Clay County, TXGenWeb
Project
Clay
County 50 Years Ago
Each week the Clay County Leader is publishing
an exert from the newspaper of 50 years ago. Surprisingly the
dates for 1951 and 2001 are the same. Thanks to the Leader for
allowing us to use these tidbits of Clay County's past.
January 4
The Henrietta FFA junior quiz team
was first at Electra. Members were Thomas Lyde, Buddy Johnson,
and Glen Richardson.
The Henrietta girls basketball
team placed second at the AAU tournament in Dallas, losing to
Duncanville in the finals 26-20. Shirley Nesbit scored 11 points.
Ted Gray sold the St. Elmo cafe
to Mr. and Mrs. Elvin Hairston.
Sugar 10-lbs bag, 89 cents.
January 11
Mr and Mrs Seth Lawrence and Mrs
Audra Christain sold the St Elmo Hotel to Charles E Evans of
Fort Worth.
Wray Williams and Gwendolyn England
were named Midway school king and queen.
Walter L Jones of Henrietta was
listed as missing in action in Korea.
Baby food, three cans, 23 cents
January 18
Construction to begin soon on new
Henrietta First Baptist Church.
County paid government trappers
$708 for 252 wolves and cubs captured during 10 months in the
county.
Chamber of commerce list of achievements
included working to secure rural phones for the county.
Potatoes, 10-lb bag, 43 cents.
January 25
Ministerial Alliance makes plans
for a citywide church census.
A delegation including the Henrietta
band makes plans to attend Henrietta Day at the Fort Worth Fat
Stock Show and Exposition.
A porchlight polio drive for the
March of Dimes is planned by Henrietta organizations.
Flour, 25 lbs-bag, $1.69.
February 1
Collections falling short of $4,000
March of Dimes goal.
Sheriff's office reports 31 cases
in January and 28 prisoners.
Monte Barnett of Bellevue's calf
wins its class at the Fort Worth Stock Show.
Herman Allen of Waurika names manager
of Joe Mayo Motor Co. used car lot.
James Stewart stars in "Harvey"
at the Dorthy Theater.
February 8
Unity Club makes traffic safety
recommendations to the city council.
The floor of the county jail caves
in in the living quarters, occupied by Deputy Tommy Covington.
Grounds for the new First Baptist
Church is to be broken Sunday. Musical selections by Mina Franke,
Eva Bragg, and Kerman Sage.
Nine residents are called for induction
and 18 for draft physicals.
Pangburn's Valentine candy, 60¢-$6
at City Drug Store.
February 15
Lions and Kiwanis Clubs discuss
forming basketball teams to face each other.
Robert Bunting, 22, enlists for
four years in the U S Air Force.
Henrietta girls win the north zone
championship of District 11-A and face Decatur in a three games
series.
Midway junior class plans a talent
show.
Elgin watches $33.75 from Jesse
Cunningham.
February 22
Petrolia FFA chapter holds its
first father and son banquet.
Byers volleyball girls win District
30-B title, defeating Petrolia two out of three matches, to finish
37-0.
Caution and stop signs placed around
Henrietta schools, and an editorial notes several motorists driving
right past them.
Joe Meeks and Jack Nesbitt announce
the Gulf service station has moved next to the St. Elmo Hotel
and Coffee Shop.
RCA Victor maroon plastic radio,
$22.95 at Moore's Hardware and Appliance.
March 1
Public hearing set before commissioners
court to determine if Clay County should come under the Texas
herbicide law.
Henrietta girls lose third game
of basketball district playoff to Decatur 39-38.
School census enumerators named
for Henrietta schools by board president Troy Douthitt.
Orchard study set at Charlie with
county agent J H Miller.
Colonial footmen David Greer and
David Daniel greet Unity Club members arriving at their George
Washington's birthday meeting.
Kleenex 300 size, 21 cents at Nolen's
Grocery.
March 8
1951 Henrietta senior class plans
to put on the play "Leave it to Grandma", a three-act
comedy, in the high school auditorium. Bellevue juniors announce
they will put on "Meet the Husband" and Midway seniors
plan to perform "People are Funny".
L E Dickerson announces Red Cross
drive goal is $2,763 and reminds citizens Red Cross provides
blood to servicemen in Korea.
A belt made by Carl Fuqua at Olsen-Stelzer
Boots is given to Gov. Allen Shivers in Austin.
Clay County one of 53 in West Texas
served by the new district office of Price Stabilizaton to enforce
price ceilings.
Some 670 of 3,249 car tags in the
office of W O Nix dispensed, with April 1 deadline.
Bromo Seltzer 57 cents at City
Drug.
March 15
Buford Scaling named county chairman
for the Texas Mid-continental Oil and Gas Association's North
Texas District.
County health officer Dr R E Hurn
sends letter to county school superintendents reminding them
of quarantine laws for certain communicable diseases which are
increasing, such as measles, mumps and chicken pox.
International-Harvester dealer
Moore Crisp announces it will bring the vaudeville and move show
"International Hit Parade" to Henrietta.
Signal lights and warning bells
are being installed on the Jacksboro highway on either side of
Fort Worth and Denver Railroad.
Folgers coffee, 89 cents a pound
at City Food Store.
March 22
Government trapper H E Bridgewater
shoots a golden eagle on the Maddox ranch at Stanfield.
The 1951 Bearcat squad plans a
scrimmage at Hapgood Field against exes under coachs Bob Young
and Nelson Turnbow.
The hall above the Central Food
Store is rented by the Henrietta Lions Club for a youth center.
A man hitchinking robs another
man of 82 dollars and throws his keys in a creek near Henrietta,
then takes off on foot, but is caught by local lawmen, including
Deputy Tommy Covington.
2X4s and 2X6s for $7.50 at Shamburger
Lumber Co.
March 29
Unity Club announces an art show
to be held at the Henrietta Livestock Barn at 302 N. Bridge.
Rex Gates is unopposed for reelection
as Henrietta mayor.
Tommy Stewart and Herbert Johnson
complete naval recruit training in San Diego.
County school nurse Sarah Haney
announces a 20-hour first aid course will be taught at Midway
school.
Rat poison, 35-cents a pound at
Kerr Feed Store.
April 5
Opening night for the Henrietta
youth center draws 110. Enterainment includes ping pong, dominoes,
checkers and card games.
Christian, Catholic, Baptist and
Methodist church choirs plan a massed choirs concert.
A Paul Hawkins ambulance is damaged
in a wreck while on its way to an accident on 287.
G. H. Howell, Bellevue school superintendent,
is elected president of the Clay County unit of the Texas State
Teachers Association.
Bedtime for Bonzo with Ronald Regan
shows the the Royal Theater.
April 12
Unity Club announces an art show
to be held at the Henrietta Livestock Barn at 302 N. Bridge.
Rex Gates is unopposed for reelection
as Henrietta mayor.
Tommy Stewart and Herbert Johnson
complete naval recruit training in San Diego.
County school nurse Sarah Haney
announces a 20-hour first aid course will be taught at Midway
school.
Rat poison, 35-cents a pound at
Kerr Feed Store.
(This the same as appeared in the March 29 paper.)
April 19
A $633,000 contract is let to improve
a 8-mile stretch of Hwy. 287 southeast of Henrietta.
Henrietta tennis team wins doubles
and places second in singles at district, including Eddie Healer,
Peggy Massie, Carma Bray, Evelyn Watkins, Eddie Scheer and James
Talley.
Frank Douthitt and Wayman Bell
win all the prizes in the kite flying contest. They had the only
entry.
PTA square dance admission, $2
for couples and $1 for high school students.
Machine oil permanent waves, $3
and up at Gladys' Beauty Shop
April 26
JAC Electric Co-op receives an
$80,000 loan to build 35 miles of new lines to serve 100 customers.
Nell Fuller wins 4-H dress revue
and qualifies for the state roundup.
Henrietta Housing Authority notified
that 30 new units are approved at the cost of $284,000 on a four
acre tract east of the Moore-Crisp property.
Charlie community enters the Rural
Neighborhood Contest of the Farmer Stockman magazine.
Katy Railroad leaves Henrietta
at 4:21 p.m, arrives in Kansas City at 8:35 a.m. daily.
May 3
Henrietta School Board rehires
Coach Bob Young following a petition with 400 signatures of support.
Texas Electric Service Co. files
for a rate increase, but rates will still be lower than in 1946
when a 16 percent cut was enacted.
The Henrietta High School Choral
plans its spring concert, and the 25 and 50-cent admission will
be used toward purchasing new robes.
William McKee and Majorie Fine
are named top graduates of the Petrolia Class of '51.
Nylon hose, 51 gauge, $1.49 at
John's Dry Goods.
May 10
The Midway livestock judging team
takes first place at Texas Tech, members are Bud Akin, James
Hager and George Sparkman and advisor is Elbert Edwards.
Henrietta refuses the 10 percent
electric rate increase requested from TESCO.
Herman Lowry of Henrietta wins
a four-year scholarship to Midwestern State University for winning
the White's Auto presidential essay contest.
D.D. Shilling catches a 27-pound
catfish at the Henrietta city lake.
The Maytag Chieftain washer just
$134.95 at Moore's Hardware & Appliance
May 17
Buck Stuart announcers the Stanfield
store will reopen under new management.
Jimmy Yarbrough and Neal McNabb
are named the top graduates at Byers. Mozelle Lohman and Bettye
Leeper lead the Henrietta Class of '51.
Midway seniors announce their class
trip to cities in South Texas.
Randy Hapgood of Henrietta represents
the winning team from Stephens College in Missouri at the Nation
Intercollegiate Air Meet in Norman, Okla.
Red potatoes and cabbage, 3.5 cents
a pound at Central Food market.
May 24
Signs reading, "The prices
of merchandise in this store are no higher than the OPS ceiling
prices of the articles" must be posted in stores by June
1.
Patti Carr and Dixie Brock are
top graduates at Midway.
Planning for the 1951 Pioneer Reunion
begins with the celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of the
discovery of oil in Clay County.
The $2,794 collected in the Red
Cross drive exceeds the county's goal by $31.
Complete single vision glasses,
$9.50 at Mast Optical.
May 31
An editorial praises the good condition
of the streets in Henrietta and notes it may have more paved
streets than any small town in America.
Earl Hall, former Henrietta attorney,
named chief justice of the Second Court of Civil Appeals in Fort
Worth.
Large crowds attend a cooking school
put on by TESCO at the Royal Theater.
The Buddy Poppy drive to help disabled
veterans sells out its 500 flowers in two hours.
Neckties for Father's Day beginning
at 98 cents at John's Dry Goods.
June 7
TESCO says it will install mercury
vapor street lights in the downtown Henrietta area, along the
highway, around churches and schools in a compromise for the
city to grant a 9.2% rate hike.
Price cutting polices hit Henrietta,
Bob Meeks says tires will be cut 25%, and home appliances are
cut, some by more than half.
Commissioner Frank Hanson announces
right-of-way has been secured for the Hurnville Road, to be FM
1197, for 7.25 miles north of Henrietta. Future contracts will
extend the road to Riverland and Stanfield.
Homer Burns reports the car he
stopped driving 70 miles an hour through Henrietta late one night
was being driven by a woman with no license and no clothes.
9.8 cubic foot Westinghouse frost
free refrigerator, $429.95 from Claude B. Gates.
©2001 The Clay County Leader
Clay County
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