“Between the Creeks” Gwen Pettit This is a compilation of weekly newspaper columns on local history written by Gwen Pettit during 1986-1992 for the Allen Leader and the Allen American in Allen, Texas. Most of these articles were initially written and published, then run again later with changes and additions made. I compiled these articles from the Allen American on microfilm at the Allen Public Library and from the Allen Leader newspapers provided by Mike Williams. Then, I typed them into the computer and indexed them in 2006-07. Lois Curtis and then Rick Mann, Managing Editor of the Allen American gave permission for them to be reprinted on April 30, 2007, [email protected]. Please, contact me to obtain a free copy on a CD. I have given a copy of this to the Allen Public Library, the Harrington Library in Plano, the McKinney Library, the Allen Independent School District and the Lovejoy School District. Tom Keener of the Allen Heritage Guild has better copies of all these photographs and is currently working on an Allen history book. Keener offices at the Allen Public Library. Gwen was a longtime Allen resident with an avid interest in this area’s history. Some of her sources were: Pioneering in North Texas by Capt. Roy and Helen Hall, The History of Collin County by Stambaugh & Stambaugh, The Brown Papers by George Pearis Brown, The Peters Colony of Texas by Seymour V. Conner, Collin County census & tax records and verbal history from local long-time residents of the county. She does not document all of her sources. Although Gwen has an excellent reputation for accuracy, care should be taken to use these news articles as a starting point for research and not as a primary definitive source. I copied the articles exactly as written only changing obvious typing errors. Not as obvious errors with dates and names are probably present. Some of the microfilm is illegible but I decided to include those articles “as is” rather than to delete the entire article. Also, some of our history changes slightly as more research is done and more archaeology projects are undertaken. A few articles on the Allen Station Dam written by Lindy Fisher are included at the back of this book as well as including “The Ballad of Sam Bass”. Gwen Pettit’s husband is named D.C. Pettit and is mentioned often in the early articles. Compiled by: Lindy Fisher 831 Timberwood Lane Fairview, Texas 75069 i Table of Contents Foreword i Cattle Trails Table of Contents ii Cattleman settled in Allen 51 Brands showed owner of cattle 52 Photos & Sketches v Cook home a landmark 53 Poems v Preston Road integral to area 55 Land & Prairie Cowboys often were boys 57 A home where the buffalo roamed 1 Lebanon had reputation 58 Settlers granted land in Texas 2 Cattle herded on Shawnee Trail 60 Free land brought first settlers 3 Lebanon hit hard times 62 Dinosaur fossils found in creek 5 Republic of Texas – Collin Free land attracted newcomers 7 McKinney, Throckmorton, Free land attracted many in 1840s 8 Buckner County Seat, Centennial Immigrants settled this area 10 The Hedgecoxe War 65 Taproot 11 Old ‘new’ Texans 66 Tall grass prairie covered area 11 Fourth of July of 1846 67 Hogwash about bluebonnets 13 The first Fourth of July 69 Lessons deepen appreciation 15 Troops from the new state 70 Texas in party dress of flowers 16 The Mexican War–the beginning 71 Shotgun put food on table 18 The Ranger continues 72 Collectors preserve old seeds 19 Pioneer signed State Declaration 74 Forgotten potherbs 21 Remember Collin McKinney 76 Roses grown in pioneer days 22 McKinney, signer of Declaration 77 Surveyors depended on landmarks 23 Collin McKinney, shapes of counties 79 Odd assortment colonized area 24 City’s namesake helps annex Texas 80 Early settlers had more land 26 Allen, memorial to Republic 82 Young turkey herder 27 James Throckmorton 83 Local dialect’s terms give clues 29 Only cemetery of first county seat 84 Is it spring yet? 30 Buckner, County seat 86 Good wells hard to come by 32 Texas Centennial 87 Springs an integral part of history 33 Sesquincentennial 89 Old-timers say dowsing a talent 34 Lyndon Baines Johnson Indians L B J fostered Texas image 91 Recorded Indian sites plentiful 37 Rowlett schoolmaster marries student 92 Indians turned hostile 38 Senator Gough dedicated service 93 Massacre victims buried on creek 40 G.W. Baines led Baptists 95 Indian attacks claimed settlers 41 Baines’ interest in law 96 Indians assist early adventurers 43 LBJ promoted heritage 97 Indians protected hunting grounds 44 Churches Comanches resisted growth 45 st Taking the land 46 Railroad led to 1 Baptist Church 100 Fisher family settlers troubled 47 Uncle Abe; true type of gentleman 101 Army protected Preston Road 49 Neighbors worshipped in school 103 Gough part of history of Baptists 105 Gone to Texas 106 ii Churches established by Phillips 107 Tracing Allen’s roots 168 Church key in black community 109 Once mighty Bois d’Arc 169 Old Rowlett Church 111 Pioneer homes, Part I 170 Fun at Baptist Church 112 Pioneer homes, Part II 172 First Christian Church 114 Mrs. Brown would have home 173 News in 1908 114 Tracing ancestry clouded 174 Itinerant preachers traveled 116 Quality of slave records varies 176 Baptist church at Rowlett 117 Texans use initials in names 178 Methodist minister 119 Laymen were salt of earth 179 Schools Allen Cemetery 180 School lunches 122 Local legends (partial article) 182 Early schools 122 Memories of old barbershops 184 200 years of good intentions 123 Gold Fever 186 Students dodged longhorns 124 Men lured by gold 187 Education system had start 125 Lee-Peacock feud rages 188 Community to keep district 127 Local, national politics in 1890 190 “By the skin of our teeth” 128 Many traveled from Kentucky 191 Remembering the early schools 129 Parker without Southfork 192 Remains of early schools 131 Allen, steady growth in 1880 194 Remembering Hog Waller School 133 Newspaper records growth 196 Disparity- white and black schools 134 Some blarney about potatoes 198 Mrs. J.L. Lovejoy- life to education 137 Epitaphs 199 Which creeks? 138 Civil War Lick Springs, Forest Grove 139 Throckmorton against secession 200 Residents of Bethany were 141 Throckmorton supports Confed. 202 Early Texas schools difficult 143 Confederates find forts abandoned 203 Stinson School 144 Missouri connection strong 204 Willow Springs School 146 Younger family settles here 205 Eagles in 6-man footbal1 147 Quantrill in North Texas 206 Early AHS basketball 149 Quantrill’s marauders 207 More about the Mudhole 150 Quantrill arrested by military 208 Sam Bass Missourians brought changes 210 State’s 1st train robbery in 1878 152 Local families feed Quantrill 211 Wild rumors proceeded train 153 Local posses helpful 212 Intense manhunt 154 Local citizens aided outlaws 214 Allen train robber’s dream 156 Texas northers bring 216 Bass assembled gang 157 The Blue Norther poem 216 Bass found train robbing 159 Early 1900s Chasing Bass’ gang serious 160 1900 Sears catalog used by settlers 218 Texas Ranger kills Bass 161 Robberies explosion in 1901 219 Jackson survived shootout 163 Few traces of early newspapers 220 Ballad of Sam Bass 164 Old newspapers show early Allen 221 Late 1800s Roosevelt made visit in 1904 223 Life tough for early settlers 166 Mules were big business 224 The Saturday Bath 167 Include black-eyed peas Jan. 1 225 Children’s games teach lessons 227 iii The Fire of 1915 228 Ol’ days weren’t so good in cold 291 Downtown fire in 1915 229 Harvest reason for Thanksgiving 293 Downtown location has history 230 Founding Families Allen’s oldest downtown building 232 Ashby recalls life in England 295 Water a primary concern 234 Baccus home 296 Biblical references in town plan 235 Dr. Rowlett; doctor, lawyer, planter 298 Depression generation 236 Rowlett earns certificate 299 Sight, smells of summers past 238 Physician settled near Rowlett 301 People spend Sunday afternoons 239 Morgan Brown family 302 Worst-tasting folk medicines 241 Helping former residents job 303 Some food for thought on diets 242 Details give clues of house 304 Jackrabbit makes for tales 243 Dr. Compton brought medicine 306 Telegrams brought bad news 245 Lonesome Dove character local 307 Interurban links urban areas 246 Journal details move from Ky. 309 Interurban railway was vital 247 Pioneer’s journal records arrival 310 Interurban had cosmopolitan air 249 Lunsford records trip 312 Interurban station part of history 250 Diaries record of household duties 314 Liberty Bell tour 251 Warden settlers 315 Interurban stops after 40 years 252 Some weddings were important 317 Families gathered for canning 255 Hogan Witt settled on Rowlett 318 Home demonstration clubs teach 256 McMillen-Maxwell group left mark 320 Mom’s college education 257 Coffey descendents still among us 321 Permanent press 259 201-year-old Document leads to Va 323 Rodeos past 260 Christies followed migration route 324 Patriotic songs lift spirits 261 Land for boys brought family 325 1942 262 Marion Snider – our own celebrity 327 Allen was island in flood of 1964 264 Seasoned pioneers from Illinois 328 And the floods came 265 Rattan, Illinois pioneer, settles area 329 The rains came down 266 Huffmans brought aristocracy 331 Pettits were welcomed 267 Physician settled near Rowlett 332 Hymn written here will be sung 269 Dugger family migrated from Tenn. 333 Humphrey’s grocery store 270 Dugger tells stories of life 334 Farm implement firm booms 271 Fondren family came to area 336 Visionaries in 1950s 273 Wash Ford made pioneer history 337 Missed turnoff leads doctor here 274 Early Roads Holiday Stories Henry Exall Memorial Highway 340 Churches celebrated Christmas 278 The Old Stage Road 341 “Christmas gift” greeting 279 Tracing Forest Grove Road 342 Column has covered much in year 280 Early roads followed lines 343 Stories reported in 1991 282 Stuck in the mud 345 Christmas special for Spurgins 283 Stagecoaches stopped on Jupiter Rd.