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Around Town

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August 31, 2023 - The 1885 Historic Courthouse will be closed starting September 2nd for maintenance to the building. The closure will possibly last the whole month of September.

The Shelby County Commissioners' Court and the Shelby County Historical Commission have been working together to facilitate needed repairs to ensure the longevity of the Irish Castle. Maintenance includes treating for termites along with fresh paint inside and the installation of period appropriate lighting.

Shelby County Judge Allison Harbison expressed the courthouse is priceless and anything that we can do to preserve the 138-year-old historic building is good.

Plans are to have the repairs completed in time for the Poultry Festival in October.

August 31, 2023 - On Tuesday August 29th, Town & Country Real Estate, along with Jessica McSwain (breakfast chef), delivered breakfast boxes to Tenaha Bus Drivers and Timpson Bus Drivers. We appreciate them and the time and patience they dedicate to the kids, getting them to and from school each day. Thank you again Bus Drivers!

Related Article: Local Business Delivers Boxes of Appreciation to Bus Drivers

August 31, 2023 - VFW Post 8904 members and auxiliary honored Iraq War Veterans during a ceremony held on the Center square at the Shelby County Historic Courthouse on August 31, 2023.

VFW representatives and community members gathered before the Shelby County Veterans Memorial and Kenneth Ramsey gave the opening prayer. Mary Roberts, VFW Post member, opened the program.

It has been 20 years since the end of the hostilities and it is our duty as fellow veterans, and citizens, to ensure this piece of history and sacrifices are never forgotten,” said Roberts. “Our gathering today is a small but heartfelt ‘thank you’ to our American patriots.”

During the Iraq War, 4,486 Americans paid the ultimate sacrifice including Shelby County’s own U.S. Army Specialist Larry E. Polley, Jr. in January 2004. 

“Larry graduated from Center High School in 2001 and was 20 years old when he was killed in action,” said Roberts. “Many more Americans suffered wounds and loss of limbs in that war.”

Derrick Roberts, VFW member, then placed memorial wreath upon the Shelby County Veterans Memorial.

Taps was played as presented by Richard Lundie, Post Commander.

Roberts stated the next VFW observance will be tomorrow, September 1, 2023, at 9am remembering those who served in the Pacific and the formal surrender of VJ Day. The VFW will gather with First Responders and members of the community in honor of Patriot Day on Monday, September 11, 2023.


Dr. Scott Sosbee of the SFASU History Department and Executive Director of the East Texas Historical Association

February 21, 2022 - “Sam Houston is one of those people that we Texans have made larger than life. Without Sam Houston, Texas history would be very different, but he was human and had a lot of human foibles,” said Dr. Scott Sosbee of the SFASU History Department and Executive Director of the East Texas Historical Association in his opening remarks to the February meeting of the Timpson Area Genealogical and Heritage Society. “Houston was a great man. He was a winner. He was successful in almost every thing he did. He rose to great heights from a fairly hardscrabble background. He only lost one election in his life. He became Governor of Tennessee and a close friend of Andrew Jackson, who was grooming him for the Presidency of the United States. He was the hero of the Battle of San Jacinto and later the first President of the Republic of Texas. Unfortunately for Houston, his success did not continue with his love life”, Sosbee revealed.

“Houston had been engaged to be married twice some years before he was elected Governor of Tennessee and each of the women had broken it off. Being a single man was a significant political liability in the 1830s, so, probably with the help of Andrew Jackson, an arrangement was reached between Houston and the Allens, one of Tennessee's most prominent families for him to marry their nineteen-year-old daughter Eliza. Houston was thirty-five but tall and handsome and Eliza agreed to the marriage,” Sosebee told. “The marriage lasted only four weeks however, and Eliza left the Governor's Mansion and returned to her family home in Sumner County. No event in Sam Houston's life has been more clouded by speculation and myth than the failure of his first marriage. The true reason Eliza left is not known, though there are a number of theories, the most probable is that she was in love with someone else, closer to her own age,” Sosbee continued.

“Houston refused to reveal the reason for Eliza's departure but soon thereafter, much to Jackson's displeasure, he resigned as Governor and left the state for Arkansas, where he lived among the Cherokee, with whom he had established a good relationship in Tennessee. During the time he lived with the Cherokee he established a romantic relationship with a Cherokee woman which may or may not have been a marriage, depending upon one's cultural perspective,” Sosbee said. “It is important to remember at this point that Houston and Eliza had never gotten a formal divorce and were still legally married. If he had been married to the Cherokee woman he would have been guilty of bigamy. In 1832 he left the Cherokee and his 'consort' and traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with President Jackson.” Sosebee revealed, “Houston left the White House with a commission from the President ostensibly to treat with the Comanches in Texas to prevent raiding along the border with the United States. Since Houston's relationship was with the Cherokee, not the Comanche, and raiding had not been a problem, the true purpose for sending Houston to Texas was more clandestine.”

Houston arrived in Nacogdoches in late 1832 and established a law practice. In 1833 Henry Raguet and his family arrived from Cincinnati and established a successful dry goods store on the city square. They were friends with Adolphus Sterne, who had helped finance Mr. Raguet's store, as was Sam Houston and Houston soon became acquainted with Sterne... and his eldest daughter, Anna. “Anna was universally described as a stunning beauty and was courted by all of the city's most elite young bachelors. She must have been quite the catch. Forty-year-old Sam Houston became one of the suitors for fourteen-year-old Anna's hand. Their age difference was significant, even in those days, but Henry encouraged his daughter to develop an interest in the distinguished and financially secure Houston,” Sosebee said. Houston seems to have been enchanted by Anna, as is evidenced by his surviving love letters to her. “He wrote her some of the sappiest love letters that you have ever read! When he was away, he wrote her telling her how much he missed her and described her smile as lighting up the sky and calling her his Venus,” chuckled Sosebee.

“There was one really big problem with Houston's pursuit of Anna: he was still married to Eliza. Texas was still part of Mexico and divorce was illegal under Mexican law, so even if he were granted a divorce in the United States, it wouldn't have been recognized in Mexico and he would be guilty of bigamy if he re-married,” Sosebee explained. “Maybe this is why he so vehemently supported Texas independence! If Texas were no longer under Mexican law, he could divorce Eliza and marry Anna. We know that Houston led the army that secured Texas independence and one of his first acts as President of Texas was to appoint a judge in San Augustine County by the name of Shelby Corzine, whose first official act was to grant Sam Houston's petition for divorce from Eliza,” continued Sosebee.

“You know, historians are always looking for that diamond, that lost historical document that they can say 'Look at this'! Copies of the decree granting Houston's divorce from his first wife existed, but no one had ever found the original document. An archivist named Ainsworth was digging through a box of old papers at the East Texas Research Center at SFA several years ago and down in the bottom he found a folded document,” lamented Sosebee. Further examination revealed it to be photocopy of Sam Houston’s “petition for a divorce.” The photocopy is in the San Augustine County Divorce Records (box 1, folder 1). *Editor's note: The original article contained incorrect information regarding what the discovered folded document was and what was done with it. The incorrection information has been removed and corrected to the information shown.

“Back to Houston and Anna Raguet, the now eighteen-year-old Anna was less enthusiastic about the now forty-three-year-old Houston's attention to her. In addition, Houston was now living in the Capitol of Texas instead of Nacogdoches, and had to continue his courtship of Anna by written correspondence.

These letters were entrusted to no less than the new Secretary of State of Texas, Robert Irion. Irion made several trips from the city of Houston to Nacogdoches every month to deliver these letters to Anna,” said Sosebee. “As Anna's affection for Houston waned, her affection for Irion grew and she finally sent a letter to Houston by way of Irion saying that she was in love with Irion and therefore would not consider any more proposals from Houston. Houston seems to have taken this news better than one might expect and even gave his blessing to the marriage of Irion and Anna Raguet, which took place in Nacogdoches in 1840.”

“Later that year on a trip to Mobile, Alabama, Houston met the daughter of a plantation owner named Margaret Lee and they were married shortly thereafter. Houston was forty-seven and Margaret was nineteen. Their marriage was a long and apparently successful one, producing a number of children. Although Houston regarded Nacogdoches as his Texas home, Margaret didn't like the city and refused to live there after Houston had left public office. They eventually settled in Huntsville, where Houston lived out his remaining years,” Sosebee explained. “Margaret claimed that she didn't like the weather in Nacogdoches but considering the similarity of the weather in Huntsville, perhaps she just didn't want to live in the place where Sam had loved Anna Raguet,” concluded Sosebee.

The Timpson Area Genealogical Society meets at 2PM on the third Wednesday of each month in the meeting room of the Timpson Public Library on the corner of Austin and Bremond Streets in downtown Timpson. The TAGHS library is located within the Timpson Public Library and is open and staffed from 9AM until 5PM weekdays. Telephone 936-254-2966 and ask for the Genealogical Library.

August 24, 2023 - J’s Bar & Grill celebrated with the community and Shelby County Chamber of Commerce with a ribbon cutting event on August 24, 2023, at their location at 1510 Southview Circle in Center.

Deborah Chadwick, Shelby County Chamber of Commerce President, introduced Ashley and Jeremy Snider, owners of J’s Bar & Grill, who welcomed everyone to their business which opened in March 2023.

 

Ashley Snider shared they have had a lot of support so far and she mentioned the Wednesday night 42 tournament, and right now “J” will make a barbecue sandwich for the special along with stuffed peppers. Chicken wings are a regular Thursday offering, as well as karaoke, and the menu includes a list of different flavors. Friday specials are always a surprise and Saturday diners can look forward to ribeye steaks and live music.

“We just want to thank everybody for coming out, we love the support and we thank y’all for supporting us,” said Snider. 

J’s Bar & Grill staff includes Jeremy Snider, Ashley Snider, Jesse Snider, Jennifer Perez, Anita Eddins, Bryan Rowe, and Levi Snider.

J’s Bar and Grill is open Wednesday thru Saturday at 5pm for dinner. The kitchen closes at 9pm for food. Join them on Wednesdays at 6:30pm for 42. Thursday night is wings and karaoke. Saturday is steak night from 5pm-9pm.

Hours for J’s Bar and Grill are 5pm - 10pm on Wednesdays; 5pm - 12-midnight on Thursdays and Fridays; and 5pm - 1am on Saturday nights. Although the kitchen closes at 9pm for food, the fun continues.

For more information call J’s Bar & Grill at 936-332-7021.

August 24, 2023 - Tri-County Community Action Agency, Inc. has partnered with the Texas Health Institute (THI) to understand how members of our community care for their teeth and oral health. We want to hear your thoughts. We are seeking 12 participants. We will be conducting a focus group. Our focus will last no more than 90 minutes and be conducted via an in-person meeting. For your time, you will be provided with a $20 gift card from Wal-Mart. The first 12 to sign up and attend the focus group meeting will receive the gift card. If you are interested in being a participant, please contact Brenda Allen at 936-598-6315, ext. 502 to be one of the 12 participants.

 

August 22, 2023 - Congressman Nathaniel Moran stopped in Shelby County to announce his re-election campaign on Tuesday, August 22, 2023 inside the 1885 Historic Courthouse.

He is the U.S. Representative of Texas Congressional District 1 which includes Shelby County. He was elected to Congress in November 2022 for the unexpired term of his predecessor Louie Gohmert, and took office in January 2023.

His prior roles include serving as a civil law practitioner, a business owner, a member of the Tyler City Council, and Smith County Judge. An alumnus of Whitehouse I.S.D., West Point and Texas Tech, Moran holds a BA, MBA, and law degree.

He serves on Judiciary, Foreign Affairs, and Education and Workforce Congressional committees, furthering his commitment to his constituents. According to Moran, his conservative values guide his decision-making and legislative work, placing emphasis on fiscal responsibility, individual liberty, and limited government.


Aaron McGowen, Airborne Medic, Army


Alton Cotton, 101st Airborne, Army

August 22, 2023 - Scrap Happy Quilters presented two Quilts of Valor today, August 22, 2023 to Aaron McGowen and Alton Cotton.

Please join us on the first Saturday of each month at the James community house, where we share ideas, refreshments, and our love of quilting. We do a special project each month and of course we work on Quilts of Valor to be given to our veterans in our community. It is such an honor to honor our veterans.

They were thanked for their service and sacrifice.

August 22, 2023 - Town & Country Real Estate delivered breakfast boxes Tuesday morning, August 22nd to the Center ISD bus barn to show appreciation to bus drivers. The breakfast boxes were prepared by Jessica McSwain.

Jodi Fountain, owner and broker of Town & Country Real Estate, shared, "[Bus drivers] drive these kids to and from school each day, on some very dangerous routes and stops on these highways and so forth. It takes a great deal of concentration, commitment, and love for the kids for these drivers to do what they do."

Over the next two weeks, the plan is to deliver breakfast boxes to all of the bus barns in Shelby County.

Fountain is so appreciative to Jessica McSwain, who made and delivered the breakfasts, and to all of the bus drivers for their dedication to getting the kids safely to school each morning!

August 22, 2023 - Bartholomew Booth, of Center, received a Bachelor of Arts, Mass Communication degree during the 2023 Summer semester at Sam Houston State University.

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