History of Glasscock County Texas

GLASSCOCK COUNTY TEXAS HISTORY

Glasscock County Named For A Calvaryman, Notes 68th Birthday

By MRS. W. K. SCUDOAY— Exactly 68 years ago tomorrow Glasscock County held its first election to mark the beginning of the county, prior to that date, Glasscock was a part of Tom Green County. A group of interested citizens had circulated a petition calling for the election. "I was 22 years old when I signed that petition,' says John J. Phillips who now lives at his ranch in the north part of the county. Men (women weren't allowed a vote then) believed In doing things up right, for in that first election, eighteen offices were filled.

Some say four towns sought the county seat, but, according to records from the county clerks office only two towns were in the running; Dixie 50 votes and New California 57 votes. Few residents of Garden City know that their town was then New California. Dixie was located about two miles northwest of New California. Garden City, which was not in the running according to records, was located about three miles northeast of New California while the Long Community was located about three and a half miles to the southeast of New California. Dixie and Long have been gone for years, and all that remains of the old Garden City are a few graves that were not moved with the otters to the new Garden City Cemetery. Records do not prove this, but the story is told and Mr. Joe C. Calverley says he remembers hearing people talk about it:

The Post office for this part of the county was located at Garden City but New California seemed to be more prosperous. So one night a group of residents of New California made a trip over to Garden City and when they returned they brought the Post office with them. "The task of moving a Post office of that type would be little more than that of moving a chair," says Mr. Calverley. The story goes that when the mailman arrived from Big Spring to be told that the Post office was over at New California, he went on over and delivered just his mail as usual. There was a bit of a problem there, though; Garden City Post office was now in New California. "Lot of red tape about changing the name of the Post office. Might get the mail tangled up too. It would all have to go through Washington and those men up there might not understand," they reasoned.

Some think that by rights Garden City is still New California. The study of records would lead one to believe that the above incident must have happened between March 28th and April 5 of 1893. Glasscock County Commissioners Court held their first meeting on April 5. The first business transacted after the swearing in of officers was: "It is ordered that the county seat of this county shall be known as Garden City." Men meeting with that first commissioners court were: W. E. Beyers, clerk; J. N. Akin, sheriff; R. S. Alexander, S. Hill, T. H. Bambridge, and I. T. Herrinman, commissioners. The county is named for George Washington Glasscock Jr., a member of the 33rd Texas Cavalry during the Civil War and later a member, of the Texas Senate from Georgetown. After the war he had been a merchant and a lawyer. A Mr. Gardener ran a general store at the original Garden City. To accommodate the people he started going into Big Spring about once a week and bringing everyone's mail out to be picked up at the store. He worked himself into the job as the first postmaster of what was then known as Gardener City. It carried that name until the first visit of the postal inspector. He said the name didn't sound right, "Too much of a tongue twister," so he wrote down Garden City proclaiming it the Garden City Post office. That commissioners court 60 years ago was kept rather busy for the first few months. Stationery and records of all types had to be ordered and a temporary courthouse had to be found. Three tables, one desk, six chairs, and a safe were also in that first order.

On June 15, 1893, they voted to pay all those who had assisted in holding the election on March 28 a total of $2.00 each. They also voted to pay the people who had loaned them the money for supplies at the time of election. Glasscock was a progressive county as on July 7 the commissioners voted to select a route and build three third class roads. One was to run from the north side of the Courthouse site to connect with a Howard County road to Big Spring. Selected to lay the road out were: W. E. Chancy, Chris Schaffer, J. P. Bowser, E. P. Mathews, and Oscar Youngblood. A second road was to run east and connect with a road to Sterling City. The committee for it was: T. M. Lightfoot, Wm. Girdwood, James Currie, T. R. Long, and Hugh Hosmers. The third road was to go west and join a road to Midland. The committee to work on it was: P. C. Akin, F. I. Murry, Stephen Calverley, Wm. Strickland, and C. R. McPherson. Looking at these committees one might think they were reading a list of citizens of the present day. Some of the names are the same even to the initials. Taxes were set at that meeting, also. County poll taxes were set at 25 cents; county ad valorum, 17% cents on the $100. There were three special taxes; Courthouse and jail 121/2 cents, road and bridge 15 cents, and county special 121/2 cents. Aggregate tax was 571/2 cents. Today it is 95 cents and that does not include the school tax.

May 10 saw salaries set for three of the county officials; judge $350 per year; sheriff, $150; and clerk, $350. Today the salaries are $3,600 for the judge and $4,000 for the other two. Since organization of the county 15 men have held the post as county judge. They are: J. L. Chambers, Wm. Girdwood, J. L. Rix, J. W. Holder, Will Hanson, G. L. Bogard, Charles W. Cunningham, J. O. Bigby, U. E. Bailey, J.A. George, T J Parker, Oscar Crouch, C M Sparkman, Gene Carr and Lee Smith. Ten men have served the county as sheriff: J. N. Akin, Wra. B. Currie, W. J. Shank, E. P. Teele, B. P. Lovelace, A. D. Cook, W. L. Lemmons, Fred S. Ratliff, Walter Teele, and Sam F. (Buster) Cox. Only nine have held the office as county and district clerk: W. E. Beyers. Wm. B. Currie, A, C. Eidson, Will Hanson, Norman Girdwood, S. T. Walraven, Joe C. Calverley, Joe B. Calverley, and Mrs. Vena Lawson. The lower part of the jail, which was built first, was used for a Courthouse until the present one was completed in 1919.

On Sunday the people of the community met in the lower part of the jail for church services. Maybe the church here influenced the residents of the county because at one time the jail part of the building was not used for so long that a mesquite tree grew up in front of the door, It had to be cut down before a prisoner could be given lodging. In the corner stone of the Courthouse is a picture of Velma Christi who is now Mrs. J. A. Boler of Pharr, Texas. She received the honor as the first baby born in the county. She was born the day the county was officially organized. Her parents were the late Mr. and Mrs. Samps Christi who lived in the northeast part of the county. A search of the county brought up only one resident that voted in that first election and he is John J. Phillips. He had moved to the vicinity just two years before with his parents and. brothers and sisters. They pitched their tent, upon arrival, under a tree just west of when the old Hart Phillips Ranch house now stands. Uncle John, as he is called by many in this part of the country, said he worked on the first road built toward Big Spring. He was paid $3 a day for himself and his team. "Big money in those days and I saved some even after feeding my team," he said. "That day and time you paid $1.75 for a hundred pounds of flour. Had plenty to eat too; corn syrup, side bacon, brown beans, rice, dried fruit, and potatoes with hot biscuits and cornbread. Plenty of antelope in this country then." His father served on the first grand jury and Uncle John remembers one of the early ones he served on. "They had a number of boys of the community up for gambling and they wanted the grand jury to bill them. They couldn't seem to get anywhere until one of the bolder of the jurors rose and addressed the judge: 'Sir, I don't think you will get this jury to bill these men because about all of us have done some gambling with them.' The men were not billed but they and the jurors heard a lecture on the folly Of gambling." Joe C, Calverley was only seven when the county was organized but his brothers and sisters went to school at Dixie. He remembers the commotion caused by the election for county seat. Mrs. Pearl Baker, daughter of the late Mrs. Chris Schaffer, said they lived at the old Schaffer place north of town when the county was organized. She was just a little girl but she remembers the Gardeners coming to their place for watermelons in the summer.

They did some of their trading at the Gardener Store also. Mrs. D. M. Lovelace of Big Spring, who celebrated her 100th birthday last month, lived with her family about four miles north of the old Garden City. Her daughter, Mrs. Joe Williams of Riverside, Calif., is visiting in Garden City now and she says she used to play with the Gardener girls. They were walking home after a visit to the Lovelace home one afternoon when one of the girls was bitten by a rattlesnake. A chicken was killed and used in an attempt to draw the poison out but the girl died that night. Mrs. Williams and her brothers and sisters went to school at old Garden City. They used the same building for both church -and school. One of the sage pieces of advice about Glasscock County is "never talk about anyone as the person you are talking to is sure to be their relative." A recent incident is a case in point. Darla Kay Cook, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Cook of Junction and former resident of Garden City, and Glenn Joe Riley, son of Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Riley of this city, were discussing their relationship. They discussed the various angles but cam* to no decision. They called in an adult to answer their question, "Just what kin are we to each other?" They started to give him the case. "Darla's grandmother on her mother's side was a sister to Glenn Joe's grandfather on his mother's side. Her grandfather on her mother's side was a third cousin to his grandfather on his mother's side. His great-grandmother on his mother's side and her grandmother on her father's side were sisters. His great-grandfather on his mother's side and her grandfather on her father's side were fist cousins." He stopped the case there. "That's enough. After due consideration I will say that you are relatives. I would hate to hear you go any further for fear each of you would turn up as the others grandparent." Joe C .Calverley says the double relationships started before the county was organized. Three of four Currie brothers married three Slinger sisters.

There being only three Slinger girls the fourth brother married a Calverley, cousin to the Slinger sisters. The over abundance of relatives often proves a problem in getting a jury. Recently a panel was called but when they started to select a jury for a certain case about every other man was a relative of the plaintiff. There were father-in-law, brother-in-law, and then uncles and cousins on it Glasscock County is one of few in the state which does not have bonded indebtedness. Oil production in the north part of the county since 1925 helped make this possible. Too, there have been no capital investments such as a new Courthouse or issues for roads. Still, the county is crossed by paved roads. Last year, more paved roads were built in the southwest part where a new oil field (the Spraberry) blossomed. The county is one of the few in the state, too, that has no doctor, no lawyer, undertaker, bank or newspaper. In spite of modem automobiles and bee-line asphalt roads, the county has retained a considerable measure of the flavor and color of three decades ago when it held its first election.
[Source: Big Spring Daily Herald | Big Spring, Texas | Friday, March 27, 1953]