Lubbock Women's Club History Roundtable 1953, 1955, 1956, 1958
Tape 1: Six early South Plains residents discuss the early history of the area. Tape 2: Several pioneer women of Brownfield tell of their early lives there. Tape 3: The History Roundtable records a Christmas party. Tape 4: History Roundtable members reminisce briefly about some aspect of West Texas pioneer life. Tape 5: LWC members discuss history of the Lubbock public schools. Tape 6: Roundtable members discuss early days in Dickens County, Texas.
General Interview Information
Interviewee Name: Lubbock Women's Club History Roundtable
Additional Parties Recorded: None
Date: February and November 5, 1953; December 1955; April 1956; April 3 and December 4, 1958
Location: Lubbock, Texas
Interviewer: Not Given
Length: 3 hours
Abstract
Tape 1, Side 1: Mrs. George Boles: Describes coming to Crosby County, 1884,
Mail and supplies from Colorado City,
Arbuckle Coffee discussed,
Estacado as new mail station,
Social events and hospitality noted,
Mrs. Shelby Wheelock, Mr.George M. Hunt,
IOA Ranch dance described,
Honeymoon and bucking horse stories,
First house built in Lubbock and first piano,
Mrs. Albert Taylor: Describes her reading as a young person,
Mrs. Lou Caraway Stubbs: Portrays Lubbock in 1892,
Tells of trip from Colorado City to Lubbock,
Describes school play and theater for entertainment,
Mrs. Molly Abernathy: First husband, Jarrott, had state contract to survey and settle land from Terry County to New Mexico,
Came in 1901, staying in Nunn (L-7) pasture,
Discusses state law,
Abernathy came to Lubbock to promote railroad,
Snowstorm, 1905, mentioned,
Traded wedding for lot,
Built building in downtown Lubbock,
Mrs. George R. Bean: Lubbock Leader and editor Rogers mentioned,
Crosby County News, John W. Murray, named,
Establishment of Texan-Press,
Mrs. Bean’s brother printer’s devil for Texan-Press,
M. M. Cox brought Texan-Press to Lubbock,
Press-Leader formed,
Brother took over at age 18 (1894-95),
Mrs. Bean was clerk.
Tape 1, Side 2: Mrs. C. J. Wagner: Dr. M. C. Overton recruited Dr. Wagner in Illinois,
Mentions intentions of staying only temporarily,
Describes life and duties of doctor and his wife,
Story of a tubercular cowboy,
Nursing school,
Texas Law,
Taught dietetics without any preparation.
Tape 2, Side 1: Blank
Tape 2, Side 2: Mrs. Randall tells of the first school in Brownfield,
Scholastic standing,
Socials,
Mrs. Bell: Brownfield banking facilities,
Mothers’ Congress—first PTA in Brownfield,
First telephone,
First church,
Mrs. King: First Presbyterian Church, Brownfield,
Charter members,
Mrs. Bean: relates how she met Judge Bean,
Buffalo herds of the area,
Ice,
First doctor in Brownfield,
Prairie fire mentioned.
Tape 3, Side 1: Christmas poems and carols,
Estacado, Texas,
Community Christmas re-enacted,
Speeches, drill, tableau.
Tape 3, Side 2: Blank
Tape 4, Side 1: Miss Dorothy Rylander remembers picnic under railroad bridge,
Mamie Jackson recalls a Tennessee finishing school,
Mae Murphee tells of Monroe community Christmas and camping on the plains,
Mrs. Campbell comments on whether cowboys were bashful,
Mrs. Stinson gives reason for coming west,
Husband’s health,
Mrs. Margery Cade describes a dance at the Wheaton Ranch, Brownwood,
The Irish of San Patricio County mentioned,
Mrs. Fran Holden recalls a West Texas sleigh,
Mrs. Clark Hoffman mentions the Dickens Hotel,
Mrs. Long mentions being caught in a norther near Matador,
Chuck wagon and pioneer cooking discussed,
Mrs. Underwood offers experience of cooking pancakes,
Mrs. Marshall talks about dust storms,
Mrs. Odom, newcomer, picked Lubbock from the Texas Almanac.
Tape 4, Side 2: Mrs. Bess Vickers recounts harrowing adventure with a runaway buggy,
Mrs. Mary Arnett Stonerose remembers first Santa Fe train through Justiceburg,
Mrs. Carpenter sings four popular tunes after describing the piano as a status symbol on the West Texas frontier.
Tape 5, Side 1: Miss Emma Hunt,
First schoolteacher on South Plains,
Second school of Llano Estacado,
Origin of school books in area,
First couple married in Lubbock,
School of about 1804-1805 in Brownfield mentioned,
Wolffarth lands located in Lubbock,
Stanton schools,
Lubbock schools,
Background of schools in Estacado,
Julian Basset mentioned,
Crosbyton schools,
Ranch governesses discussed.
Tape 5, Side 2: New Jersey schools described,
Llano Estacado newspaper,
First bank in Lubbock,
Central Ward in Lubbock,
Property donated for Avenue Q,
Second school in Lubbock,
Football in early Lubbock,
Players named,
Lubbock school superintendents named,
Brownfield system mentioned,
Affiliations of early Lubbock schools discussed.
Tape 6, Side 1: Trail herds discussed,
Last buffalo killed,
Last Indian depredations,
Last white captive named and discussed,
First white child born in Dickens,
Founding of Spur described,
First church in Dickens (1888),
First wedding in Dickens,
First school and first county seat election,
First cotton gin in area located,
First bank and newspaper,
First train into Spur,
First store in Spur,
First inn in Spur,
Dr. Walker mentioned,
Mrs. Blackwell tells a humorous story of a kangaroo court in Dickens,
Mrs. Burns tells of her father’s experience in Dickens.
Tape 6, Side 2: Mrs. Foster describes Dickens,
Mail deliveries discussed.
Range Dates: 1888-1920
Bulk Dates: 1890s-1920
Access Information
Original Recording Format:
Recording Format Notes:
Transcript:
Thank you for your interest in this oral history interview. Our oral history collection is available to patrons in the Southwest Collection's Reading Room, located on the campus of Texas Tech University. For reading room hours, visit our website. Please contact Reference Staff at least one week prior to your visit to ensure the oral history you are interested in will be available. Due to copyright issues, duplications of our oral histories can only be made for family members. If an oral history transcript has been made available online, the link will be provided on this page. More information on accessing our oral histories is located here. Preferred citation style can be found here.
