Forestburg Historical Society

The Forestburg Historical Society will be hosting a pancake breakfast on Saturday, March 10, 2012.  It will be held at the Community Center from 7am – 11am.  The proceeds from this all you can eat breakfast go toward further development of the Forestburg Historical Museum.  Adult tickets are $6, children $3, under 2 years of age are free.

This is for a great cause, come on out and show your support.

The Montague County Courthouse

From the earliest days of statehood, Texas county courthouses were often damaged or destroyed.  The main cause of destruction was usually fire, although sever weather often took a toll on these architectural beauties as well.  Cooke County’s first courthouse, a small log structure was leveled by a bull.  The nosy bovine found his way into the building leaving nothing but  topple logs and a trampled mess in his wake.  Montague County’s courthouse did not escape the courthouse curse.  disaster struck the county seat on more than one occasion.

The Montague County Courthouse as it stands today.

The first courthouse was a log building that was erected shortly after the county formed in 1858.  It was used until the end of the War Between the States.  This structure may have met a fiery doom, but there are no remaining records that resolutely prove what became of the first courthouse.

Montague County's second courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1873. Photo courtesy of the Montague County Historical Commission

A second courthouse was a frame structure that succumbed to fire in February of 1873.  During the time between the fire and the construction of the third courthouse, the county found temporary accommodations in which to conduct business,  They first rented a house from D S Hagler,  later, they purchased the Covington Saloon and converted it into a working courthouse.

Montague County's thrid courthouse, the first to sport a domed top. Photo courtesy of the Montague County Historical Commission.

By 1879, an impressive two story domed, native sandstone structure graced the county square.  The stately building met its demise at the hands of arsonists in March of 1884.  Three men, William and Frank Clark and Landy Howell doused the building with coal oil and struck the match that caused the irreplaceable loss of everything that was not stored in the vaults.  The arsonists were apprehended and placed in the Montague County jail.  Notations in the jail log books indicate that a mob broke the Clarks, Howell and eight or nine other prisoners out of jail.  They were eventually recaptured.  Due to the outrage in the county, their trials received a change of venue to Cooke County.  Howell,s case was dismissed, the Clark brothers each received a sentence of 10 years.

The fourth courthouse came close to not being built in Montague.  After the courthouse was destroyed in 1884, the citizens of Bowie tried to have the county seat transferred to Bowie from Montague.  The results of the poll were in Bowie’s favor, but did not meet the 2/3 majority required by law.

Montague County’s fourth courthouse. Photo courtesy of the Montague County Historical Commission

This courthouse was also built from native stone and sported a beautiful domed clock tower.  While this courthouse did not meet a fiery death, it was no match for Mother Nature.  On July 5, 1905, a tornado ripped through norther and central portions of Montague COunty.  The deadly storm claimed sixteen lives and leveled several churches and homes.  The clock tower was damaged beyond repair and was removed.  In April of 1912 another storm struck the courthouse tearing off large sections of the roof and breaking out several windows.

At this point the county commissioners deemed the county in need of a new courthouse.  In order to dodge another war for the county seat they took quick action.  The old courthouse was demolished and construction began on the new one during the spring of 1912, just weeks after the debilitating storm.

The last courthouse built in Montague County. Still in use today. This photo shows the building before the dome was removed. Photo courtesy of the Montague County Historical Commission,

This building is still in use today.  The grand structure originally had a dome.  The dome suffered structural damage in a storm in 1939 and was removed.

Today a grassroots campaign is in the works to raise the funds needed to replace the dome.  If anyone is interested in helping with this effort,  please contact me for more information.

A few other fun facts about the courthouse:

The fourth floor held the county jail until the new jail was erected in 1927.  The Masonic Lodge met in the vacated jail for a time.

During the 1930s and 1940s, Dr Ernest Johnson housed his doctor’s office in the basement of the courthouse.

At least one baby is known to have been born in the courthouse.

Ringgold 1907 “In The News”

The following article is from the December 11, 1907 edition of the Fort Worth Star Telegram

RINGGOLD

The Ringgold State Bank’s report shows a very healthy growth in receipts and a very liberal patronage.

The new Methodist church, now under construction, is looming up.  Ringgold will soon have one of the nicest churches in North Texas.

The city has received 1400 bales of cotton this season, which has been far ahead of what was expected.  It was thought that 1000 bales would go against 1800 of last year.

W E Witt, a prominent farmer, living a few miles west of Ringgold has moved his family to Ringgold for the winter to take advantage of the schools.

The Ringgold high school’s first term has been a decided success and will end next Friday evening with a big entertainment.

On account of the large attendance at school the trustees have elected another teacher to help in the primary department.  Miss Beulah Hawthorne of Seago, Texas has accepted the position.

Forestburg’s Timid Ghost

In the summer of 1877, a Forestburg farmer related a most unusual sight.  Everyday around noon, he noticed a woman meandering across a nearby pasture.  She took the same route each day, walking diagonally across the field and into a thicket.  If he ignored her, she quietly and leisurely made her daily journey.  If he walked in her direction, she would scurry into the thicket.  After seeing her for several days, he decided perhaps she was a wild woman and called for  reinforcements to investigate.  The next day he rounded up his buddies, they strategically lined up around the perimeter of the pasture.  When the woman made her appearance, they all approached towards her, surrounding her on all sides.  She rushed into the thicket.  The curious searchers continued their advance, circling closer and closer to the thicket.  They  entered the thicket and searched every nook and crannie, but found no sight of the mysterious woman.

The next day, the noonday sun arose, and the woman made her daily stroll.

Hog Cholera at Belcherville “In the News”

The following article is from the Dallas Morning News, December 1898.

Hog Cholera at Belcherville
Belcherville, Montague Co, Texas, Dec 3 – There has been considerable hog cholera near here this fall and winter. This is the first visit of this plague for many years in this vicinity, but it is getting less severe in the death rate and will probably abate entirely very soon.

Stonewall Saloon

Stonewall Saloon Museum. Photo Courtesy of the Stonewall Saloon Museum

The Stonewall Saloon was built in 1873 by Saint Jo founder Irby Boggess.  It was the first permanent structure erected in the town.  It stands on the northwest corner of the town square.  It originally functioned as a saloon, and probably a supply house, to meet the needs of the cowboys traveling the Chisholm Trail, with the saloon downstairs and rooms above.

It continued as a saloon until the county voted dry.  In 1902, the building was being used as a restaurant.  In 1906, Mr Wiley purchased the building and converted into the Citizens Bank.  He added a vault and modernized the front facade of the building with a large picture window.

By the end of the depression, the town was no longer able to support two banks and the owner of competing bank, H D Fields, purchased and dissolved the Citizens Bank.  For the next few years the old saloon building was used for various commercial enterprises including a doctor’s office upstairs and a real estate business.  It was the head quarters of the Kenerey Brothers Oil Business until the late 1950s.

In preparation for the county centennial in 1958, under the hand of H D Fields, the building underwent a major restoration and it opened as the Stonewall Saloon Museum.  A large ornate mirrored back bar was purchased and hauled in from Floresville, Texas.  Swinging doors were added that sported area rancher’s and farmer’s brands.  Families donated items to be displayed in the new museum.  It became a major tourist attraction for the small town.  Stucco was applied to the exterior of the building at some point in the mid 1960s.  During its years as a museum Lewis Lauderdale, Leslie Hendricks, Boyd Whitson and Sue Yetter served as the curator.  All but Mrs Yetter, during their tenure, lived in a back room of the saloon.

Times changed and interest waned, and the museum closed for a number of years.  But was brought back to life in 1996 when it was purchased by Johnny and Rita Mueller.  They purchased the building and contents and remodeled the interior of the building to resemble an old timey western saloon and reopened the building  on weekends and special occasions as a museum.  They were forced to close when the northwest exterior wall collapsed.  The wall was repaired, but the family did not reopen the museum.

In 2011, a group of historically minded citizens banded together and purchased the building.  Their goal was to preserve the historic landmark building and to tell its story.  Not only its story as a saloon, but in all of its capacities, the saloon, the bank, and the museum.  Each chapter in the old building’s life touched the residents of Saint Jo and surrounding communities, each chapter has a story to tell.

Photo courtesy of the Stonewall Saloon Museum

While restoring the old building,  surprises were found at every turn.  Including corn cobs chinked in the wall as insulation and a .44 caliber shell under the floor.  But the most amazing discovery was the remnants of a 1870s German folk art mural on the wall behind the bar.  A portion of which is preserved in its original state for visitors to see.  A local artist, Joel Hale, recreated the mural in close proximity to where it was originally painted.

The caretakers of this historic relic are taking great pains to correctly preserve the old building.  They used historically correct mortar on the interior rock wall.  The original ceiling is still intact.  They lovingly removed the old, weathered, branded swinging doors in order to preserve them for a future display.

Saving the building itself was the first concern,  but soon they will begin the process of sorting through the contents that were carefully packed when restoration began, to see what items, donated so long ago, are still available for display.

The museum is currently opened to the public on Saturdays from 10am to 4pm and on Sundays from 1pm to 4pm.  Make plans to come see the old saloon, it is worth the trip.  The Boggess Volunteers are on duty and love to share the history of the Stonewall and Saint Jo.

Storm in Illinois Bend Scatters Jars of Fruit Over North Part of County “In the News”

I thought it might be interesting to add some old articles from the newspaper pertaining to Montague County.  These are quick and easy and don’t take the research time that the regular posts do, but it will be something to hold us over throughout the week.  They will be designated as “In the News”

28 March 1916 – Dallas Morning News

House Blown Away

Storm in Illinois Bend Scatters Jars of Fruit Over North Part County

Special to The News.  Gainesville, Texas, March 27 – News was received here today that a tornado swept through Illinois Bend, in this county, near the Oklahoma line, Friday night and did several thousand dollars damage.  Several homes and outhouses were blown away and two or three families were left entirely destitute.  The large Vaughn home there was blown away with contents, but the family escaped by taking refuge in a storm cellar.  One house that was destroyed contained 300 jars of fruit and these were scattered all over that section, some being carried into Oklahoma.  No loss of life reported.

Forestburg Bank Robbery of 1931

George Wylie, served as the First State Bank of Forestburg president. Photo courtesy of the Forestburg Historical Society

Bank robberies reached an all time high during the 1930s.  Gangsters such as Bonnie and Clyde, Machine Gun Kelly and Al Capone were household names across the nation.  But many lesser known men and women turned to a life a crime during this time as well.  The very difficult times of the economic depression of the 30s probably played a part in these well publicized crime sprees.  Desperate times called for desperate measures for some.  The big cities were not the only targets of the gun packing crews.  Rural areas were at risk as well.

Current picture of the First State Bank of Forestburg. Photo courtesy of the Forestburg Historical Society.

The bank was organized in 1917.  One of the first presidents was a gentleman named George Wylie.  As far as records show it served the community well without any problems until a cold winter day in 1931.

On 20 February 1931 business was being conducted as usual at the small town bank.  Bookkeeper Pryor McGee and Cashier E B Neeley were performing their day-to-day banking duties.  Customers came and went.  Locals A M (Marvin) Dunn and Barney Brogdon were both inside the bank on that Friday afternoon when the criminal element, so prevalent during this time, touched the small, peaceful town of Forestburg.

Siblings Barney and Ova Brogdon. Photo courtesy of the Forestburg Historical Society.

Brogdon’s sister, Ova, opted to wait for her brother in the car parked in front of the bank.  Two armed, unmasked men entered the bank.  The bandits were later described as “being between 25 and 30 of medium build and wearing striped unionalls.”  One gunman lined the occupants up against the wall at gun point while the other loaded their bags with the cash.  Then the robbers forced Neeley, McGee, Brogdon and Dunn into the vault and locked them in as they made their escape with $2952.28 from the bank’s coffers.

When  the crime was discovered, the authorities asked Ova, who was still waiting in the car, if she thought it was unusual that her brother had not come out of the bank in a timely manner.  She responded that she didn’t think much of it at the time, but did state she found it odd when two men ran by with guns and carrying bags.

In May, Frank Britton was arrested in Wichita Falls for the robbery.  Britton implicated his partner and crime, Lee B Lovell.   Both men were brought to Montague County for trial.  Britton received 35 years for the crime, Lovell received 7-10 years.  Britton also received an additional twenty years for the bank robberies in Boyd and Loving.

The bank had been privately insured and all but $700 of the stolen loot was recovered.  This however, was not enough to save the bank when the bank examiner visited after the robbery.  It was appalled to find that there were no paved roads leading in or out of Forestburg, that there was no police presence in town and they it was served by only one phone line.  He was amazed that his firm was insuring such a high risk investment.  The First State Bank of Forestburg was eventually forced to merge with the bank in Saint Jo.

The bank building is still proudly standing in Forestburg today.  It is the meeting place of the Forestburg Historical Society and a museum.  The historical society meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 7pm for those who have an interest in Forestburg and Montague county history.   Currently the museum is open during the Watermelon Festival and by appointment.

All Trails Lead to Montague County

Well, perhaps not all trails lead to Montague County, but throughout history several have laid tracks through this area.  Each marking and shaping what Montague County would eventually become.  In 1882, the railroad laid the first tracks in Montague County.  Between 1867 and 1884 several hundred thousand longhorns passed through Montague County as the Chisholm Trail funneled across the Red River.  The Butterfield Overland Mail Route crossed the corner of the county on its short-lived existence between 1848-1869.  Even before that Marcy’s California Trail of 1849 (which Highway 82 follows today in several instances)  and the Texas Santa Fe Exposition in 1841 trekked across Montague County.  The earliest organized trail that traversed our county was the one laid out by the Chihuahua Trade Expedition

In 1839 and 1840, the Chihuahua Trading Expedition wound its way back to Mexico through Montague County.  The expeditions purpose was to open trade between Mexico and the United States via a less circular trail than the established trial through St Louis, Santa Fe and El Paso.  It was organized by Henry Connelly.  Connelly was a physician hailing from Missouri and a prominent merchant in Chihuahua.  The group consisted of Connelly and a party of 150 men.  With a bankroll of between 200,000 and 300,000 specie, the party left Chihuahua on 2 April 1839.  They traveled northeast to the Rio Grande, on to the headwaters of the Colorado and Brazos rivers.  They accidentally followed the Canadian River, thinking it was the Red River, for some distance, but eventually found their bearings and followed the Mighty Red downriver.  They crossed into Indian Territory at the mouth of the Wichita.  With the guidance of a Delaware Indian band, the party arrived at Fort Towson.

Fort Towson was a frontier military outpost for the Frontier Amy Quartermaster.  It was located approximately two miles northeast of the present day community of Fort Towson, OK and about seventy miles east of Fort Washita.  From Fort Towson, the expedition traveled on to Arkansas where Connelly boarded a steamship to Louisiana in order to trade his gold and silver from merchandise.

On the return trip, the caravan  included between sixty and eighty new wagons loaded with goods.  Also joining the group was a troupe of American equestrian circus performers transporting tents and various equipment in order to entertain in Mexico.  The return route passed from Fort Towson into North Texas, through present day Red River, Lamar, Fannin, Grayson, Cooke Montague, Clay and Archer Counties.  The party passed Paris and Bonham, dipped south of Sherman through Whitesboro, north of Gainesville and Muenster and into what is now the town of Saint Jo. The group then headed northward between Montague and Nocona where they encountered muddy prairies that impeded their progress for about five weeks.  Unfavorable weather caused problems throughout the trip.

Eventually they hit their original trail and traveled south to the Rio Grande, where once again they were met by difficulty.  They spent forty-five days negotiating tariffs in order to cross back into Mexico.  Governor Jose Irigoyen who had promised a cut-rate on the tax had died before Connelly and his crew returned.  The new regime requested full payment.

They reached Chihuahua 27 August 1840, some sixteen months after they set out on the voyage.  The route was not repeated due to unfavorable reports of the trail and the excessive tariffs.

Although this particular trail was only blazed once, other adventurous souls were not to far behind in making their way to Montague County.

The Old Jail and Outlaws

On November 26, 1927 Montague County commissioners contracted with Southern Prison Company to build a new jail building, the third such building for the county.  At a cost of $34,000, the building was completed July 11, 1927.  The building stands on the southeast corner of the courthouse square.  For 53 years it served as the county jail.  After the new jailhouse was built in 1980, this old building was seldom used except for storage.  In 1996, the Montague County Historical Commission gained permission to use the building as the group’s meeting place.  It is now opened to the public as a museum.

Old Jail. Photo courtesy of Max Brown.

The outside dimensions of the building are approximately 39 feet long by 28 feet wide.   The layout of the jail consisted of jail cells upstairs and living quarters downstairs.  throughout its use, the Sheriff and family occupied the downstairs portion as their home.  The living area contained two bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen.  There was one other room that was used as an additional bedroom or dining room, depending on the size of the family.   Four adult and two juvenile cells made up the jail portion.  The adult cells were nine by eight feet in size, each having four metal bunks bolted to the walls.  The juvenile cells measured eight by eleven feet, each with two bunks.  A total of sixteen adults and four juvenile offenders could be housed at any given time.

Jail cell photo courtesy of Max Brown

At least eleven sheriffs and their families made the jail their home during their terms.  These sheriffs were John W Wales, R T Anderson, Lee A Husband, Herman Chandler, Kate Chandler, Dick Lawrence, Bedford Henley, Helen Henley, J L Jameson, J T Lindsey, Howard Middleton and W F Conway.  Both Kate Chandler and Helen Henley finished their husband’s term when they died while still holding office.

The Old Jail is certainly one of those “if these walls could talk” buildings.  Oh, the stories they could tell.  These sturdy cells held criminals that had committed crimes ranging from drunkenness to murder.  Other  offenses included theft, bootlegging, forgery, and insanity. Some notorious outlaws called the Old Jail home, even men associated with the Barrow gang of Bonnie and Clyde fame.

Floyd Hamilton (left) and Ted Walters (right) Photo courtesy of Frank Ballinger

In 1938, known associates of the Barrow gang, Floyd Hamilton and Ted Walters were arrested in Montague County for burglarizing the W W Gilmore drugstore in Ringgold.  The duo had stolen about a hundred dollars in inventory and $15 in cash.  They were incarcerated along with horse thief Ervin Goodspeed.  Together these three plotted a jail break on April 30, 1938.  On that night the only jailer on duty was the twenty-three old son of Sheriff Kate Chandler, Kenneth Chandler.  When Kenneth went upstairs to the jail cells to deliver cheese and crackers to the inmates, he was ambushed.  Goodspeed had managed to cut his cell bars and was waiting for the jailer as he approached.  He stabbed Kenneth in the leg with a pair of scissors.  It is believed that Goodspeed stole the scissors from the barber when he visited to the jail to give the inmates haircuts.  After stabbing the jailer, Goodspeed unlocked the cells of Hamilton and Walters.  Once downstairs, the trio offered to dress the jailer’s wound, but he refused.  They then helped themselves to jail’s arsenal, taking three shotguns and two pistols and disappeared into the night.  Goodspeed was caught in Nocona within a couple of days.  After stealing a car, Hamilton and Walters led law enforcement across a tri-state area on a massive man hunt.  They were both eventually captured in August of 1938.  Hamilton was eventually  sent to Alcatraz.  He survived a botched escape attempt from the famous island prison.  He was released in the late 1950s and live the life of a model citizen in the Dallas area until his death in 1986.  Walters spent the next few years in and out of prison.  He apparently managed to skip by under the radar of the law enforcement until he is shot and killed by a Texas Ranger in 1971.

Ervin Goodspeed (center)

Another jail escape occurred in 1941.  Rex Beard, Jr found himself housed within the confines of the Montague County jail for robbing the  banks in Nocona and in Bowie.  Due to his method of carrying  a paper sack into the bank with which to conceal his weapon as well as to  carry out his stolen loot, he became known as the Paper Sack Bandit.  He escaped from the Old Jail, but was caught in Wichita Falls after another robbery.  Beard was responsible for robberies across the state including theaters, banks, department stores and liquor stores.  One newspaper article described his antics as “the Paper Sack Bandit has so many prison sentences officers are not certain how long it would take him to serve them.”  While waiting sentencing in Abilene he attempted another escape.  In the process, he killed Deputy Sheriff Wade Willis.  During the gunfight, Beard was critically injured.  He survived these injuries, but was given the death sentence for his crime.  He was executed by the State of Texas in  September of 1943.

Today the Old Jail stands a memorial to all of those in law enforcement that served Montague County with pride.  It is now known as the Old Jail Museum.  It is opened Fridays from 12:00 – 5:00 pm and on Saturday from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm.

There is more to the stories of Hamilton, Walters, Goodspeed and Beard.  I hope to add more posts this week under the ‘More of the Story’ section.  To learn more about the Barrow gang and Bonnie and Clyde, visit Frank Ballinger’s website.