Issue 8 Volume 3 Grimes County Historical Commission August 2017 Meetings of the Grimes County Historical Commission are held on the Second Monday of the Month at 6:30 pm in the Courthouse Annex in Anderson, Texas Contact Information Joe King Fultz [email protected] Visit us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ GrimesCountyHistoricalCo mmission Grimes County Historical Commission Photo of the Month Executive Board Chairman Joe King Fultz Vice Chairman Susan Boudreaux Secretary Vanessa Burzynski Treasurer Bob Goldstein COMMITTEES Historical Markers Denise Upchurch Historic Preservation Sarah Nash Newsletter & Publicity Vanessa Burzynski Giesel House Volunteer Committee 113 Railroad Street, Navasota, Texas Susan Boudreaux GRIMES COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2017 PAGE 2 News from the Past The Austin Weekly Statesman (Austin, Tex.0 Vol. 23 Ed. 1 Thursday, February 1, The State Herald (Mexia, Tex.) Vo. 8 No. 1894 27, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 4, 1907 The Heroes of Texas The Battle Cry of Freedom History of the Statues in the Hyde Park The Tyrant’s heel is on our necks, Studio in Austin The Antis in the swim So, rally round the Flag old boy, Mrs. Looscan’s fine article recently published in And filler her to the brim. the Galveston News and Houston Post concerning monuments to Texas Heroes is very The white man rules no longer, boys, timely and in this connection, we would like the For Whiskey sure will win, public to know what has already been done at The Brewers’ Trust – the Negroes friend, Austin. Will make Old Cuffy grin. When Benedette H. Tobin of Austin was elected Free Liquor now will be the cry, president of the board of lady managers at the Throw Freedom to the breeze, Dallas convention, the board being auxiliary to And rally round the Flag, old boy, the World’s Fair Exhibit association then And make the preachers sneeze. located at Fort Worth, then to Galveston, she, as president of the board of lady managers High finance knows a trick or two, proposed to have some beautiful memorials to What boots the children’s wails; adorn the Texas building and decided to call Or what’s a woman’s sobs to us upon the women and children of the state to aid When money’s in the scales? in perpetuating in marble our grand Texas heroes, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, in So, rally round the Liquor Trust statues, and Rusk, Fannin and Crockett in busts. The Darkies in the swim; Let Freedom be our battle cry, The proposition met with ready response and And fill her to the brim. after corresponding with noted sculptors in the United States and in Paris, France, Elisabet Ney, As a slight testimonial to their distinguished and the sculptress who has won renown in Europe patriotic, as well as unselfish devotion to the by her statues and busts of some of Europe’s cause of good government and the untrammeled most renowned men – Bismark, Garibaldi, rights and liberties of the citizens, the foregoing Liebig, Jacob-Grimm and the unfortunate is affectionately dedicated to the Anti- romantic king of Bavaria, Ludwig II, the blind Prohibition Committee of One Hundred by The king of Hanover, (the last of the Guelts) by her Author, June 29, 1907. beautiful St. Sabastian adoring one of the great cathedrals in Europe, was called upon and consulted. The ladies had raised a few hundred dollars as a statue fund, when the official announcement was received that the men of Texas had forfeited their charter and that all hope of Texas being represented at the great World’s Fair was abandoned. This was indeed a sad blow to the women of Texas. GRIMES COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2017 PAGE 3 Benedette B. Tobin with heroic courage The statue of Austin unfinished at that time, is determined, with the aid of her board, to raise now also completed and will, with the statue of sufficient money to have at least a beautiful Houston (when that shall have returned from rendezvous for the convenience and comfort of Chicago), remain in the studio at Hyde park, all Texas visiting the “White City”. This great awaiting fulfillment of the condition of the undertaking by the women was begun with the contract, to wit. That sufficient means shall be hope and fond expectation that the state raised to have them done in marble, after which legislature and County Exhibitor’s association of they will be presented by the Women of Texas to Texas would come to their assistance and make the Capitol of the state and to Elisabet Ney and an exhibit of the resources of the state. Benedette B. Tobin, Texas for generations to come shall owe a debt of gratitude for their Everyone is familiar with the deplorable apathy priceless legacy. and neglect of our state government and exhibit association. All ought to be familiar with the The “Daughters of the Republic” seem a fitting unselfish, untiring, wholly unrequited services association to lend their assistance to the Statue of Benedette B. Tobin; the undaunted energy club, but the whole state should awaken to the and courage displayed from the beginning to the necessity of aiding of the fund raising, thus end of the fair; how the beautiful Texas building preventing a long seclusion of these statues in was kept open and the most cheerful hospitality the studio in Hyde Park, awaiting their so much admired, was extended not only to our resurrection in marble as the whole state should own people, but to all visitors from the states awake to the beautifying and adorning of our and foreign countries. magnificent capitol building and grounds. At the moment, the men of Texas avowed their Mrs. J. K. Holland, Austin, Texas inability to carry out their plan, the women had to take the responsibility of erecting the building, and the first idea of adorning it with statues and busts of Texas heroes would have been abandoned if Elisabet Ney had not generously offered to give, for the purpose of carrying out the beautiful idea of the women of Texas, her skill and time as a free offering on the altar of heroism. Only $1150 had been raised by the statue clubs, but upon condition that after the sufficient means should be raised to produce them in enduring marble and have them placed within the corridors of the capitol, Elizabet Ney recalled from oblivion the forms and features of two of Texas’ cherished heroes, and Texas therefore had the good fortune to see in the center of her building at the World’s fair the imposing statue of Sam Houston, which won so much admiration, especially from artists of all countries visiting Chicago. GRIMES COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2017 PAGE 4 The Galveston Daily News (Galveston, Mrs. Fannie Giesel died Sunday morning, Texas) September 13, 1884 after several years illness. She was highly esteemed and a very large number attended her Navasota, September 12 – At 3 o’clock this funeral today. She was fifty-six years old, was morning a fire originated in a building one of the first settlers here in 1859, and only belonging to P. A. Smith, on Railroad street, four are left of those who came when she did. occupied by H. C. Miller and Simmons as a Alexander Kuhnerdt has taken charge of the grocery and vegetable stores, which spread to Giesel House. the adjacent buildings, only one on the block escaping, which is occupied as a drinking and The Galveston Daily News, November 10, billiard saloon by R. Callauan. The losses are as 1881 Navasota, November 9 – Mr. Alexander follows: Kuhnerdt, proprietor of the Giesel House, died very suddenly this morning of hemorrhage The Smith Hotel and nearly the entire contents of the lungs. His remains will be buried $6,000 No Insurance. House occupied by tomorrow. Ackerman & Gudger; $500 No insurance. House occupied by J. Runnells $400. No The Galveston Daily News, November 18, insurance. House occupied by Miller & 1833 Navasota, November 12 – Two strange Simmons; $600 and room occupied by Tom negroes were in town Saturday night searching Beck $200. No insurance. Ackerman & Gudger, for a lodging place. They encountered a loss of stock, books and stationery $2500; quarrelsome negro man, John Arrington, when Insured for $1500. No insurance on the others. there was a shooting match between them, and Giesel House and contents worth $10,000. the strangers were put in the calaboose. Much Insurance $6000. M. Van Deaderick loss in pistol shooting last night prevailed on the stock of groceries, $1200; insured for $1000 streets. Several parties were arrested today. A House of C. V. Vaughan $500; No insurance. negro, Becky Vaughan, quarreled with and Meyer, Barry & Co. house, $6000; insurance cursed Mrs. S. Cope, of the Giesel house, $5000; loss on stock $15,000, insurance, Sunday night, when Mr. T. Cope went in and $12,000 Foster Bros & Davern, loss in damage chastised Becky. Both were up today before the to house nominal; fully insured. P. Callauan, Mayor. Other serious troubles are on the tapis loss in stock by moving nominal; fully insured. which may result in blood-shed. It is not known how the fire started. The night The Galveston Daily News, November 24, was clear and calm, otherwise the destruction 1885 Navasota, November 28 – The engine and would have been much greater. Young Mr. Ed tender of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Smith deserves special mention for acts of eastbound train was thrown from the track fortitude in preventing the spread of the fire. Saturday night this side of Yarboro station, and the fireman, G.