The Tarrant County Historical
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EDITION #SIX | |||||||
Editor and photographer ,
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On May 16, 1949 Fort Worth was pounded with
more than five inches of rain. By May 17th the Trinity River rises over
it's banks and had flooded the West and North sides of Town. On West 7th
Street, water rose to the second story of the Montgomery Wards Store.
Farrington Field and University Dr. were under water. As the river
receded, more than 1000 buildings were destroyed and over 13,000 people
were homeless. Nine people died. The city of Fort Worth suffered more than
eleven million dollars in losses. By 1956, a Flood Way Plan was completed at a cost of $700,000 for construction. The river was straightened, the channels were widened and levees were built and strengthened. The Plan focused on three areas - the Lower West Fork, the Clear Fork, and North Main Street. I don't remember too much about the Big Flood of 1949 as I was only eight years old at the time. I recall taking my red wagon with a new shiny trash can in it and going down the street from Harris Hospital to a place we called "The Nurses' Home". It's where a lot of the nurses who worked at Harris lived. At the "Home" they had a deep well where we would fill up the new trash can with water and bring it back home. I believe the City Water Works were under water, so, no water. Les.
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I found this tombstone at the old Mitchell Cemetery. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Fort Worth. I was told that there wasn't any remaining markers, so this marker isn't supposed to be here. This is just real weird.
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On January 28, 1949 my wife and I married in Little Rock, Arkansas. We moved into a one room apartment at the Victory Apartments on Cherry Lane in White Settlement, just south of General Dynamics. They looked like Army Barracks. I was working at General Dynamics on the second shift. The night before the flood the manholes (lids) were flapping up and down, there was so much water in the area. The next morning I heard the levy had broke around the area of the Montgomery Wards store on 7th Street. The water got up to the second floor of the Wards store. People were calling the police, telling them they saw bodies floating around the store. It turned out to be the mannequins from Montgomery Wards. Some of the houses on Carroll Street were washed off their foundations. Since the flood they built a higher levy around the area into the Trinity Park. HaroldWhatley | |||||||
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STREET ETIQUETTE IN 1880 The gentleman gives the lady the inside of the walk. Ladies should not walk rapidly. It is ungraceful. No gentleman should stand on the corner making remarks about the ladies passing by. A gentleman should give his seat to a lady who may be standing in a public conveyance. A gentleman should accommodate his pace to a lady and not be ahead of her. Staring at people or spitting are evidence of poor breeding. It is customary to give silent respectful attention to a passing funeral procession. Swinging the arms, eating upon the street, sucking the parasol handles, and loud and boisterous talking and laughing are all signs of ill-breeding. |
There are 254 Counties in Texas, but only
one "Real" County. J. A. Money was the first postmaster at Cash. Just how large is Texas? Texas is 825 miles wide and 740 miles long. A total of 170,173 acres. The State Capitol is at Austin. The building was dedicated May 16, 1888. It took three years to build and cost 3,000,000 acres of land. | ||||||
Daisy Emery Allen was the County's first female doctor. She practiced here from 1913 until 1958. George Anderson was fired on Feb. 21, 1887 for slugging a woman in a saloon on Main Street. He said she was his wife. Ruth Brown was the first white woman to settle in North East Tarrant County in 1849. She had with her, nine orphaned children. Noel Burton owned the first liquor store in 1856. He called it "The First and Last Saloon". |
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HOW DID THESE TOWNS Afton (Dickens)….. There is a beautiful little stream flowing through the community and when application was made for Post Office name, "Afton" from the old song, "Flow Gently, Sweet Afton" was sent in and approved. Alba (Wood)…. Following the Civil War, settlers here would not permit Negroes to locate in this Territory. When a township was organized, it was named Alba - Latin work for "White". Bebe (Gonzales)…. W. G. Blair, grocer, was trying to think up a name and glancing upon his shelves, noticed a can of Bebe Baking Powders. He sent in the name "Bebe" and it was accepted. Buffalo Gap (Taylor)…. Located between two mountains, and years ago so many buffalo grazed in this section, the early settlers called the place "Buffalo Gap". Direct (Lamar)…. Indians, it is said, were holding a pow wow across the Red River in what was then Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. They were out of whiskey. There was a saloon a short distance from this point and one of the Indians said, "I am going direct to Texas for some." When petition was sent in for Post Office in 1884, the name Direct was sent in and accepted. Grayback (Wilbarger)…. In the early days, a cowboy camp here became infested with lice, commonly called "Graybacks". When this office was established, the name "Grayback" was sent in and approved.
Trimble Technical High School now sits on the site where Fort Worth University once stood. On the east side of Tech High is College Avenue. When Fort Worth University was there, the area was called College Hill. |
THINGS I'VE LEARNED ˇ When a waiter or waitress provides exceptional service, leave a
generous tip.......
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