The History of Beckville, Texas
by Sally Metcalf Dawson
Permission given for use on the Panola County, TXGenWeb Site.
Old Beckville
There have been three distinct periods in the past development of Beckville.
They were the pioneer period; the coming of the railroad and prosperity; and the decline. In the 1980's we experienced a fourth stage of growth - the mining of lignite and a new prosperity.
In the pioneer period Beckville was located one mile north of Irons Bayou on the Shreveport-Douglas Road near a small stream. This stream, which divided the village into east and west sides, was later named Wall's Branch for Dr. Alexander Sugars Wall. That site is about one mile southeast of the present town of Beckville.
Mr. Matthew Beck was the first person to settle there. He had secured a track of land through which ran the Grand- Bluff to Douglas Road (as it is referred to in Panola County Records). Mr. Beck built a log cabin and stocked it with groceries and whiskey for the convenience of the travelers who passed through. The Grand-Bluff to Douglas road was one of the first highways in East Texas.
The good water, the good soil, the presence of Mr. Beck's store, and the availability of a main wagon road were the reasons a small village began to grow in that location. It was named Beckville for Mr. Beck.
Mr. John Garner and Mr. William Appling built stores on the east side of Wall's Branch and Mr. S.J. Metcalf later built on the west side. A saloon was constructed near the stores at a later date.
The residences in Beckville were substantial buildings. Only the oldest one originally owned by Mr. Beck was made of logs.
The settlers all lived in much the same manner. Their food consisted of vegetables grown in the garden, poultry they had raised, pork, and wild game. They purchased such items as flour, salt, spices, and other staples at the stores.
The youngest children would help the mother with the housework, while the older ones helped the father in the fields. Often after the day's work was done, the older girls would sit up late with their mother and knit or weave.
The lamps used by these pioneers were made of tin. Kerosene was used in them but they gave very little light. Stoves began to take the place of fireplaces for cooking. A few sewing machines were to be found by the 1880's. Glass windows were used in some homes, but they had to be hauled from Shreveport. At first springs, which were plentiful in the area, were the sources of water for the homes. Later wells were dug to furnish a more convenient method of obtaining water. The yards were enclosed with hand hewn picket fences. The grass was hoed and raked out of the yard. Trees and flowers were planted near the houses. Barns, lots for the stock, and garden plots were usually placed back of the homes. Some people had hen houses for the chickens to roost in, but most of the time the fowl roosted in trees.
The Beckville of that period never had a church building. Parson George Lentz, the first minister, was Methodist. He held services in a schoolhouse not very far from the community or in private homes. These services usually lasted for several hours. After each service the Neighbors had a chance to visit, which was a rare treat for them.
Mr. Beck did not remain in Beckville for very many years. He moved nearer Shreveport, Louisiana. But his name still clings to the community that grew up near first East Texas home. In the year 1887, after the railroad came through, the settlers began to move from this first site to the location of the town today. The pioneer settlement became known as "Old Beckville".
The New Town of Beckville
The railroad was completed in 1887 and the first train came through in February of that year. Mr. Jim Biggs owned the land where the railroad curved to miss Old Beckville and he laid off anew town site near that curve. It was logical for the business owners of the pioneer settlement to relocate in Mr. Bigg's town with the advantage of railroad transportation. The merchants of Old Beckville realized this would open markets for the produce raised on the farms. Hence it was not long until Old Beckville was almost deserted and the new town became known as Beckville.
The period of growth and prosperity began with the appearance of the new businesses near the railroad. The new town site was laid off so that the main street, Washington Avenue, ran north and south. The depot was built to face that street from the east. Mr. Bob Hammons built the first store building, but Mr. Ike N. Metcalf and Mr. Joseph Ray Jordan got their general merchandise business opened and in cooperation before anyone else. Other general merchandise stores were Taylor Hills, Carpenter & Doan's, and Bell & Barnes. Barksdale Drug, Elihu Pope Furniture, and Woos' Military were in Beckville, also. There were two saloons where man gathered in groups. The women would turn their heads to look in the opposite direction when it was necessary for them to pass the door of a saloon.
There were two barber shops. The first hotel was run by Mrs. Garner and a later one by Mrs. Finn. There were several gins in the area. At times there were as many as five doctors in town.
Locating the town near the railroad did prove to be advantageous. It made it easier for the farmers and ranchers to get their produce shipped to market. It was also good business for the local merchants because goods would be brought in to be sold. In fact, the foundation of Beckville's prosperity was the railroad. The easy access to nearby markets encouraged greater cotton production, timber became a cash crop, and the cattle raising began to increase. All of which brought more money into the community and most of it was spent in Beckville. This caused the merchants to put in larger and more attractive stocks of goods. New lines were added. Some stores began to specialize in a certain line of merchandise. There were grocery stores, dry goods stores, a hardware store and a meat market to open.
As the district prospered and grew, the business section of Beckville expanded. New stores were established and old ones enlarged. The town was incorporated in 1914. It was granted a charter by the state legislature, and elected its first mayor and board of alderman that same year. The town prospered and became a rival of Carthage. The period of 1923 to 1927 was perhaps the most prosperous of all.
During this progressive period, roads began to improve. With the improvement of roads, almost all the families began to buy new cars. Mr. P.R. Nisbett, the first to own a car, bought a Brush. Then Mr. Carpenter bought a Ford, and soon there were several cars.
Cars caused garages and filling stations to be built. In 1927 there were seven filling stations operating within the city limits, each doing a thriving business.
With better roads and a more convenient method of transportation, there was increased interest in a picture show. A Mr. Ross from Carthage opened a movie house in Beckville around 1915. In 1919 Mr. Irby Driskell bought the picture show and operated it for three years. Later it was owned by Neal and Roy Crawford. This plant was for silent pictures and when talkies were introduced it was closed rather than making the expensive change.
Mr. P.R. Nisbett rented a large safe and began keeping money for the merchants in the early 1900's. From this beginning a bank was incorporated in 1909 with $25,000 in capital and a surplus of $10,000. It did a flourishing business during the twenties and early thirties. It was liquidated on November 29,1941.
Schools and churches were established as the need arose.
Beckville also had its share of disasters. It a 1917 a fire starting in a drugstore destroyed five businesses on the north side of the railroad. These were wooden buildings and were later replaced with larger and better ones. Fire struck again in 1917 and laid waste to much of the west side of the business district. This second fire also started in a drug store.
Beckville had no fire fighting equipment so the bucket brigade was used to try to put out fires. Brick buildings were constructed to replace those that were burned. The fires proved to be a blessing in disguise because they brought improvement to the town.
The new railroad town that got its beginning in 1887 had grown slowly but steadily and the period of prosperity lasted for about forty years.
The years following 1930 brought a definite period of decline to Beckville. Several things contributed to that decline. Crops were less bountiful than in earlier years. There was a terrible drought. The general depression that swept the country in 1929 caused prices to fall. The presence of highways and the great number of automobiles caused people to travel to larger towns to do shopping where greater stocks of goods were to be found. People began to use mail order catalogues for their shopping and that affected the business community, also. Within a short time Beckville's period of prosperity had passed.
According to Miss Avis Kinard, thirty-six businesses made up the town in 1931. By 1943, there were only eighteen. As time passed, stores continued to close and buildings became empty. By the early 1960's eleven or twelve business establishments remained. They included the Barber's Drug Store, Ross' Barber Shop. English Feed Store, Adam's Filling Station, Parker Grocery, The Depot, Brevard's Café, Watkin's Hardware, Bear Cat Grocery and Filling Station, Heard's Feed Store, and Davidson's Hardware. The Post Office had moved into the vacant bank building.
Several businesses closed in 1965. Barber's Drug Store closed, the Depot discontinued operation and Watkin's Hardware closed. Brevard's Café went out of business about 1969. Davidson's Hardware had gone in business in 1946 and it closed in 1970. Parker's Grocery closed in 1970. This left seven business establishments in Beckville in 1975.
Lignite mining and a boom in the oil and gas industry started in the latter part of the 1970's, which has brought a new prosperity to the Beckville area. A number of citizens and former citizens of this vicinity have become wealthy. Quite a few people have been displaced because of the mining of lignite. It they owned the land, they simply built a fine home on another location.
The town has begun to assume a new look. A new brick Post Office was built in 1974 and opened in September of that year. Beckville Grocery and Filling Station opened on Highway 149 in 1977. Nix's Grocery went in business here in 1978. Caddo Savings Association opened for business in April 1982. First National Bank of Beckville had its ribbon cutting ceremony in December 1982. Nix's Grocery moved a short distance from its location into a new brick building, which included a nice size grocery, market, and a café. Nix's Affiliated Grocery and Buffet 'N' Burgers Café began operation in early 1983. Mr. James A. Bonds and Mr. Billy Dailey put in a B & D Feed Store in the building Nix's Grocery had vacated. Ford's Café on Highway 149 is in a building that was once a washateria.
Bear Cat Grocery, Adam's Filling Station, Heard's Feed Store, Ross' Barber Shop continue to do business in their original locations. As of April 1983 there are thirteen businesses in the community of Beckville.
Since 1983, there have been many changes in the downtown area. The feed store changed hands before closing in the early 1990's. Nix's Grocery and Café closed, and a number of the old buildings were torn down. At the present time (spring 1995) the area consists of Harris Paint and Body Shop, Adam's Oil, Cotton's, Bearcats', Linda's Beauty Shop, and a washateria that opened this month. The housing projects were built in the 1980's. The current population sign reads 783. There are around 200 elementary children attending the school. Changes are still occurring, since this spring will mark TUDCO's second "buy-out".
Beckville's Railroad
For a number of years after Old Beckville was settled, the only roads in the area were rough wagon trails. There were no railroads in East Texas. With poor roads and no trail service, it was difficult to transport farm products to market, to get supplies, or to travel. These conditions caused the community to grow slowly.
Finally, a railroad was built to Longview, twenty-five miles to the north. Later a railroad was constructed from Timpson to Carthage, which was eight miles southeast of Old Beckville. In 1884 the railroad at Longview was extended to a sawmill near Tatum, about nine miles northwest of town. The businessmen of Old Beckville began to talk about the advantages of being near a railroad. They realized that a track connecting these two lines would pass through, or near, their community on the Grand Bluff-Douglas Road.
Excitement ran high as the prospects of having a railroad through this area began to look favorable. The landowners on the proposed route through Old Beckville asked such high prices for their property that the railroad company refused to pay the price. It had been assumed that the railroad had to be straight.
Mr. Joe Biggs and Cy Marshall owned joining tracks of land about a mile and a half northwest of Old Beckville. When Mr. Briggs realized the plans for a railroad might not materialize due to the unreasonable price demanded for the right- of-way, he began to think of another plan. He bought Cy Marshall's land and laid off a town site on the combined acreage, offered a right-of-way for the railroad, and every other block in the town site to the railroad company if the line passed through that location. This would involve putting a big curve in the roadbed. The railroad company accepted the offer and the track was laid. It was finished in early 1887. The first train came through the new town site in February 1887.
When the merchants of Old Beckville found out the train would miss their village, they began to plan to move nearer the new railway line. It was not long until Old Beckville was deserted. The railroad brought prosperity to the new town of Beckville and continues to serve the area in 1983.
Beckville Roads
Indian trails were the first roads. Tenaha Trail was well known and passed through where Beckville now stands. The Green Grass Trail near Beckville led to the site of Pinehill in Rusk County. Trammel's Trace, a famous Indian trail, was originally a Mexican trade route between St. Louis and San Antonio. Nick Trammel, with the help of some workers, cut trees and widened this trail from near Texarkana to Nacogdoches before 1825. The County Line Highway between Rusk and Panola Counties now follows that route.
A major thoroughfare that passed near the present Beckville site was a wagon road between Douglas in Nacogdoches County and Shreveport, Louisiana. It opened before the Civil War and is known today as the earliest highway in East Texas. Many settlers coming to this area traveled this road.
Interest in building new roads increased as the need for them became apparent. The early roads were made and cared for by hand labor. Stumps and logs were removed, high places were smoothed over a little, limbs too low for safety were cut back, and the streams that could not be forded were bridged. People traveled these new roads with extreme difficulty most of every season whether it was wet or dry. One man in every community was appointed to oversee the work of keeping roads in repair. It was his duty to set a day for working the road and then notify men to come and help. They were told what implements to bring. Axes, hoes, shovels, picks, and sometimes a mule and plow were needed. On the appointed day, the men with their lunches met at a designated spot. A long stretch of road was divided into sections and a group of men assigned to each division. Sometimes there were twenty or thirty men working on one section. Much work was done in this way. This system kept the roads in passable condition except when the weather was very bad. In later years the county took over the care of the roads, acting through the precinct commissioners. Machinery was bought and the men were paid by the county for the building and repair of roads. The commissioners designated the stretches of road to be worked and the length of time to be given to each community.
When automobiles began to be used most people thought they could not be operated successfully around here because of poor roads. As the number of cars increased, people became more interested in roads and their upkeep. Someone discovered that when clay was put on stretches of sand, or sand was put on stretches of clay it would make a better and a stronger roadway, one that would not get so deep in mud or sand. Since merchants were anxious to get more trade they encouraged road repair. Better roads caused people to buy more cars.
Later the main roads were straightened somewhat and graded while bridges were rebuilt where needed. The first hard surface road in the county was a ten mile strip from Beckville to Sabine River where it connected with a Harrison County road to Marshall. This strip of road was finished in 1925.and was soon the favorite driveway for pleasure.
The road between Beckville and Carthage was hard surfaced in 1931. This completed a state highway from Carthage to Marshall. People in Carthage had to travel through Beckville to get to Marshall. Beckville was on a loop of this road, which crossed the railroad track in the heart of town. In 1936 authorities decided to straighten this road, eliminate the loop, and build an overpass across the railroad track. This project was financed by the Texas Highway Department and the Federal Government. Work was started in May 1936 and finished in May.
Mr. Tom Hunter, an engineer with the Texas Highway Department has furnished the following information about the roads in this area. The section of highway #149 from Grand-Bluff to Nacogdoches road to Tatum was started in 1949. The dirt work was completed in 1950 and the hard surface was finished in 1951. It shortened the distance from Carthage to Longview. The road missed downtown Beckville.
In the late 1950's highway #149 from Carthage to the Grand Bluff-Nacogdoches road was rebuilt. In order to improve this road, the two narrow lanes were widened, the shoulders were paved, and for a short distance, four lanes were built.
The road from Beckville to Fairplay was hard surfaced in 1950 and became Farm-Market Road #124. Mr. Hunter said Texas Highway Department tried to build the rural roads as cheaply as possible in order to get the farmer out of the mud. The old roadbed was followed instead of straightening the road. Mrs. Leila Belle LaGrone has found in her research that the reason the old roads were so crooked was because they were built on high ground to avoid low muddy places as much as o=possible. An extension to Farm-Market road #124 was constructed in the mid 1960's. It goes by the Langley Cemetery and on to highway #59.
Churches in Beckville and Surrounding Communities
Religion has always played a very important role in the lives of people in this area since the first settlers arrived. When there were no church buildings, they met in homes to have their religious services.
Macedonia Methodist Church, now called Ebenezer, was organized at Old Macedonia in 1843 by Rev. Littleton Fowler. The original location for this church was about a mile west of Holland's Quarters, which was not very far from Old Beckville. A record attendance, dated 1856-1857, has been preserved. Rev. George Lentz was the local elder in 1856. Among the names on the attendance record are Beauchamp's and Davis'. The church is presently located in the Walton Community.
Macedonia Baptist Church was organized in 1845 by Rev. Lemuel Herrin. Records show that Rev. Isaac Reed assisted Rev. Herrin in organizing the church. The Baptist and the Methodist shared the same log building from their beginning until 1880 when the building burned. After the building burned, the Macedonia Baptist Church moved to its present location west of Carthage on highway #79.
Youngblood Freewill Baptist Church was organized in 1858. The land was donated by Isaac R. Youngblood. It is thought that Youngblood Church was a mission church organized by Little Hope Primitive Baptist.
The Rock Hill Methodist Church was organized in the community of Rock Hill in 1860 and has continued to serve that community over the years.
The New Prospect Presbyterian Church was organized in August, 1865by Rev. Mitchell Smith and the congregation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Carthage, which was disintegrated shortly after. Until 1958 New Prospect was the only Presbyterian Church in Panola County. The original membership was 12. The original building is still in use on the original site. It was remodeled in 1951 and an educational building was added in 1958.
Mt Zion Baptist Church in the Harris Chapel Community was established in 1870. The late J.W. Bowen, Sr, donated land on which the original church was erected. The second building, a one-room wood structure with 200-seat capacity, was constructed in 1910. The third and present building since the church's organization was built in 1951. Two wings have been added to that building. When first organized, it was a Missionary Baptist Church, but it is now a Southern Baptist organization.
Before Beckville moved to its present location, six men and nine women organized the First Baptist Church of Beckville. Mr. Appling Smith gave two acres of land to the church. The charter members choose the name Mount Pleasant Baptist Church and called Rev. J.H. McLeroy as their first pastor. The records are not clear, but they built the first building at the end of 1886 or the first part of 1887. That building was replaced by a new one in 1918.
The Methodist constructed a parsonage in 1888 and the first sanctuary of the First United Methodist Church was completed in 1891. That building was blown down by a storm the next year but was soon rebuilt. This building was remodeled and turned to face the east instead of south in 1916.
Pine Grove Assembly Church was organized in the early 1900's in the Pine Grove Community. Texas Utilities Company bought up the land in that vicinity so the church moved to Beckville in 1975.
The first recorded minutes of the Union Arbor Freewill Baptist Church are dated September 18,1915. It is called Union Arbor because there were different denominations meeting in the church at one time. In 1915 the members decided to become Freewill Baptist. At that time, E.S. Jameson was pastor. Union Arbor Freewill Baptist Church was first located in the Sand Hills Community, but in 1977 had to move because of the lignite mining. The building was moved to Beckville. The old building still stands at the church's present location, but a new sanctuary has been built.
Calvary Baptist Church was organized in 1953 with thirty-one members. Rev. Eugene Cox, with the help of the congregation, designed a building program that included a 300 capacity sanctuary, 2 huge bathrooms, and a foyer. The old sanctuary was converted into a fellowship hall.
In 1954 Grand Bluff Baptist Church was established. Mr. Ike Reeves donated the building site and a building was moved to that location. The original building has been enlarged several times since then. The first pastor was Rev. Henry Fisher.
Cemeteries
The Youngblood Cemetery was founded in 1858. The land was donated by Isaac R. Youngblood to be used for a church, school, and cemetery. The first person to be buried there was Jonas Shivers who died in 1861.
Waldrop Cemetery, in the Brooks Community, got its name from the land donor, James Calvin Waldrop. This cemetery was established in 1872 with Mrs. Jemima Guest Gentry being buried there. The story goes that in 1872 Mrs. Gentry and her family were traveling toward home on the Old Pine Hill Road late one afternoon in a spring-seat wagon. During this drive they passed a beautiful cedar grove and Mrs. Gentry remarked that when she died, she wanted to be buried there. A few weeks later on June 18,1872, Mrs. Gentry died. The owners of the cedar grove, the Waldrop family, gave permission for Mrs. Gentry to be buried on that plot of ground.
The Harris Chapel Community Cemetery began during the Civil War when some slaves were buried there. Mr. Joe Harris, who lived near the school, donated the land. The first white man buried in this cemetery was a Mr. Gandy. The Cemetery Committee has always done a good job of keeping the grounds.
Langley Cemetery is located just outside Beckville city limits. It was named for the William Langley Family who donated the land. Mr. Jackson Langley, who died August, 1858, was the first person buried in the cemetery. He was the brother of William Langley.
Conner Cemetery is located approximately one mile north of Beckville. It has been used for burying since the late 1800's; however, the land did not officially belong to the Cemetery Association until Alfred Brown Harris deeded it to the association in 1903. It is located on one of the highest hills near Beckville and during the 1930's when the land was cleared for farming, it offered an excellent view of the town of Beckville and the school.
Beckville Schools
Old Beckville never had a school but there were three schools in the vicinity. Mr. Isaac R. Youngblood gave some land for a building a few miles west of town. The building erected there was to be used as a school and also for church services. The Kuykendall school was located southwest of town and the Booty school was east of Beckville. These buildings were made of logs. The water supply came from nearby springs. The buildings had wooden shutters at the windows and were heated by fireplaces. Later glass windows were brought from Shreveport and installed. Children sat on benches made without backs. They wrote on ...Social Life in Old Beckville
Old Beckville's first settlers had little social life because the roads were rough and they did not have automobiles as we do today. The young people had parties on special occasions. They did not have refreshments but played many group games. The square dance, with one of the group calling numbers, was a popular dance at parties and celebrations. Not only young people, but also older men and women took part in these dances. Formal invitations were not sent out, but white people hearing of the party were glad to come and take part. Many times, Blacks were paid to bring their "fiddles" and play music for the dancing.
Usually a boy did not bring his girlfriend with him. But when the party was over at about 11 or 12 o'clock, the boy would ask permission to "take his girl home".
No one was supposed to think of staying out late at night. They were to go home by the most direct route, because there was only one road between homes, and it was not too good.
The church services usually lasted for several hours, which gave those attending time to visit with each other after the religious message had been presented.
Beckville Social Life
An interesting social life is enjoyed by the people of Beckville. There are occasional parties, usually given to celebrate a wedding or birthday. The old time square dance and play parties have disappeared.
Some people play bridge and groups of people often go on picnics especially during spring and summer months.
Youngsters enjoy swimming, horseback riding, roller-skating, slumber parties, and 4-H meetings. There are several 4-H groups in the Beckville School area. These clubs are involved in Livestock Shows, Food Shows, and other activities.
Meetings at churches, for regular services, school programs and plays are all well attended by the entire community. Fishing and hunting are favorite sports for a number of people.
The school age children are very enthusiastic about Little League. Girls from 5 to 14 can play summer ball and boys from 5 to 12. There is usually a boys' and a girls' Beckville team to play with the Carthage - Panola County Dixie League.
The social life of Beckville has been a strong bond of love and friendship to the members of the community over the years.
Sports in Beckville
One of the first and main sports in Beckville was basketball begun in 1911. It continued to be the most popular sport in Beckville until 1931, and then football began to gain in popularity.
Beckville, like other rural schools, played basketball on an outdoor court for many years. The first time the Bearcats played in a gymnasium was at Gary when their gym was first completed. Construction began on a gymnasium for Beckville in August 1946.
In the year of 1962 the Sunset basketball team was the state runner up, and the next year they were the state champions. The players on the team in those two years were Jerry Rayson, Harvey Rayson, W.C. Gladney, Ray Allison, Otis Hicks, Laston Benton, Ralph Hicks, Benny Ray Pope, and Jake Johnson. In 1963 the teams that played Sunset at District that year were Center, Garrison, Concord, Minden, East Liberty, Teneha, Timpson, Joaquin, and Mount Enterprise. Out of all of these schools Sunset was the smallest. Mr. Roger Williams was the coach for Sunset.
Football in Beckville was started in 1931. Football kept on being played until World War II, and was discontinued in 1946. The first coach was R.C. Beauchamp. The new football stadium built in 1979-1980 was named for him. The dedication ceremony took place in the fall of 1981.
The first football game that Beckville played was against Carthage, which they lost by a score of 57 to 0. The last game that Beckville played that year was also against Carthage and Beckville lost by only 7 to 0. By the end of the year there were 18 boys officially on the team.
In the year of 1983 for the first time the Beckville Elementary had a track meet. Beckville Elementary has an annual track meet for grades 3-6 in May of every year. Every year the high school has several students who attend the state competition. The elementary school is building for a higher level of sportsmanship.
The high school offered high school baseball for girls and a golf program for the first time in 1994. Girls now have an opportunity to participate in volleyball, basketball, softball, and track. The boys have a longer basketball season but do not have a volleyball team.
Doctors in Beckville
From the beginning Beckville always had plenty of doctors. At some times there were as many as five in town. Doctors had to travel to people's houses on horses or in buggies because there were no hospitals or fast cars for patients that were hurt.
One of the first doctors to settle in Beckville was Dr. Alexander Sugars Wall and his wife Caroline Mason Wall, who moved here in 1853. He settled near a creek that is named Wall Branch for Dr. Wall. Dr. Wall's father and five brothers were doctors. James Edgar Wall, Dr. Wall's oldest son, made a doctor and practiced medicine in Carthage.
Dr. A.S. Wall was appointed to the County Board of Health in 1867, during a yellow fever epidemic. He later moved to Carthage and lived there until he died on April 27, 1907, and was buried in the old Carthage cemetery.
Dr. John Stone and his wife, Orra Janet Orr Stone, both natives of Georgia, arrived in what is now Panola County, Texas in 1842. John and Orra Stone settled on the Old Grand-Bluff road, about two miles from Old Beckville. Not far away, on the same road was Dr. William H. Beers son-in-law of Dr. Stone. Dr Stone died suddenly in 1854.
Dr. Thomas Jefferson Reagan came to Beckville in 1856. He married Rebecca Neely. Their home became a foster home for many children orphaned, or without a mother. Dr. Reagan owned a carriage built during slave times and a black servant drove him. Dr. Reagan died in 1887.
Dr. J.E. Kirkley lived in Old Beckville and when the town was moved to its new location he had his house torn down and moved to a site north of the depot. His daughters made history as early teachers because in those days most teachers were men. He died in 1903.
Dr. Hornsburger soon appeared in the town and was saddle-bag doctor at Beckville.
Dr Major Dowell Sterrett moved to Beckville in 1889, which at that time was a new village on the recently completed railroad. Dr. Sterrett was a well education man. He was also a crippled confederate veteran. His wife's name was Sarah Julia Vawter. He died in 1919.
Dr. John Rosseau was located in Beckville in the early years of the twentieth century.
These early doctors lived a hard life. They had no regular office hours, no nurses, or office assistants. They visited the homes of their patients carrying medicines in saddle bags. The roads were rough and often became impassable. They served the pioneers as best they could.
Malaria caused more sickness than all other diseases. Quinine had not come into use. The early settlers finally realized that the mosquito caused that illness.
Yellow Fever began to appear in the south in 1867 and steps were taken to help protect Panola County of its spread to this area. In 1873 this terrible epidemic did come to East Texas and many people died. The disease raged from july 1873 until the weather turned cold that fall. Mosquitoes also spread Yellow Fever.
In 1908 an epidemic of Smallpox hit the country. The disease spread to the west side of the county by 1909, and farmers almost lost their crops because they were sick so long.
Dr. Stanley Johnson was one of the later doctors in Beckville. He moved here about 1918 and left around 1927 or 1928.
The last doctor to live in Beckville was Dr. Robert Woodard Barnet. He came here in 1927 and was a very good doctor. He continued to serve Beckville until his death in 1951, in spite of the fact that most doctors practiced near hospitals.
Cotton and other Crops in the Beckville Area
Beckville is surrounded by rolling hills that are well watered. Iron's Bayou, Martin's Creek, and Caney Creek, which drain the area, all flow eastward to join the Sabine River about twelve miles east of town. During the early days this land was thickly forested. The Clearing of land for fields was one of the chief tasks of pioneer farmers. This had to be done by hand since there were no sawmills close by. It was a job accomplished by neighbor helping neighbor. It was very strenuous work but much laughter, talk, and jesting went on to help shorten the days. This method of community helpfulness in clearing the land for cultivation lasted for many years.
Once the land was cleared enough to plant a crop, it was very fertile, but there was little market for produce. Cotton and corn were the leading crops. Cotton staple or fiber was the money crop because it was about the only product of this section which would pay the cost of transportation to market and yield the producer a profit. Corn was grown for making meal used by the family and for livestock feed.
Old Beckville had no cotton gin. The farmers who grew a large cotton crop owned a gin and ginned their own cotton. Some men who had smaller farms owned a gin to process their own cotton and then made a profit from ginning cotton for their neighbors. Only two bales a day could be ginned on these first gins. There was no market closer than Shreveport. The bales of cotton had to be hauled to that river town in wagons over very poor roads having difficult river and stream crossings.
As the pioneer period passed gins were somewhat improved. An iron screw replaced the wooden one in the press, and the mule, which turned it, moved in a much smaller circle. The lint room was placed closer to the gin. From each wagonload of cotton one twelfth, later one fifteenth, of the cotton was taken as the ginner's pay.
The farmers traveled in groups when they hauled their cotton to Shreveport in the fall. They not only did this for company, but also in order to double their teams on extra hard pulls. The trip from Old Beckville took six days.
Cotton was for many years the leading crop and almost the only money crop. After the railroad came through the area, it was transported to larger markets by railway. Beckville merchants held prices equal to those in larger and older market towns. But some of the farmers doubted that they were being paid as much for their cotton as they could get in Shreveport. To sell near home was more convenient, but in the early nineties they decided to load several wagons with their fall crops and make the long trip to Shreveport. They were forced to sell at a lower price than they would have received at Beckville and came home wiser and poorer.
Improved gins and a nearby market increased cotton production. The effects of the same crops being planted year after year on the same land began to show on the farms. Cotton yields were declining and some of the land was said to be "worn out". New land couldn't be cleared because the country was becoming thickly settled and the old fields couldn't be rested, as had been the custom. The alert farmer recognized the cause of the declining yields. The soil was having food taken from it year after year and very little, if anything, was being done to replace it. Cattle were turned into cotton fields to eat the leaves after the crop was harvested. Many farmers pulled the stalks and burned them to clear the land for spring plowing. Due to this, little plant food was returned to the soil and its fertility declined. Progressive farmers began crop rotation to help solve this problem. Cotton would be followed the next year by corn, peas, or peanuts.
The bollweevil is thought to be the greatest enemy of the cotton crop. According to Avis Kinard, the insect came from Mexico in 1892 reached the Beckville area in the early 1900's. For the next few years they destroyed much of the cotton crop. Several years passed before successful methods of combating the bollweevil were found. Beckville suffered, as did all of the cotton producing South.
People were finally able to buy better equipment as more money was earned from the sale of products. Many labor saving devices were found on the farms. The old-time gins operated by horse power gave way to steam powered gins. Mr. J.W. Yarborough put in a diesel operated gin. This new gin required only seven minutes to produce a bale of cotton.
The production of cotton in 1912 was at a high level. At that time the ginners in the Beckville area were Crawford and Bros., A.C. McRae, J.W. Brown, Gentry and Pittman, H.W. Pickren, and J.W. Yarbrough.
During World War II the labor force was greatly reduced which made it difficult for farmers to continue making a profit on cotton. But cotton production began to improve after the war. Mr. Irby Driskell said, "The best cotton producing year we had was 1925. I expect we shipped 10,000 bales that season."
The great depression happened a few years later and farmers could no linger make a living on small farms. They began looking for other sources of income before World War II.
Some cotton farmers started growing tomatoes and that produce proved to be profitable for a few years. Others grew sweet potatoes or watermelons for their cash crop.
Cotton disappeared from the scene in the thirties and early forties as farmers in this vicinity began to turn their cotton fields into pastures for cattle.
Livestock
Raising livestock for sale was destined to become one of the leading sources of income for the farmers in the Beckville area. However, there was a long period of development before this became a reality. Several factors were favorable for this to happen. The land surrounding Beckville had a good supply of water all year. The short winters made it easy to carry stock through that season. The abundance of grass in this part of Panola County was certainly desirable.
In the pioneer days, farmers kept only those animals that were needed for use on the farm. The livestock roamed the woods with brands on them indicating the owner. As the country became more populated, the people decided to fence their pastures because it would be more profitable. The first fences were built of split logs. Building these rail fences, as they were called, was very hard work and the rails decayed within a few years. Finally the wire fences came into use. Wire fences not only looked a lot better than the wooden fences, but they were easier to build and lasted longer.
During this period, all cattle were scrub animals. It was not until after passage of the stock law that farmers became interested in improving their livestock and had a few pure bred animals brought in.
Many early settlers used oxen for draft animals but gradually their use was discontinued. As the farmer's income increased, they wanted horses and mules instead of the slower oxen. Most of the horses and mules were raised on the farms. But some were shipped in and sold or traded to the farmers.
Before rotary mowers, some farmers kept sheep and goats to help control brush and weeds. The sheep ate the grass close to the ground, but didn't care for bushes and weeds, so they soon disappeared. The goats were very helpful in keeping down the underbrush and briars.
Other livestock included on nearly all farms until the 1940's were chickens, a few ducks, guineas, geese and turkeys.
The razor back hog roamed the woods until the stock law was passed. During the summers they were rather lean. In the autumn, the hogs became fat on acorns. The people would put the hogs in pens for some days before butchering time in order to feed them corn to improve the quality of the meat.
As the railroad came into being, a few people began to improve the hog breeds and started shipping them to market. Poland China, Duroc Jersey, and Ohio Improved Chester were brought into the area to upgrade the existing stock. The better hogs brought better prices on the market. The railroad was used to ship the hogs to market before the auction sales became common practice in Panola County.
In 1934 Vocational Agriculture was added to the high school schedule. Through this class the Future Farmers of America was organized. This organization has had a great influence on the community in helping to improve livestock breeds and the methods of managing livestock.
With the decline of profits from cotton, the farmers began to look for other ways to make money. They began to find that there was more money in the production of cows and hogs than in cotton. Many fields that once grew crops were turned into pastures. The full-blooded animals were increasing in number and cattle raising as a means of making money was on its way. By the late thirties and early forties there were several herds of full-blooded White Faced Herefords, a few Jerseys, and Polled Durhams. Brahma cattle were just beginning to be tried out at this time.
Farmers began to sell the surplus calves and hogs to individual buyers who came to the farms to bid on the stock, or they were taken to the weekly auction sales at nearby Carthage, Henderson, or Marshall.
Although raising hogs for a profit was successful for some farmers, it was never very wide spread. Most of the hogs were mixed breeds, but some were pure bred. Many producers thought the mixed blooded hogs could be raised with less feed. Some people thought the pure bred hogs were more profitable.
Cattle herds continued to improve and the cotton farmers became successful ranchers. New breeds have been introduced over the years. The Brahma cattle have proven to be a very desirable breed in East Texas.
When purebred cattle were first introduced people were striving to develop purebred herds. Now many ranches are of the opinion that it is more profitable to cross breed their cattle in an effort to stimulate more rapid growth.
In the late fifties and early sixties, quite a few people on the farm invested in the poultry business. They would build several long buildings designed for growing chickens. The poultry company specified to the owner how to build these houses. After the buildings were completed, the companies would stock the buildings with tiny chickens and furnish the feed. The producers were paid a certain amount for each broiler size chicken at a later date. Caring for chicken houses was very hard work but the income from the investment was good. One by one the poultry houses in Beckville have gone out of business.
It does not appear that the mining operations have had any undesirable effects in the cattle business. He says most of the land where lignite has been dug was not very good pasture land.
The ranchers around Beckville continue to improve their herds. There are several outstanding herds of Brangus and Santa Gertrudis, as well as, dairy herds of pure bred Holstein.
Ever since cotton fields were turned into pasture land, raising cattle has been one of the main sources of income in East Texas.
Lumber
Sawmills did a flourishing business in this area after the railroad came through Beckville. Chaney, Foster, Yates, and Noble had mills running by the time the track was laid. At first the timber was hauled to the sawmills with ox teams but later horses and mules were used. The timber was shipped to market by train. The early sawmills used steam power to run the saws. Wood was used as fuel.
The tall virgin pines were cut first. A lot of timber was wasted because the stumps were cut several feet above the ground. Large tops and limbs were left to decay. There was no sale for knotty wood. Many small trees were injured when the larger trees fell on them. Later the sawmills began to cut some oak timber and occasionally sweet gum and Cyprus were cut.
There are records of some really huge trees being harvested. Bledsoe cut a tree that scaled over 2,500 board feet and that was just the trunk of the tree up to the limbs. Another pine tree 28 feet in circumference and 100 feet high produced three twelve foot cuts that scaled the same the entire length of the log. Still another pine only two feet in diameter made ten cuts eight feet long for rails, 199 rails in all. On Mr. Andrew Jordan's land was an oak that made 900 rails eight feet long. The early mills used only timber that would make at least ten or twelve inch planks. During that time timber sold for sixty cents a thousand feet. There was never very large sawmills in this area.
The virgin pine soon disappeared. Timber began to be scarce and prices advanced which caused the sawmills to cut any size trees they could buy. Many times a stand of timber was completely destroyed. The Forestry Service came into being and began managing timberland for the farmers. They would mark the trees that should be cut. Due to the recession that began 1981-1982, the building industry suffered a tremendous blow. Consequently, the price of timber dropped for the first time in many years.
Today about the only lumber industry in the Beckville area is pulpwood. Men drive their pulp wood trucks into the location of the trees, cut and load the short logs, then haul them to the wood yard beside the railroad. The pulpwood is shipped by train to the paper mill in Lufkin, Texas.
There is still some timber harvested in the Sabine River area. There are practically no small sawmills in East Texas today. Most timber logs are hauled by truck to large lumber companies. The lumber companies will buy sweet gum and oak, as well as pine, if there is a market for that timber.
Mineral Products
In 1943 Miss Avis Kinard gave an account of mineral products in the Beckville area up to that time. She was of the opinion that Beckville was lacking in minerals.
According to her historical report, there was clay suitable for brick just outside of town to the south and also a little farther northwest. At one time, a brick kiln was installed at both locations but there was little demand for the products and theses kilns were closed. The brick were so heavy that the cost of shipping to distant markets cut the profits too much. A chimney built out of these bricks on Mrs. Kuykendall's house seemed to give evidence that the brick were of good quality. It was mentioned that iron ore gravel was used to build and repair roads.
The first oil drilling took place on Mr. Marcus Gilliam Broome's land in 1914. Lots were sold for ten dollars each and stockholders were to share in all profits. People came from miles around to see the drilling. The well was a dry hole. During 1919 some workers on the Barron farm were digging a well and struck artesian water. Small quantities of oil were mixed with this water and for years a stream of oil-tinged water flowed across Mr. Barron's land. In 1922 another attempt was made to strike oil. The drilling took place on the Eden's land inside the city limits. The well was a failure.
The first successful oil drilling in the Beckville Independent School District was started about 1944. This activity was in the upper oil and gas producing sands. Approximately four years ago oil companies came back and started drilling on the cotton valley zone and other deep sands. From late 1982 and 1983 the oil industry is experiencing what is called an "Oil Glut" and all businesses connected with oil and gas production are seeing hard times.
Several mineral springs were in the community in 1943, which showed more iron than other minerals. The best-known spring was four miles north of town.
Outcroppings of lignite were observed in the area when Beckville was first built. Several places were near Beckville. Soon after the railroad was laid, a tunnel was dug into one of these lignite showings about four miles northwest of town. Several carloads were shipped to Longview where it was judged to be of poor quality.
Texas Utilities came into this area in the early 1970's, bought up land, built a huge plant on Martin Lake and started mining lignite around 1978. The operation is extensive. The coal is dug by five large cranes. People call the cranes, "Bigfoot". This mining of lignite coal has produced a lot of wealth in Beckville and the surrounding areas.
In 1993 the company had a major cutback, and many people took the "buyout" that was offered. Currently the spring of 1995, another cutback is in the process.