The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 50, July 1946 - April, 1947 Page: 272
582 p. : ill. (some col.), maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
Mirror and priced $1.00. Upshur County was organized on
July 13, 1846, having previously been a part of Nacogdoches
and Harrison counties. The county was named for Abel P.
Upshur, an ardent advocate of the annexation of Texas in
Tyler's cabinet. Gilmer, the county seat, was named for
Thomas W. Gilmer, another annexationist member of Tyler's
official family.
Some of the topics covered in the booklet are natural re-
sources, early history, first roads and trails, early settlers,
Indians, courthouses, schools (the Masonic Female Institute,
the Looney School, the Pritchett School, etc.), negroes, and of-
ficials.
Gilmer, the county seat, receives treatment with reference
to location, early settlers, names of streets, water supply,
churches, livery stables, first automobile, banks, and schools.
Especially charming is the story of the deep, flea-infested sand
on the courthouse square at Gilmer. Originally the sand was
so full of fleas that when a stranger picked up a handful by the
time the fleas had all hopped away there was no sand left. Now
the sand is covered by thick pavement, but, according to the
editor of the Gilmer Mirror, the fleas live on and come out of
hibernation with a vengeance when the pavement is pierced.
Other towns and communities of Upshur County whose his-
tories are briefly traced are Big Sandy, Rosewood, Shady
Grove, East Mountain, Grice, Pleasant Hill, Union Grove, Soules
Chapel, Graceton, Glenwood, Coffeeville, Ore City, Indian Rock,
West Mountain, Mings Chapel, Sand Hill, Latch, Stamps, Simp-
sonville, LaFayette, Kelsey, Enon, Calloway, and Bettie.
Liberty County held a special celebration on September 22,
1946, commemorating the centennial of statehood. The follow-
ing invitation was extended by James M. Cherry, Kilgore;
George W. Jordan, mayor of Cleveland; Big Chief Ti-Ca-i-che
of the Alabama-Coushatta Indian Village; Governor Coke R.
Stevenson; Karl Hoblitzelle, chairman of the Texas Centennial
of Statehood Commission; and A. Garland Adair, chairman of
the program committee.
The Texas Centennial of Statehood Commission and the citizens of
Liberty County extend to you and all of the public a most cordial invi-
tation to attend the ceremonies commemorating the 100th anniversary of
Statehood on the 200th birthday of Aaron Cherry. To be held at Cherry272
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 50, July 1946 - April, 1947, periodical, 1947; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101117/m1/319/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.