Saturday, May 4, 2024
Looking Back
LOOKING BACK
Looking Back is a column that highlights articles retrieved from local newspaper archives published in years past.
Page 1 of the Thursday, May 25, 1939 edition of the Hood County Tablet had a few notable items, leading off at top-center with a photo of Granbury High School’s graduating class. There were 34 students and one teacher (or possibly a school official) pictured.
A related article on the same page noted that Sara Evalyn Andrews was scheduled to deliver the valedictory address, and Flora Virginia Johnson was to give the speech as the salutatorian that year. The class president was J.C. Mangold.
THE SQUARE
Under the headline, “A Reality,” the same day’s edition (May 25, 1939) of the Tablet noted, “Completion of the square paving became a reality on Wednesday afternoon when barriers were removed on the north side,” according to Mayor T.H. Dabney and former Mayor Ab Keith — “both of whom have been vitally interested in the project, and were the first to make the tour around the courthouse. Every citizen in the town and county is proud of the result, and those in the Chamber of Commerce, the Commissioners and the city feel that their efforts have been well spent. There was also a wide smile on Superintendent Kyle’s face, as he presented the finished project to the citizens.”
MORE WWII-ERA PROGRESS
One more article in that May 25, 1939 Tablet noted major changes that were being made for residents who were residing in the Fall Creek and Acton communities at that time.
The headline said: “Rural electrification for County Possible.”
The surprisingly brief article stated:
“D. Kirkham, extension man for the Johnson County Rural Electrification Co-operative, is spending several days this week in Hood County. He is working with residents of Fall Creek and Acton communities, investigating the possibilities of extending the line, now strung to a point west of Godley, into that section of our county. Having been advised by officials in Washington that Hood County would not have enough interested customers to insure a separate project it seems that there will be no difficulty in securing enough users to make extension of the Johnson line a reality.”
COWTOWN CONNECTION
Still another article in that May 25, 1939 edition of the Hood County Tablet reported on a Granbury Chamber of Commerce barbecue event that was held at the home of Mayor T.H. Dabney and was attended by 300 people “from all parts of Hood County, as well as neighboring counties.”
The Granbury Chamber of Commerce had only been in existence for 15 years at that time, according to the story.
Several speakers at that event emphasized “the kindly feeling that Tarrant County had for its neighbor, Hood, and pledged its cooperation in all highway and other work. Judge (Dave) Miller brought out the fact that the folks in Fort Worth might not have meat to eat if the stockmen in Hood and other counties did not bring it to them. On the other hand, he said, the stockmen might not have a market if it were not for the Fort Worth livestock markets. That each helps the other.”
The article continued, noting that a Texas state highway engineer spoke about “the work on Highway 144, Granbury to Glen Rose, and said that if the graveling was not completed in time for the asphalt topper to be laid this summer, it would be done in the fall.”
A manager of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce was quoted on the importance of Highway 10 as an artery for livestock and transportation at that point in time.
“Fort Worth is still a livestock center,” the Fort Worth Chamber official said. “This highway now carries more than 500 truckloads of cattle daily to market. We are with you folks in seeing that the highway is improved, not only between Fort Worth and Granbury and on to the Erath County line, but that eventually there will be a new and modern highway stretching from West Texas clear on to Big Bend.”
