Camp Hearne Historic Site to Host Third Annual WWII Living History Event

Camp Hearne is bringing World War II history to life during its third annual “A Day in the Life…” living history event on October 27, 2012, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Camp Hearne, a WWII prisoner-of-war base camp located on FM 485 northwest of Hearne, Texas, has been touted as the best documented POW camp in the United States. Many folks simply do not realize almost 432,000 German, Italian, and Japanese prisoners were housed in the United States during WWII.  Camp Hearne, where more than 4800 mostly German prisoners were detained, is the perfect historic site to tell this story.

You will be able to visit the WWII POW Camp Exhibit, walk the trails to prisoner-built remains, interact with WWII living historians as they “show and tell” their collections, watch weapons demonstrations and view WWII vintage vehicles.  Put on an olive drab shirt and helmet and hop aboard My Gal, a restored jeep, waiting for your photo-op. To really get in the spirit of this day in the past, don your parents’ or grandparents’ 1940s apparel and just make-believe. 

 This tribute is an acknowledgement of contributions made by all Americans during a most difficult time: our fighting soldiers abroad, our service men and women protecting our homeland, our citizens working in the factories and farms, our children gathering scrap iron and rubber, and our families sacrificing their fathers, sons, and brothers.  All contributed to win the war and protect our freedoms.

For additional information, visit www.camphearne.com or contact Cathy Lazarus or Melissa Freeman at 979-314-7012.

Brazos Heritage Society at Boonville Days

On October 6, 2012, the 7th Annual Boonville Days Living History Fair was held at the Brazos Center.  This was a wonderful event that highlighted life in historic Boonville. Members of the Brazos Heritage Society were present and contributed to this learning experience. 

Nat Hilliard, Society President, showed how butter was churned, which was a big hit with attendees.  Beverly Myers, the organization’s Treasurer, provided a demonstration of English paper piecing.  In addition, Sheila Fields, Research Chair, had an informative display about the history of Boonville.

Randy and Stephanie Hilliard, Heritage Park Co-Chairs, were present and recorded activities through photographs and a written report.  Stephanie’s comprehensive report of this educational event may be read by going to her blog – Where Hearts Meet Needs: Highlighting the Work of Non-Profit Organizations in My Community and Beyond: http://whereheartsmeetneeds.blogspot.com/2012/10/exploring-days-of-yore.html.

Harvest Tea Cancelled

It is with regret we report the Harvest Tea, scheduled for Saturday, October 27, 2012, at the historic Abbott-Blakely-Chavis House in College Station, has been cancelled due to poor ticket sales.  

The Brazos Heritage Society will consider holding a tea in the spring of 2013.  

Persons who purchased tickets have been notified of the cancellation, and refunds will be made this week.

Resolution Honoring Brooks Cofer

On September 3, 2012, Brooks Cofer, a longtime supporter of the Brazos Heritage Society, passed away following a brief illness.  In recognition of Brooks’ many contributions to the community, on September 24, 2012, the Society passed the following resolution.

BRAZOS HERITAGE SOCIETY

RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, D. Brooks Cofer, Jr., was born on May 13, 1922, in College Station, Texas.

WHEREAS, Brooks graduated from the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, where he was a member of the Corps of Cadets and Editor-in-Chief of the Battalion.

WHEREAS, Brooks earned a law degree from Washington and Lee University School of Law.

WHEREAS, Brooks served his country honorably in the United States Army, both on active duty during World War II and its aftermath, and in the U. S. Army Reserve, from which he retired as a Lt. Colonel.

WHEREAS, Brooks practiced law in Brazos County from 1953 to 2012; during that period he served as Assistant County Attorney (1955-1960), County Attorney (1960-1969), and District Attorney (1969-1972).  Commencing in 1972 Brooks went into private practice, working tirelessly for the citizens of Brazos County and assisting those in need.

WHEREAS, Brooks devoted countless hours supporting various charities and community organizations.

WHEREAS, Brooks was a longtime supporter and member of the Brazos Heritage Society.

AND WHEREAS, Brooks passed on to his final reward on September 3, 2012, at the age of 90.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Brazos Heritage Society shall expend $225.00 to purchase a tree for Heritage Park in memory of D. Brooks Cofer, Jr.

            APPROVED by the Executive Committee of the Brazos Heritage Society on this 24th day of September, 2012.

                                                                             Nat Hilliard

                                                                                                Nat Hilliard, President

Harvest Tea Scheduled for October

On the afternoon of Saturday, October 27, 2012, the Brazos Heritage Society will host Victorian teas at the beautiful Abbott-Blakely-Chavis House, located at 701 Hereford Street in College Station’s historic College Park neighborhood.  There will be two seatings at the Harvest Tea, the first at 1:00 PM and the second at 4:00 PM.  Everyone is encouraged to wear their best hat; awards will be presented.
  

The Abbott-Blakely-Chavis Home was built in 1934 in College Station’s historic College Park neighborhood.  The original one-bedroom, one bath structure typified the modest style of construction promoted by New Deal legislation designed to increase the number of homeowners.  

The first owners, John Paul and Virginia Abbott, had long ties to Texas A&M University.  Virginia was the daughter of one of the earlier faculty members in the School of Agriculture.  She married John Paul, who moved to College Station from Ohio in 1925 to teach English.  He later became Chair of the Department of English, then Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences where he spent much of his career.  After serving for a period as Provost, he retired after 50 years at Texas A&M University.  

The home was purchased from the Abbotts by Dr. Craig Blakely and Karan Chavis in 1996.  Dr. Craig Blakely is the Dean of the School of Rural Public Health which gives the house the unique distinction of having had deans as its owners.  Karan Chavis is the Assistant Dean for Planning and Evaluation in the College of Medicine.  

In the fourteen years they have owned the home, the Blakely-Chavis’s have significantly enhanced the property, adding comfort and functionality while preserving the historic charm and bountiful personality of the original residence.  

The price of admission to the Harvest Tea is $40.00 per person, which includes a tour of the home.  For reservations, please call Beverly Myers at (979) 229-9414.  Tickets must be purchased in advance.  Seating is limited so make reservations early.  

Proceeds from this event will go to fulfilling the mission of the Brazos Heritage Society.

Exploring History Lunch Lecture Series Reminder

The College Station Historic Preservation Committee and the Senior Advisory Committee have developed an outstanding Exploring History Lunch Lectures Series for 2012.  Please join them on October 17, 2012, at the Aldersgate Church as they present:

Hidden Treasures of the Cushing Library

Featuring Dr. Mary Manning

The luncheon is $5.00 per person and begins at 11:30 AM in the Aldersgate Church at 2201 Earl Rudder Freeway in College Station. 

Parking is available in the main lot to the south of the building.  Enter through the main double doors, take a left, and you will be directed to the meeting room.   In case you are not familiar with this facility, it is located just north of Academy, Gander Mountain, and Dickey’s, on the frontage road between Southwest Parkway and Harvey Road. 

Reservations are required and must be made with Marci Rodgers, Senior Services Coordinator, College Station Parks & Recreation Department, at mrodgers@cstx.gov or by calling the Southwood Community Center at 979-764-6351.

Texas Insights

The Texas State Historical Association, in cooperation with its partners, offers Texas Insights, an electronic newsletter designed to share opportunities for Texas teachers and students while promoting effective instructional practices.

The October 2012 (Vol. III, Issue 2) edition of this electronic publication may be read by going to: http://www.teachingtexas.org/enewsletter/october2012.

Fall 2012 Issue of Riding Line now Available

The latest issue of Riding Line, the quarterly newsletter of the Texas State Historical Association, is now accessible online.  Featured in this issue are the following articles and news items:

Bill O’Neal of Panola College Appointed Texas State Historian;  

Highlights of three books – Old Red: Pioneering Medical Education in Texas, by Heather Green Wooten; The Great Hanging at Gainesville, 1862: The Accounts of Thomas Barrett and George Washington Diamond, with an introduction and commentary by Richard B. McCaslin and L. D. Clark; and A Wild and Vivid Land: An Illustrated History of the South Texas Border, by Jerry Thompson;  

Items available at www.Shop.TSHAonline.org;  

Information about next year’s annual meeting of the Texas State Historical Association; and  

Various educational endeavors.

This issue of Riding Line may be accessed by going to the following link: http://www.tshaonline.org/sites/default/files/doc/ridingline/riding_line_-_fall_2012.pdf. 

Dedication Ceremony Held for Boonville Jail Marker

Members of the Brazos Heritage Society and several community leaders were in attendance at the Boonville Building at 2490 Boonville Road in Bryan on Friday, September 28, 2012, for the unveiling and dedication of the community historical marker for the Boonville Jail.  The Boonville Building, owned by the Duncum family, is located on the site of the old jail.

Society President Nat Hilliard welcomed everyone to the ceremony, and specifically recognized County Judge Duane Peters and Bryan Mayor Jason Bienski. 

Brazos Heritage Society Community Marker

Following the introductions, Dan Beto, the Society’s Vice President, gave the invocation.  He was followed by Sheila Fields, Research Chair for the Society, who provided background information on the Boonville Jail and how the community marker became a reality.  Henry Mayo, Chair of the Brazos County Historical Commission, spoke next about some of the leaders of old Boonville and offered words of thanks to the Society for taking the lead on this project.

Justin Duncum, speaking on behalf of his family, noted their interest in the Boonville community and expressed their thanks to members of the Society who reached out to them with the proposal to have a community marker on their property.

Following the remarks, members of the Duncum family unveiled the marker.

Sheila Fields with members of the Duncum Family

Other members of the Brazos Heritage Society present at this event included Treasurer Beverly Myers and Judge Tom McDonald, Of Counsel.

The Bryan-College Station Eagle was represented by reporter Cassie Smith and award winning photographer Stuart Villanueva; their coverage of this event, appearing in the September 30, 2012, edition of the newspaper, may be found at this link: http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/article_3b6abcb8-22ec-5528-ab06-4e22ade22744.html.

Where in Brazos County? September Contest

The Brazos Heritage Society has been conducting a monthly contest since March of this year in which readers of Heritage Brazos are asked to identify a structure or a location in Brazos County. 

In this latest contest, readers are being asked to identify the item in the accompanying photograph and its location.  Submissions may be sent to Dan Beto at dan.beto@gmail.com.  The submission received by October 15, 2012, with the greatest specificity will be declared the winner.

The winner of this contest will be provided a book – Historic Brazos County.

Past and current members of the Society’s Executive Committee are ineligible to participate.

Fall Membership Meeting Held

On September 27, 2012, members of the Brazos Heritage Society gathered at the Matthew Winsper Knobel Memorial Gazebo in Heritage Park for the fall membership meeting and social.

After convening the meeting, President Nat Hilliard called on Judge Tom McDonald, who provided a report on the Boonville Historical Marker and an update on the Queen Theatre restoration.

Tom McDonald

Darrell Lovelette, Director of Bryan’s Parks and Recreation Department, and Blaine Brezina, who is working on the Heritage Park Master Plan as part of fulfilling the requirements to become an Eagle Scout, discussed plans for the planting of trees in the foreseeable future.  Mr. Lovelette also responded to questions about park maintenance issues.  It was noted the Society has received more than $1,100.00 in contributions for the purchase of trees and Keep Brazos Beautiful has committed to providing a number of trees as well.

Darrell Lovelette and Blaine Brezina

President Hilliard provided a status report on the Harvest Tea, scheduled for October 27, 2012, in the Abbott-Blakely-Chavis House in College Station’s historic College Park neighborhood.  She also asked for volunteers to assist with this event.

Beverly Myers, the Society’s Treasurer, reported the Society was still awaiting word on a grant request to fund the restoration of the Astin vintage clothes.  She also advised that some of the clothing would be featured in an exhibit at the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History.

On a final note, President Hilliard advised the Society would participate in the Bryan Christmas Parade on December 14, 2012, and that the Society’s Christmas Stroll in Heritage Park and the East Side Historic District will be held on December 15, 2012.

Prior to and following the formal meeting members gathered in the gazebo to enjoy a selection of delicious refreshments, to become better acquainted with one another, and to learn more about the work of the Society.

Boonville Days Living History Fair 2012

Join the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History for the 7th Annual Boonville Days Living History Fair on Saturday, October 6, 2012, at the Brazos Center, 3232 Briarcrest Drive in Bryan, Texas.  This event will take place from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

This year marks the 4th Annual Buffalo Stampede Half Marathon for 5K Race at 7:30 AM.  In addition, there will be a Chuck Wagon Cookoff.

Celebrate the history of the Brazos Valley at Brazos County’s only living history fair.

For more information about this event and much more, visit the following link: http://www.brazosvalleymuseum.org/.

Where in Brazos County? August Contest Winner

On August 26, 2012, the Brazos Heritage Society posted its sixth monthly photo contest on Heritage Brazos, where readers of this electronic newsletter were asked to identify a building and its location in Brazos County. 

The announcement for this particular contest may be viewed at the following link: http://heritagebrazos.blogspot.com/2012/08/where-in-brazos-county-august-contest.html.

The person who was the first to correctly identify the location of this building, which has been a store and a beer joint known for serving good hamburgers, was Henry Mayo, a local surveyor, historian, and Chair of the Brazos County Historical Commission.  This building is located at the intersection of Farm Roads 50 and 1687, in an area commonly known as Mudville or Steele’s Store.

According to the Handbook of Texas Online,

Mudville, also known as Steele’s Store, is located at the intersection of farm roads 50 and 1687, on the Southern Pacific Railroad eleven miles west of Bryan in far western Brazos County.  The area was settled in the 1860s and became known as Mudville for the mud common to this floodplain of the Brazos and Little Brazos rivers.  In 1878 a post office, called Steele’s Store, was opened in the store owned by Henry B. Steele, and the names Steele’s Store and Mudville seem to have been used interchangeably by local residents, with Mudville sometimes referring to the wider rural area served by the community.  According to some sources the population was three-fourths black at this time.  Many Italians were farming in the area.  In 1884 Steele’s Store had an estimated population of 150 and two churches, three cotton gins, a steam gristmill, and two general stores.  The community became a station on the Hearne and Brazos Valley Railway in 1891, and by 1896 claimed a population of 350.  In 1904 a school for whites at Steele’s Store had sixty-eight pupils and one teacher.  In 1930 the community comprised an estimated 300 inhabitants and fourteen businesses.  In 1940 it had a church, a school, four businesses, and a number of scattered dwellings.  The post office closed in 1950, and the school had consolidated with Bryan by the 1960s.  In 1988 the community had a number of scattered dwellings and was designated Mudville on maps. In 1992, the Texas Historical Commission placed a historical marker at the site.  [Mark Odintz, “MUDVILLE, TX,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed September 15, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association].

Congratulations, Henry.  Arrangements will be made for you to receive you prize.