Did You Know

     The town of Burnet is the oldest town in Burnet County. With the establishment and protection of Fort Croghan (1849), Burnet had it’s beginnings.

     Burnet county was created three years later, in 1852 amidst a bitter controversy among the citizens as to whether Delaware Springs, Oatmeal Creek or Hamilton Valley should become the county seat.
Land was donated by Peter Kerr. Hamilton was chosen (later to be named Burnet); a town square was plotted. That year the first post office was opened with Logan Vandeveer named Postmaster. The town grew around the courthouse. Early lots for businesses sold from $15 to $50. Burnet was called Hamilton Valley until 1858.

     History tells us all generations have their challenges, as we are now having in 2020.

     The years of war between the states were “hard years” heightened by a Typhoid epidemic in 1864. The continued harassments by emboldened Indians, who knowing of the absence of many of the men due to the conflict, frequently raided settlements.

     Dr. M.A. Field, who had settled in the Strickling community, northeast of Burnet, is still remembered for his heroic efforts during the Typhoid epidemic. The epidemic was so severe, all the settlements organized to combat the disease.

     Today we are also “all organized” to combat a disease, which is a pandemic. 

Strickling was a community near “Our Community” which you will see mentioned in future emails.

Scenic drives include Joppa, Blacks Fort, Strickling areas

A Burnet Bulletin newspaper article in 1911, said this of the Joppa Community. 

“For a community to be one of the right kind, one which a person is proud to live in, it must be made up of live, thrifty people who are willing and eager to take part in all social, as well as business events. We think Joppa hard to beat when it comes to such qualifications of its people.”

     Joppa, on Farm Road 210 and the North Fork of the San Gabriel River, seven miles northeast of Bertram in Burnet County, was first called Pool Branch, after a nearby pool formed by a waterfall. At that pool in the 1880s were a cotton gin and a mill; just southeast of the gin were a store and a blacksmith shop.

     On August 31, 1881, J. S. and Jane Danford of Delaware County, Iowa, gave two acres of land on the north bank of the North Gabriel to be held in trust for a school and a church. The school building was constructed at once and used for classes and church services. Worship was held in the schoolhouse until 1913, when a church building was erected. The local school, the church, and the locality were called Pool Branch until 1891, when the community secured a post office, and the people agreed on the Biblical name Joppa. On May 19, 1904, a telephone line was installed in Joppa. An iron bridge was built across the San Gabriel River in 1907 and was still in use in 1989. The area received electricity in 1939 from the Pedernales Electric Cooperative. The school was consolidated with the Bertram district in 1942. Friday and Saturday night socials and Sunday night singings culminated in an annual picnic as late as the 1930s. The church and school buildings were still used in the 1980s for church and community activities.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Darrell Debo, Burnet County History (2 vols., Burnet, Texas: Eakin, 1979).

~ Estelle A. Bryson    from the Texas Handbook Online

side note by D Cain - Being curious about the teacher in the 1903 photo, John R. Hamilton, I did some asking around and located some of his relatives who still reside in the area. I was able to speak with one of them and they very interesting and informative.

In 1881 the second Capitol building of Texas burned to the ground as plans were already underway for a new structure. Construction began in 1882 but was delayed until 1884 when the decision was made to use sunset red granite donated by a quarry in Marble Falls instead of limestone for the exterior. The state gave the stone to the contractor, Gustav (Gus) Wilke, along with 1000 convicts to quarry it. In 1885 the granite cutter’s union objected to the use of convict labor and boycotted work. The contractor responded by importing experienced stonecutters from Scotland, as seen in this image. After the project was completed, a number of the workers chose to stay in Texas and lend their skills to other construction projects.

WILKE, TX.  Wilke, located in central Burnet County at the fork of the Austin and Northwestern Railroad on the southeast side of Burnet, was once a stockaded settlement which served as a camp and cutting ground for the convict laborers cutting granite for the Capitol in Austin. It was named for Gustav (Gus) Wilke, who served as foreman for the project. The name remained as a railroad stop in the 1940s, but it did not appear on county highway maps in the 1980s.

Links: 

    https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/wilke-gustav

The Capitol Boycott

    https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/capitol-boycott

    https://www.austinlibrary.com/ahc/capitol/design.htm

    https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/photo-cards

    https://www.tsl.texas.gov/sites/default/files/public/tslac/landing/images/PHOTO-0001_104_024_stonecutters_recto-and-verso.pdf

     There are remains of an old fort nearby. Plan on taking a leisure drive through our local country side. You might pack a picnic lunch, especially if you have children.
 

     First stop, the Joppa Community church to read the historical marker on the grounds of the fellowship building. Also across the road, notice the establish date on the church’s chapel building. Walk over to the Joppa bridge and read the historical marker. While the bridge is closed at the present time to pedestrians, it will be repaired, improved and open to all in future months.
 

     Leave there and drive north on CR 210 toward FM 963. Stop a short distance from the Joppa church on CR 210, stopping briefly at the gate of “Joppa Too”. Notice an old barn on your left through the trees. Near this old barn at one time was the Pool Branch gin on the waterfall of Pool Branch, a creek that flows into the North Fork of the San Gabriel River. Continue on CR 210 to CR 210B (1.1 mi. from Joppa). Turn “L” onto CR 210B. About 1.2 mi. you will cross a low water crossing, which is Pool Branch that flows into the river by Joppa. Continue on CR 210B then take a “L” onto CR 210A for 1.4 mi. and the remains of Black's Fort will be on your “L” with a large stone marker out front. After leaving there, continue on and you will come to the Strickling Cemetery which is near FM 1174. You can visit the cemetery, where there are a number of grave markers from the 1800’s. (You or the children may need to stretch your legs about now.)
 

     When you reach FM 1174, turn “R” onto FM 1174. There is a historical marker on your “R” not too far, describing the former community of Strickling. (More on that area in a future “Did You Know”.) After reading the marker, turn around and head south on FM 1174. Turn “L” onto CR 200. On that drive you may see some exotic animals and livestock on your way back to the Joppa bridge. When you get back to the Joppa bridge, just before crossing the new bridge at Joppa, turn “R” onto CR 272. Go just over a mile to the Russell (middle) Fork of the San Gabriel river. This bridge is often referred to, by some locals, as the Asher bridge. Picnic there or back near the Joppa bridge area. Please, leave the area as you found it leaving no trash behind. Enjoy the beautiful green of Spring. [A view inside the Joppa church with the original wooden pews, can be arranged. Email us.] 

Link to Historical Marker at:  Black's Fort    

More on Black's Fort https://www.101highlandlakes.com/news/whats-in-a-name-blacks-fort

Link to Historical Marker at the Site of the Town of Strickling 

     The Strickling community was located on the Austin to Lampasas Rd. (now FM 1174). The Burnet to Belton Rd. also crossed the “stream” (North Gabriel River) at the same place. 

     About 1856 regular stage runs between Austin and Lampasas resulted in Strickling becoming a mail terminal for one road turning northwest to San Saba another to Belton and another to Burnet.

     Strickling had a broom factory that claimed it was the best broom in the country.

     The 1839 Webster family story in it’s entirety could be made into a modern movie. If you go north of CR 200 on FM 1174 about 1.3 mi. you will get to an open ridge overlooking the North San Gabriel area. There you can see what the Websters saw; their 4,616 acres of land and the 300 Commanches with Chief Guadalupe, Chief Buffalo Hump and Chief Yellow Wolf. That complete story will be saved for another time.

     We have mentioned before that Dr. Field, who helped Burnet County with it’s Typhoid epidemic, was from Strickling. Recently I spoke with someone who lives on the doctors old property and is a relative of John R. Hamilton. Mr. Hamilton was the teacher in the Pool Branch School photo sent in an earlier “Did You Know?”

A story of life in Strickling:

“Dear Louis:

…Permit me to say, if my memory serves me right, about January 8, 1886, was the coldest weather I remember to have experienced up to that time: about January 15, 1888, in the afternoon soon after the delivery of the mail to the post office at Strickling, a sudden cold spell came and the thermometer fell so rapidly that a fog rolled along the ground, being of course steam and before 9 o’clock that night, the thermometer had fallen over 60 degrees. Billy Moses was at home on a visit and with the aid of the writer, Martin and Andy Moses, we had to feed poor cattle all that next day and night. Billy lost a very handsome gold ring, made in the Black Hills, in one of the cow lots, which was not found until more than a year later.”

“On each of the two occasions referred to, the thermometer reached a few degrees above 0 and it was not until about the 13th of February 1899, that the thermometer went below zero in Burnet County. As UI recall the thermometer was about 5 degrees below zero in Burnet County and from 2 to 3 degrees below in Austin.

Yours truly, Dayton Moses”[From page 286, Burnet County History Vol 1]

     Like many communities they hoped to have the railroad, but Strickling was by-passed and the railroad went to Bertram instead. The stage runs ended in 1880 and the last store in Strickling closed in 1898. 

[General information taken from the book, Burnet County History Vol 1]

More about Strickling  https://www.101highlandlakes.com/news/the-history-of-strickling-texas

A little Burnet County history about the way things were in the old days brought to you by Robert Noland.

     The Bertram telephone system started in around 1904. It is hard to conceptualize in these days of the internet and smart phones that the folks around Bertram still depended on their old community "crank" phone system into the late 1960's or early 1970’s. 

     Bertram had a long distance line to Burnet and perhaps another to Liberty Hill. Both of those communities had upgraded to “dial” phones years before.

     "Miss Ella" lived with her telephone switchboard at the "Telephone Office" in downtown Bertram. Day or night you could crank your phone and she would be there to connect you to someone else in Bertram or a long distance operator. 

     Murray and Geneva Williams lived on South FM 243 about 5 miles from Bertram. The phone number for their ranch was 24F21 - that translates to line 24 with a "ring" of 2 long rings and 1 short ring. So when you heard your "ring" you knew the call was for the ranch. If you were visiting a nearby neighbor and heard your ring you could even answer your call on their phone since the "party line" was shared between many of the neighbors.

     Miss Ella kept up with most everybody and everything that was going on. Being located "in town", she could even look out the window and see who was at a store in Bertram. You might even say Miss Ella was an early version of an “answering machine” for everyone around Bertram. (-:

     After school Glynda, Murray and Geneva’s daughter, could call Miss Ella to see if her parents were home or if she needed to get off the school bus at her grandparents’ house. 

     When I called to Murray, I would have my long distance "operator" contact the Burnet operator who would then in turn “ring down” to the Bertram operator who would then connect the call to the correct line and make the correct "ring". You even had automatic call forwarding in that if Miss Ella saw Murray’s pickup was at the hardware store, she might say Murray is at the hardware store, I will ring Guthrie Taylor’s Hardware for you.

     Up the north San Gabriel River from the historic communities of Joppa and Strickling, history speaks of a community called “Sage”. This is approximately two (2) miles north of FM 963 on CR 202 very near CR 203.

     Below is a photo of the Sage Store in 1898. It was built in 1890 by George Newt Jones.

     You can actually see the old store yourself today, as it still stands very near the county road. Below is a recent photo of the store.

     The first families who settled there before 1860. A cotton gin was built and later a new and better gin was constructed by Herb Murphy. The Sage Cotton Gin operated until 1929.

     Mr. Jones, who ran the store would make trips to Lampasas, once or twice a month by wagon, to get supplies. Some supplies included: pickles, vinegar-by the barrel; candy in large containers; flour, corn meal, sugar, all in large sacks or barrels; green coffee, which had to be parched and ground in the home.      At Christmas time there were also apples and oranges available at the Sage store. The store was in operation until 1918. The last known storekeeper was Mark Bailey.

     Sage was a stage stop between Burnet and Lampasas for a number of years. The stage ran two times a week, but by 1901 there was a stagecoach service both ways each day. The stage left Burnet each morning at 11 AM, arriving in Lampasas at 4 PM each afternoon. The stage left Lampasas each morning at 10:15 AM arriving in Burnet at 3:15 PM. Terms were $3 round trip or $2 one way.

     Most of the above information is from the Burnet County History,  Volume I

 more from TSHA      It may have taken its name from the sage grass in the area. Families from South Carolina, Mississippi, and Kentucky settled there before 1860. A Sage post office was established in 1874 with Jesse G. W. Howard as postmaster. Sage had no school of its own, but it was close enough to Pleasant Hill and Bethel that children from Sage could attend school in one of those communities. In 1884 Sage had three churches, a general store, a steam corn mill and cotton gin, and seventy-five residents; cotton, pecans, wool, and hides were the principal shipments made by area farmers. The post office was discontinued from 1884 to 1898, during which time mail for the community was sent to Sunny Lane. By 1900 Sage had 242 residents. Shortly thereafter, however, the community began to decline, possibly because the Houston and Texas Central Railway bypassed Sage in 1903. The store remained open until about 1918, and the gin operated until 1929; only a few scattered houses marked the community's location on county highway maps by the 1940s, and no evidence of Sage appeared on maps in the 1980s.        

     Yes, I believe you know there have been difficult times in history. But do you know of the difficult times that took place in Burnet county in the War Between the States. 

     Open conflict resulted with the firing on Ft. Sumter, April 12, 1861. Burnet county was only nine (9) yrs. old. Up to this time no murder had been recorded in the county. However, rising passions between neighbors over Confederate or Union sentiment, the arousal of a lawless element and the increasing bold attacks by Indians soon brought a change to the peaceful development of the infant county. 

     In 1857 the county had only 150 Negroes. The scarcity of Negro slaves can be attributed to two main causes. The soils of Burnet county not being conducive to large-scale farming. Second the great majority of the settlers were not wealthy. 

     When Texas voted on the question of whether to secede from the Union, February 23, 1861, the heavy anti-secessionist sentiment in Burnet county was reflected in the vote against secession by a 248 to 159 margin. 

     As in many other sections, the outbreak of the war saw the banding together in Burnet county of a group of lawless secessionists, who foully murdered and robbed several of the county’s finest citizens who were opposed to secession. Among the victims were the county’s first Chief Trustee or County Judge, John Scott, a McMasters and John R. Hubbard. 

     George A. Holland, son of S.E. Holland and first recorded white child to be born in Burnet county, left a graphic account of the “bushwhacker” activities against Union men. Grandfather Scott the county’s first judge came to Burnet county in 1851, settled on Oatmeal Creek, planted the first orchard in the county…put in a cheese press and had prospered unusually well up to the Civil War. His life had been threatened and his friends had advised him to flee to Mexico until after the close of the war. Strapping $2,000 around his waist, bidding his family goodbye he saddled his horse late one evening and started for Mexico. He stopped to spend the night with friends some seven (7) miles from home and the next morning was joined by a man by the name of McMasters, also a Unionist at heart. Just before crossing the ford on the Colorado River between Smithwick and Marble Falls they were held up, McMasters robbed and hanged, Scott robbed and shot. Their bodies were taken several miles away to the dreaded ‘Dead Man’s Hole’…There their bodies were disposed of. After the war the remains of the two and others were found and Scott was identified by a peculiar jaw bone and teeth. 

     You can visit Dead Man’s Hole today. Go south of Marble falls, turn east on FM 2147 then right on County Road 401 (also called Shovel Mountain Rd.).      (Ref. Burnet County History, Vol 1)

What does all of this have to do with “Our Community”? The Great, Great, Great Grandson of John Scott, Fred French, lives in our community.  CLICK ON photos below  

More info at https://www.101highlandlakes.com/dead-mans-hole-marble-falls

About the Marker:   https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=168003

More:   https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/dead-mans-hole

More  https://texashillcountry.com/origin-dead-mans-hole-origin/

What life was like for a young school teacher in this area of Burnet county in 1916?

Stella Shaffer passed the state board examination to teach when she was just sixteen (16) years old. Her first job teaching was at a rural school known as “O.K.” After that she taught at the Fairland Community. In 1916 she went to the Langford School which was located northwest of Briggs between Red Bud and Oakalla on the banks of Rocky Creek.

In her words from the book Deep in the Heart of Texas she tells of her time as a teacher her first year at Langford. She was a young single woman. These are her own words.

     “I was employed as a teacher in a one-room rural school at Langford, Texas. My boarding place was some three miles from the school house, and there was not even a trail to guide me from home to the school house. My good landlord, Mr. Jim R. Smith, accompanied me the first Monday morning over the three miles of pasture land. He tied white strings and bits of paper on one side, then the other, so as to “blaze my trail” for my daily journeys. The one thing he failed to do was to tie the white flags where they could be seen on my return trip. As if it were yesterday, I recall that afternoon and my return from the Langford School to the Jim R. Smith residence. I proceeded in the right direction desperately hoping that something familiar might be sighted. But, no such luck. At the point of exasperation I stopped and asked myself, “Must I go right or must I go left?” I decided to go to the right. I was almost too tired to proceed further. The sun was rapidly sinking beyond the hills. I continued slowly until, to my surprise, I reached a house in which resided the John James family. Mr. James immediately pointed to the direction I should go to get home, and away I went, reaching my boarding house just before dark.

     Future trips across the wild pasture land were dangerous and frightening. There were wild horses and mules which probably had never seen a human on foot. There were times when these wild animals came rushing toward me and encircled the clump of trees in which I had taken refuge. I was horrified! I remember well the one mule dragging a chain which was attached to his foot. As he ran, the chain was banging on rocks, creating horrendous sounds which echoed from the canyons of Rocky Creek. Chills still crawl up my spine as I think of the mental torture I endured while hidden in the bushes waiting for the danger to pass in order that I could continue my journey to school. When I could no longer hear the clatter of the wild beasts’ feet or the clanging of the chain, I would make a break for the next thicket, then the next, until the animals would hear or spot me and come running in circles again. Each time they encircled me, the circle got larger until they were out of hearing distance. However, their snorts could be heard from a distance of a mile and I was the sole judge as to whether or not I could beat them to the next hiding place. When I returned home, I told Mr. Smith how I was harassed and he said each time. “Oh they won’t hurt you.” This was a statement which I refused to believe.

     At last I had learned the trail and was familiar with the trees, rock and ditches so that it was no problem finding my way; until one winter morning when I looked out my window I saw that the ground was covered with a heavy blanket of snow. I donned the heaviest clothes I owned, but they were far too thin for such weather. Every step I took was knee deep and sometimes waist deep in snow. I soon became very tired and, as my legs were getting numb up to my waist, I stopped and massaged them in an effort to stimulate circulation, then I would proceed a little farther. By the time I reached Mrs. Weeks’ house on the banks of Rocky Creek and went in to get warm, there was very little life to revive. I will never be any nearer to frozen to death and survive. Only my will power and strong determination (a predominating feature of my character) pulled me through the miles of deep snow that day. When I reached school, only one pupil, Louis Courtney, was present. I taught him and did not have to hold school on Saturday to make up for a lost day.”

Information from Burnet County History Vol. I and Stella S. Skagg's book Deep in the Heart of Texas.

From Stella Skaggs book, Deep in the Heart of Texas

Her second year teaching at the Langford School on Rocky Creek 

     School days, to both, pupil and teacher, bring many thrills and spills along the way. During the second year that I taught in the splendid community of Langford, I boarded at the home of a fine family, the Marcus Watsons. Mr. Watson’s brother, Ed’s children, David, Mildred and Merle, lived just beyond my temporary home. Each and every morning they came by and I joined them for the two-mile trek over Rocky Creek through the woods, across a field and down a public road to the school house. Some days the creek was too full for us to hop from one rock to another and we had to crawl along a fallen tree trunk that spanned the swift part of the stream. This was an easy trick and lots of fun. But there were times when one lost foot or handhold and dipped into the water, which marred the pleasure of the victim.

     Winter days went by and spring rains began to fall. On one occasion a hard rain came during the night, causing Rocky Creek to overflow until it was quite risky to cross on rocks and logs. Our “gang” cautiously approached the creek. After waiting a while and thinking that it might possibly subdue enough that we could cross, to our amazement the water began to rise again. What were we to do? Like all shows, “School must go on”, and the teacher had to be there. David a brilliant boy with dark eyes and hair, but of very few words, calmly remarked, “You all wait here until I go back home and get my donkey.” We waited and in due time here cam David leading a little mule with only a bridle or possibly a halter to guide its path.

     David placed Merle onto the donkey first and after much persuasion enticed the animal into the water only to have him sulk about midstream. A few quick slaps with the end of the reins caused him to proceed a little further and finally the opposite band was reached. David had better luck returning across the creek, since he was alone and did not care if he did fall into the water.

     On the second trip across the creek, David took the next oldest, Mildred, with a repeat performance slow start, baling of the donkey in midstream, scaring the daylights from all of us, finally reaching the opposite bank safe and dry.

     But now! Here came David back the last time after me. The children anxiously awaited this jovial sight. David tried to hold the beast still with both hands on the reins, as I failed repeatedly to make the mount by jumping high onto the side of the animal, only to slide back every time because of the loose skin of the animal that slipped as I tried to hold on for dear life. Seeing that these efforts to stride the creature were failing, David, after much persuasion by the kids in the flanks, spat with the ends of the reins and loud talk, persuaded the donkey to sidle up to a log which I stepped onto, and I finally made it to the back of our steed.

     How I dreaded to enter the swift stream! I clenched tighter and tighter around David’s wait to keep from slipping off the little beast as he clumsily and slowly stumbled over every stone and waved from side to side as he approached the far side where he safely delivered his cargo. I alit with little effort, thankful indeed for a safe crossing. Momentarily, we gather our books and lunches and rushed on to our daily work, none the worse for the hazardous crossing.

     News travels fast in a rural community, and by the time night fell, everyone was chattering about the “schoolmarm” riding a donkey, as the school children did, across Rocky Creek. Some folks thought I was a pretty good sport and others probably thought I was just plain dumb to try such a feat.

     All is well that ends well! No time was lost from school and another experience was lodged in my memory, never to fade away.

     One frosty morning in January the temperature dipped far below the freezing point. School took up as usual but two regular students, Virgil and Alvie Stanley, did not answer the roll call. Classes assembled --- first the reading classes, grade1, grade2, then 3, 4, 5, 6; history 7,8, 9 and 10; then arithmetic lessons in like order. As all attention was focused on a debatable subject, a sudden lunge was heart at the double doors. Two bright-eyed smiling boys, with nostril dripping from the chill of a norther, stepped happily inside. They disregarded the rules of the school by not asking permission to speak, suddenly and suspiciously announced, “We’ve been running our traps and we caught two possums. You know possum grease sure if good for your hands, Miss Stella. So is pole cat grease, Miss Stella.”

     All eyes had turned to the rear of the building and I, along with every student, was petrified at the sudden asseveration. I joined the students in an outburst of laughter which could have been heard far down Rocky Creek on which bank the school building stood.

     This news echoed from person to person in our community, as could be expected in a small community. Then it reached the neighboring town of Briggs, unknown to me. When I received my end-of-the-month bank statement, I burst into a frenzy of laughter as my eyes scanned the top sheet and read these words in capital letter. “POSSUM AND POLE CAT GREASE SURE ARE GOOD FOR YOUR HANDS” The bank teller, Tom Williams, a fine fun-loving friend of mine, had penned the note, and to this day I enjoy a hearty laugh as memories evanescently return to my mind.

     One afternoon in April when the weather was hot and dry and “town ball” furnished diversion for everyone in the nine grades of the one-teacher rural school, the children were called from their 30-minutes recess periods by the ringing of the old familiar bell. After forming a line in front of the building and in front of me, they marched into the school building, took their seats and awaited their next class which would be called to the front of the room and seated on the “recitation bench” any minute. No time could be lost as all classes were taught before four o’clock. 

     Two boys suddenly had a thought that it was their time to go out to the well and get a bucket of water which they would take time bout passing, first to the girls and then to the boys. After I had given E. Babe Smith and Eldon Elliott permission to do the requested chore, I hastened to call the seventh grade geography class. The smallest pupils rushed anxiously to the recitation bench to claim the choice seats and especially did each child want a seat where no boy would have to sit by a girl. The last girl and the first boy seated were compelled to be a little closer to each other than any of the others. This was a very embarrassing situation. This time a boy, Ward Carlile, who was much larger than the other classmates, was slow in finding his book and getting to the front of the room. By the time he did get there, the only seat was one in the middle of the bench by a pretty little girl. Well Ward didn’t intend to be any object of funmaking, so he walked to the lower end of the class and proceeded to put his hand onto the last boy’s shoulder and give a big push, thus shoving the boys down and almost into the lap of the innocent little girl thereby. This attracted my attention and I looked daggers at him and said, “Young man you walk right around a sit down by that little girl.” He stared into my eyes and said, “I won’t do no such a thing.” Having a willow switch on my desk preparatory to any misbehavior, I raised the switch to an upright position and he immediately gathered his books and left for home without saying a word.

     During all this turmoil, my attention was divided between the friction inside the school room and a ruckus that was transpiring between the boys at the well.

     I looked out the window in time to see one boy push the other away from the well rope, and this made him so mad that he came running to “tell the teacher on him’. He entered the door just as I raised my willow switch to chastise the teenager into obedience. As if a bucket of cold water had been thrown on him, his face changed from the deep red outburst of temper to the pale white of fear. This was the most sudden change with the least effort that I ever produced in a school room.

     E. Babe Smith, Jr. was glad to return to the well in a good humor and convey the news to Houston Davis and Eton Elliot of what was taking place inside the classroom. The other three boys came into the, smiling, with the water and they do not know to this day that I saw it all.

     Ward, the fine student that he was, and one of my favorites, if such I had, stayed from school several days, then decided to come back. I was so proud of his decision. After talking to one of my good trustees, I decided that the offense against him, was not serious enough to go into further, and, without a word of admonishment, I dismissed the whole affair. 

     This I learned --- Never try to compel a young man to sit by a girl against his wishes as that would be too much to ask of any boy.

     All went well the remainder of that year and I closed one of the finest school terms it was ever my privilege to teach., even if my reputation as one who “kept order” in school, fine at discipline, probably was shattered for years to come.

The final story from Stella Shaffer Skaggs book, Deep in the Heart of Texas. 

Here Miss Shaffer is teaching at "Briggs". She is now known as Mr. L. S. Skaggs. Her husband is known as “Snow” Skaggs.  

Also included (in an attachment), is something from Ft. Croghan in Burnet. It is from 1872, called “Rules for Teachers”.  How times have changed! 

“BRIGGS SCHOOL   

     I have no qualifications, nor have I ever had any special training to be a cowboy. However, I had need of both when it was necessary for me to ride three miles to and from school daily astride a gentle old steed whose years were far advanced of his service to humanity. 

     I was teaching in the Briggs public school and living on the C. P. Cloud Ranch three miles north of town. I owned no car and if I had been fortunate enough to do so I doubt that I could have summed up the courage to attempt to drive it. The only available mode of transportation was horseback. 

Every morning at four the alarm clock gave warning that it was time to arise and make ready for the day’s work. While I cooked breakfast, my husband, Snow Skaggs, did the usual chores of feeding the hogs, milking the cow, penning the team of mules and saddling my horse. By the time the morning meal was over and our lunches were prepared and mine packed to take with me, all things were well under control, and at the dawn of the day, Snow went his way to do some of the many jobs to be done on the farm and ranch. 

     I remember well one particular day which was wet and cold. Rain had fallen practically all the night before. A “blue” norther had arrived and the temperature was very low. I dressed in the warmest clothes I owned --- long knit underwear, full bloomers and heavy rayon stockings to begin with, a wool dress with wide skirt and a top coat. But this was not enough to keep me warm. I decided to don a heavy khaki overcoat which had been issued to Snow at his discharge from the Army a short time before. I could hardly walk in all this “riggin’ “ but managed to mount the horse and start for school. 

     The sun was just rising over the eastern horizon only to be hidden momentarily by low-hanging clouds. I realized that I was leaving home a few minutes later than usual and I undertook to make up the lost time by spurring my horse into a gallop as I traveled through the pasture toward the public road. 

All went well until old Paint’s feet slipped and he went headfirst into the mud beneath him with me tumbling over the saddle horn, his neck and head, and onto the ground, and plowing into the mud with the big brass buttons of the United States soldier’s overcoat. 

     Lucky for me that my horse was old and was unable to gain his upright position immediately, for I had time to get myself untangled from the reins and onto my feet again before he stood up. Seemingly sensing my predicament he stood perfectly still for me to mount and was in no way excited or disturbed by the upheaval. I had mud on my feet, on my clothes, and especially on my gloves. I traveled on through three gates that were so hard to open that it was necessary to get down from my horse and lift and tug at the gates strenuously in order to raise the chain over the head of the bolt. This was always a task, but this particular day the extra-heavy overcoat saturated with mist and mire made it an almost impossible ordeal. 

     Later in the day as Snow came to town on horseback, he was much disturbed and horrified when he found the slippery tracks of horseshoes, my picture in the mud, scattered and tattered arithmetic and spelling papers lying all around, and other evidence of the accident. He rushed anxiously in the school building to see if I had made it to town and if I had sustained injuries in the fall. Being so pleased that all was well, he walked slowly away saying, “I told you not to try to lope on that old horse.” 

     I was making $60 per month or $3 a day, which seemed to be a fabulous salary for that time and I dared not miss it. Should anything hinder our regular schedule and cause a few hours to be lost from the classroom, the school board required that the time be made up on Saturday. Often this was done when school was dismissed for a ball game or a funeral.” 

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