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DECKER
Decker, a small town, located some eighteen miles south of Sweetwater came into existence in 1898. In its best days it had a general store, a blacksmith show, a gin, a school and a post office. The first post office was located in the Sedberry home. It was a two teacher school and a partial list of the teachers is as follows: Leona Boatright, Miss Farr, Mamie Jackson, Thurman Bailey, Bessie Dowdy and Ulysess Thompson. The trustees were B.H. Ross, W.C. Shafer, Oscar Russell and E. Haggerton. The Methodist and Baptist churches used the school house as a place of worship. Ben Ross was owner of the first store and post office. The Cochrans, Everetts and the Georges were the earliest ranch men in this area. The R. Lanier family moved to Decker in 1904 and purchased 480 acres of land and became one of the prominent families of the community. The town was named for A.F. Decker, postmaster at Sweetwater when the post office was established. Mrs. Corene McRorey, formerly Miss Corene Lanier has given a story of life in Decker. DECKER COMMUNITY
WHERE
PEOPLE HELPED PEOPLE All the old settlers moved to Nolan County in covered wagons, located where they could find wood and water. Some lived in half dugouts built half in the ground, building that was saved money. Others built little two roomed houses, added on as family increased and when financially able. They didn’t have water wells in those days... had cisterns... was a hole in the earth walled with concrete part way down, the water ran off the house into the cistern... this water was used for drinking and cooking. Water for dishwashing and bathing came from earthen tanks and the creek, some times a mile away. FOR ENTERTAINMENT
IN DECKER COMMUNITY On Saturday afternoon, the farmers would gather around the old general store, crop talk, chew tobacco, play dominoes. Some would pitch horse shoes (no dollars to pitch) and tell tall tales. The women folks would stay home, bake cakes and pies, then would take all of the small kids to Oak Creek to play in the water and get them clean from head to toes... so would be clean for Sunday school and church Sunday morning. Saturday all the little boys who were large enough would take their dogs... hunt squirrel and twist cotton tail rabbits out of holes in the ground, skin and clean them roast them over a camp fire, then have a feast, they would not dare take them home, their mothers wouldn’t let them cook and eat them. Then they would head for the swimming hole at Oak Creek. TEEN AGE GROUP
On Saturday nights there were square dances, with the chirping of a fiddle and shouts of the calls, “swing your partner, do-si-do, then “Put your Little Foot.”: Sometimes on Friday night they would have a Box Supper, the girls would work hard all day, trying to make an old shoe box look pretty with crepe paper, with bows and flowers, all filled with goodies, hoping their best boy friend would buy their box, the boxes were auctioned off to the highest bidder. On Sunday afternoon all would gather at one house and have a signing, sing, for a while and then go kodaking. Was such a thrill to get to stand real close to your best boy friend and have your picture made. During the summer lull in the fields, neighbors got together to build the brush arbor near the school house, under the brush arbor people went to church in summer, then different denominations would take turns holding meetings, on the last Sunday of each meeting everybody would bring a picnic lunch and share it, that was dinner on the ground. Each year the boys and men would tear down the old brush and burn it, cut new brush and pile on the arbor. In the summer time everybody took time out for a big picnic, all families brought big baskets of food and the men barbecued a beef, everybody ate together. Then came the fun, roping goats, riding steers and drinking lots of pink lemonade. Miss Minnie fowler was one of the first school teachers who taught in the Decker school, only one room and one teacher then... later on a curtain was put across the room... made two rooms so could have two teachers. The Sedberrys moved to Nolan County in Decker community in 1899, where they farmed. Mrs. Sedberry was postmistress at Decker Community for several years. Also served as the telephone exchange operator there for some time. This was all in their homes, later was moved to the general store. Most of the farms have been turned into pasture land, homes all gone, about all that is left is a nice well kept cemetery. Bob Lanier gave two acres of land for a community cemetery, with the understanding it was not to be sold. Lots of old timers are brought back there for burial. Lots are free to anyone who want to buy there. Decker Community where people helped peopl |