bought land
near bodson Wells in the valley,and timber,., in preference to land on
the prarie at fifty cents an acre. tie paid three dollars an sore for the
valley land. At that time it was thought the prairie land was only good
for stook and grazing purposes.
,,!;i4y father transacted his basines n the early days -:/sometimes at Dur,m-
ango, the nearest place, sometimes at Calvert and as far south as Millicau
Tbis was the terminal of the railroad tOgh, before it was built to Marlin
and Waco. Then after the railroad reached Marli!2we transacted most of oar
business there with the late "Aarxleevy. Father was buying land and paying
for it and often went over to Marlin in the late fall or early spring
and made arrangements with Air Levy for credit to ran the farm and house
hold until fall. When the crops were harvested Mr l'evy was paid from
,the produce.
"Father was a blacksmith as well as\farmer ehor many years he operated.
CArk".1,041W1u4A/04,0/4.0-7r-4,
his shop at Durango,M001711 Re became famous throughout the section
for making fine farm tools wagons, etc. Me was a confederate veteran
serving in Company A, Thirtieth Texas Regiment, which was eammanded by
FOLKLORE -WHITE PIONEER,
Miss Efts Cowan,P.W.
McLennan County, Texas,
District 8.
Col.:J.Gurley. After the war was over they were neighbors in Falls
cou#ty. Col. Garley owned and worked farms near the present town o °atin
,be first station on th schlweetwhen it came through) was named Gurley
for Colonel G'arley. f*I.e.wee-441,0 San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad.
File NO. 240.
Page NO. 2.
"In 1906 I moved to the town of Lott)Texas where I still reside. I paid
$200.00 an acre near Lott for the very land which my father: turned down
when he came to -Fallsaoanty,for fifty cents an acre. I have lived here
and reared my family,1* wife,./tssed away in d9360.to,whom I was married
411_1881i Bat I will try to -give you a little of the history of the town
of Lott which has been my home since I moved here in 1906.
Lott is situated in Western Falls County 12 miles west of Marlin, it
came into existence with the coming of the San Antonio and Aransas Pass
Aailroad. The records show that the first meeting of city officials was
on 1)epember 15th, 1890i with A.B.Remphill as mayor, and A.L.Batobee E.C.
Gordon T.J.rergliecin J.E.Jordan and T.3.Glass as alderman. L.A.Fargason
was city -marshal_and ;.A.Parrer was secretary,treasaser.
;be town was named for Uriab 1Jott, a civil engineer and builder who
bad mach to do with the building of the railroad and its completion.
According to my memory, quite a lot of difficulties were encountered
when the railroad was under construction its purpose being to connect
oact) with San Antonio and the Gulf Boast For, several months a gap in the
road from Lott to CaMeron was left anclosed.The treable being financial
requirements It was at this time that mr Lott stepped in and worked I
not only to lonOtract the road bat to see that finances were available.
He made trips to Ilew York to secure funds for investment and finally was
successful.
FOLKLORE0-WHITE PIONBER,
Miss Effie Cowan,mP.W.
Mnennan 'aunty, 4'exas,
District 8.
Vd 2g.o.
age.
District uourt records of Falls county also ishow the follow
it* took place regarding the right of way. When the surveyors reached
Cameron from the south, a certain land owner refused to sell the right
of way. The engineers and railroad authorities relying on the rights
as given in the constitution regarding tkights of ways or construction
on behalf of general public welfare,"went right ahead throwing up the
right of way on the land in question.
"The district judge at the demand of the ownek.41 of the land -granted
an injunction with a view to stopping the engineers from "tresspassing".
The attorneys an,-4khe--trtter-imind--lor the railroad came into Falls county
court of which the late Judge Goodrich was jadgs)laid the facts before
him and he dissolved the injunction and the railroad officials continue&
to operate* it this development in the issue the Milam county judge
contended that the injunction which he had granted was just and valid, be
ordered the arwest of the sheriff of Falls county, the late John Ward,
for contempt of court for intereferting with his orders to enforce the
Injunction.
"At tht same tide J,adge G'oodrich of Marlin ruled that the sheriff of
Milam county, ilCis efforts to enforce the injanction)wacinterilerring
with the "due course of law" and guilty of contempt of °cart. Hence this
4A/4.4.V-J
situation arose, each sheriff was ordered, 4o arrest other for contempt
of court. It was said they did this and -often afterwards amused themselves
and others by relating the incident. The tangle was finally ironed oat
and the gap in the railroad closed, bat it delayed the completion for
two years*
FOLKLOREHWHITE PIONEER,
Miss Effie Cowan,,,W.
McLennan vounty, Texas,
District 8.
File NO. 240
Page NO. 4.
"Daring those two years the trains ran from Waco to Lott, (making
Lott a sort of terminal), and returned; whiae trains ran from points t
south to Cameron and returned. triah Lott was untiring in his efforts
in 1892,
to connect the road and when it was finally coftletedApaturally Ow town
was named for him.
natural that being a railroad town this brought people from the surroun-
ding communities he advantages the railroad had to offer in those
Crude as were the first days of the town it is
days. In they came from the communities which the railroad had passed by.
These communities Buggered from the exit to the railroad townshese
smaller communities were Durango, Rupee, °arolina, Morreville and the less
thickly populated areas, such as Landrum on the east and Cego and Hlevins
'6"
)Da
on the west. Bspecially did rango feel the effects of. oadAr
Gami-ag and it lost its standing as being one of the foremost communities
due to the loss of many of its citizens.
"The nearest community which
of the iron horse was old Rupee
to 1890. This place was located
of Lott near 2ona Creek. There
was completely wiped out by the coming
which was an active community from 1886
about two miles south of the present town
was a post office there. Dr A.F.Belo,
Dr H.E.Whatley and 1)r Stone were the physicians r Belo had a store.
°ther of this communit4s citizens were the Lebmans, parents of the Leh
mane of Rosebud, Val oore family the E.J.Daffin family James Hodges
George Hodges family and T.F.Glass who married Miss Alice Hodges, daughter
fo G.A.Hodges.Also the Killens, the L.A.Me Creary family and others. These
elAJ
families moved to Lott, Travis, Rosebud and Chilton, towns ethe railroad.
FOLKIOnr-WHITE PION352,
Mips Effie 0owantr.W.
Wennan County, aexas.
District 8.
Some of these early families
Pile O. 240.
Page NO, 5.
passed completly from Falls
count,
Dr ele) (Brother of A.R.Belo of Dallas of Dallas news fame) moved back
to his old home in Alabama where he passed away several years later.
It is difficult to name
all the first families who came to this new town
of the nineties because there were so many. Lott sprang
and in almost three years the coming of the railroad
Zt-44-k447-4h7;
one of Falls cotuitiVe•rpame&t—talsna.. So the town e-ecame a
A
center on the west of the 15razos for a radius of the area
up quickly
it became
commercial
round about.
Among the most outstanding men wfo helped to build the town is R.W.
King, who still lives in Lott.He too, was on the groand'when the railroad.
was completed and the first through trains came tbro5 town He was the
foreman of the construction company that finished the gap between Lott
and Cameron. Hs also as in charge of the construction of the station
boase.)(For awhile he roomed with the depot agent in the station house
when it was coinfeted and the rail road agent took charge as there
were robberies in those days of the depot agents money.
"Mr King was also in chuAge of building the Atation house at Chilton, and.
it is worthy of note that many buildings stand today in the townof Lott
and Chilton, as reminders of Mk Kings working days when he worked at the
trade of building contractor. e built the present building of the Caro-
lina Masonic Lodge, several of the business houses, the Baptist church,
the Aethodist church, the old Church of Christ building, the old two-story
wood building which gave way in 1904 to the newer structure to be replaced.
In 1935 by the present modern building*
)frtz--vZL
AA4--efret
Pile #0. 240.
Page NO. 6.
FOLKOORM- White 2ioneer, t
4ills Effifk Cowan, P.W.
Momennan ''Ounty, Texas t
"istriot 8. 1., Atbik, Y‘r
Another pioneer man whose early days were spent at old Rupee nor
A 4a-ext4.4J,4,
to 1890 after which he moved -to the Lott dommunitye 7
atpractio medicine
-441=the=irawrr-now.ile reoollects riding one of the early passeng trains
from Lott to Waci)on the first day of March 1890. /t was before the Lott
Cameron. gap was closet. He has good reason remembering -this train
trip for he rode of to Waco V° get a liscense to marry Miss Cora 3cott
av-li ).•---vv7'-' 44-"r‘o="
of Traviso4not far from where be lived at old twee*, ~0' there was no
Travis then Since the railroad had only been built throl the country where
later the railroad made the.staion of '-q.avis. Miss Cora Scott was the
daughter of "drandmelottorbeApassed away in 1938jonly a few months
before she would have become a centenarian, andrAsister of the late Judge
t
Sam Scott of Waco, Texas.
litother-interestinggexperience in the early train riding days was
related by the late Ars40ordon Gaither of Chilton. She related that while
teaching at Datatigo, she bad occasion to go to Waco and the trains had
just began running between Lott and that city. When we reached Lott
It was a new place and a new name the only station was a shack in
the middle of the road, before the depot was bail*. othing but working
men were there, who looked rough and not so inviting to a lone young
woman expecting to ride through the blank prairie and dense woods around
Gurley. But railroads were supposed to be safe so, away I went and tat
the time of my life After we bad ridden about an hour some one called
"Chilton Chilton" and I looked out to see more mesquite bushes':
FOLKLORB-WRITR PIONMR,
Miss Effie Oowan,P.W.
ennan County, Texas,
Diatrict 8.
Pile NO. 240.
Page NO. 7.
Progressive citizens in the early days of l'ott formed a stock company
and built and operategill a flour mill in Lott. This was aboat the year 1896.
Uetatot-r-i
The directors were A.PNalson,,J.R.anglish, Dr Gordon, C.L.Trice and A.Patd.
tan. Mr l'oalson tells the story of how he and lir Patton were shbednled
to go to etp alia and sell stock in the mill and how it turned out to be
a record -breaking cold day that Febuary of 1896. It was one of the few
times the temperature went far below freezing and approached iiro. He
re4a;ted how when be reached home and took off his overcoat the rain and
moisture had frozen on it and when he stood it on the floor it stood there
like a scarecrow.
As the years roll by. It is sometimes difficult to be positive wtto were
proprietors of the first retail stores. Henry teward, now living at 16016
perhaps first conducted one of the first retail stores in Lott.J.H.Ehglisk
also bad a store and 2oalson Brothers opened a saddle andlarness shop
in Jane 1891. Other facts compiled from the records show that J.O.Calvert
had the first eating place located in a tent. Peter Norman had the first
cafe. J.R.Strange owned the first dry goods and grocery store. S.J.Crump
ctZ't.f-o-tZ
bad the first drag store. ae was also 11,441-diT;st postmaster. D.T.Williawb
-son had the first barber shop. Threadgill and Barnett was the first imp--
lement company. Chas.L. Trice the first hardware store. Southwell and
Warwick bad the first livery stable.
"Other business houses nambeed mon the first were Mr Hill of 4aco,Zuk0.--
published Ile416v4first newspaper. Lott water works was first constructed
by donations and stook from Lott citizens. Mrs A.G.Minter operated the firdt
hotel.
FOLKLORB-WHITE PIOMM*4
Wigs Effie Cowana.W0
Nemennan County, 4exas,
'istrict 8.
tile NO. 240.
Page M. 8.
The first bank established in Lott was in 1897, located temporarily
in Ligoa Drug Store. J.R.Southwell opened the first market in Lott.
school began in 1890 with Miss Annie Pearsall and Miss Addle Pearsall
as teachers. E.R.Gwyn and 4rs Rolla teberts were among the first students.
GC
The Lott Baptist Church was organized in May of 1890xaccording to the
minutes of the church the folllewing enrolled as members, Mr D.J.Barnes
of Durango, M.L.Moore of Little seer breek. atealftsM.L.Hamilton and
Lula "orville of tittle Deer creek, George &Hale of Elporado °buret,
Addle itergason of Popular
James and A.Calvert of Chilton, and
Springs @tarot.
here was a general merchandise store operated by W.D.Lancaster tic
confederate veteran and charter member of the 'old tettlers and Confed-
erate Veterans association. This organization was organized at tott
on July 4th, 1908, according to the minute's of the association Its
trio -1
charter members included many of -6Trtim active citizensoof that day.
All of these charter members have passed on except T.G.Peters, who still
lives at Lott and l'orrest Gaither who lived at 4'hilton at the time but
nowlives in Waco.
"The popole of Lott were known in all parts of the county for their
activities in politics and social gatherings. It was the home of manypitt,
111-1Aairlit-trcmmlivre old settlers and Confederate ve eranlf and manual
meetings were head. Ttese meetings were the forera*ner of the 'Old
Settlers and Confederate Veterans Association of Falls County", now
meeting annually at the reunion grounds at Tomilson Hill.
FOLKLORE-I/RITE PIONEER,
Miss Effi, Cowan4P401.
MoLennan wimity, Texas,
District 8.
File 46. 240
Page NO. 9.
*In the year 1892 the Masonic Lodge wasilogid at gii. This
Lodge
(NO. 330) was organised at Carolina in tbe-rourer--1,TO. This Lodge er
ganised and began its meetings in the apper story of a building which
was also need as a 2resbyiterian arca and sdhoolhoase. Some of the
charter members and early members were, Robert Morris Key, to whom the
dispensation of uarolina ledge was delivered until the meeting of the
next (hand Bodge which gave this lodge its, charter. Robett Morris Key
was the first Master of the ledge; J.DAriest Senior Warden: and A.G.
Mitchell, Janior Warden. Other early members were Geo. W.Storey, James
&Ball, Andrew Jaffin, D.M.Oarrie, W.T.Wiggin, J.J.Rogers, J.A.Gardner,
James lordan and others.'
"This lodge foand most of its members in 1886-87 living in the communitid-
of Rupee,' Texas, (now known as the Live Oak community), where Dr Bobo bat
a store. Bo it was then 'moved from Qarolina to Rapee. Other members at
this time were A.F.Bele,M.A.Nayes,P.P.Rodges, Mi. Priest and others. In
the year that the town of Lott began 2many of its members moved to Lott,
and as the town grew there were many members from Durango and they all
decided to MOTO the Lodge,to liott in 1892. Bat to this day it is known
as Carolina Lodge 10.330. A.F.32 A.M.
,P.11)
*This lodge has in its keeping some very old relicsAgtflii-it prizes very
highly, oonaicingf1one piece of station farnitare aged by the Masters
0.1.4A -13,4A4,0114.,
of the early arenas. Lodgyeveral old homemade rawhide.bottom chairs,
ky`oots)
a long tin born which the early members aged. to call the assembly together
444i
Daring the month of uotober 1938 this bron was aged in the old way. Also
FOLIELORE-WRIT PIONEER,
lies ffie Oowaa,Pay,
Iollennanc County, Texas,
Distritt 8.
File No. 240.
Page NO. 18.
inthe keeping of this lodge are two old kerosene lamps AdMi aged in
the days of its first meetings. This lodge also has a first minute book
which records the early transactions and names of its members.
The Aketch would not be complete without mention of the progress in
the schools in Lott from a little oni—teacher school to the present Kle..
mentary and High school faculty of fiteen teachers and a negro school
with three teachers. The district now has an area of 22* samara miles
and property valuation if $773.000. There are levies of 50i on the $100
valuation for bonds and mainten'nce.
"Tb? people of Lott in the early days had to use water from wells, this
inconvenience sparred the demand for adequate water -works and in 1892
the city gave forty acres of laa14pon which to construct lakes provided
some reliable firm would develop it and establish a public water works
system. The citizens met the requirements and a stock company was formed)
stock was soli to provide funds. Th first director:1s were Dr C.O.Gordon
G.R.Threadgill, John Knox A.Poalson, C.L.Triee, and J.R. English.
*The lake was constructed between the hills north and east of town 8
steam pump plant was installed, mains werelYa-- and a wooden eater tank
was built where the steel tank stands today. Lott bad water. About the
time the new water works were
bought the stock and operated
A erguson who in tarn sold it
until it was purchased by the
ready to go into operation4r Threadgill
the system for awhile selling it to Tom
to the late T.F.Glass. Mr G1asE managed it
city and operated as a public utility.