Historic Victoria - Part 2

The O'Connor-Proctor Building on one corner of the courthouse square has been a bank, a church, law offices, a hardware store, a paint store, clothing store, and photography studio.  It was used as an emergency hospital during the influenza epidemic of 1918 and as officers' quarters during World War II.  Today it is the home of the Victoria Junior League and serves as a venue for social events. Built in 1895 at a cost of $7,721 it is constructed of St. Louis red brick and trimmed with Kerrville (Texas) white limestone.  Originally the first floor contained one large room and vault and the second floor housed three offices, that of rancher T.M. O'Connor, the legal firm of the brothers Venable and Fred Proctor, and the dental office of Dr. William L. Ward.  Each suite had its own marble lavatory.

The 1892 Allnoch building seems to enjoy a refurbished second floor but the first floor is boarded up.  I found references to the Allnoch family on the Internet but nothing specifically other than they were related to the Mitchell family whose home was featured in yesterday's post.

Fraschio "Frank" Fossati, an Italian immigrant opened his first delicatessen and saloon in Victoria in 1882.  The present day building was constructed in 1895. It is the oldest delicatessen in Texas and one of the oldest restaurants in the country.  At one time the deli offered live music and many famous musicians have played here, including Willie Nelson.

We stopped by Fossati's for a cold drink and had we not had lunch just a couple hours before, we would have tried out their menu.  They offered the usual deli fare and a good selection of various beers.  Well-known throughout the state, a visiting Texas governor was once told as he prepared to enter the establishment, "Sir, out here on the street you are Governor.  When you step inside, you are just another customer."  The Fossati family continues to operate the business 133 years after its establishment.  That's just downright amazing!

A twin pair of angels guard the graves of a family plot in Victoria City Cemetery.

A miniature version of the sculpture "Grief" by Frank Teich is found in Victoria City Cemetery.  This replica is about half the size of the original work which is located at the Scott Cemetery here in East Texas not far from my home.  That sculpture was featured in this blog in December of 2012 and can be seen here.

Dubina Cemetery

Across the road from the church featured in the previous post is the Sts. Cyril and Methodius Cemetery in Dubina.  It is in a quiet, peaceful area of  the countryside.

The cemetery has both old and new graves.  It is situated in a grove of trees.  I love seeing trees in cemeteries, but I know that graves and trees do not make for compatible neighbors.

There were several graves that were marked with decorative iron markers. They were simple but with some elaborate designs, if that's not an oxymoron.  Most of them had no engraving or other markings.

Most of those graves appeared to be very old and I wondered if they were perhaps a replacement for tombstones which had disintegrated over the years. Tombstones aren't very cheap these days.  Then again, all things being relative, they probably weren't cheap in olden days either.

This one actually had some sort of a plaque attached to it with the name of and dates of birth and death of the deceased.

A few of the markers actually contained photographs in a raised sort of bubble embedded in the tombstone.  I don't want my picture on mine.

All of the older stones are written in Czech.  I tried to find translations but failed miserably.  I did determine that "rozena" means "nee" or designates a woman's maiden name.  I believe that "na Morave" is a partial name of a town since I found a reference to a town called Nove Mesto na Morave in the Czech Republic and a few other towns with "na Morave" in their names but none which matched these particular tombstones.

A closeup of the tiny angel at the base of the tombstone in the above photo.  I noticed in this one the extra hand sticking out on the left side of the angel and now I see it's either a baby or a cherub but the book she is reading obscures its face.

Happy New Year - The Angel of Oak Grove Cemetery

Happy New Year to everyone.  I have obviously been absent for the past few months but I think it's time to try to get back to my blog.  I've missed blogging and all my blogger friends tremendously.  I am still extremely busy settling my mother's estate and disposing of her property.  Having lived through the depression, Mother kept everything.  She was not a hoarder but simply a saver and she often found ways to repurpose many things.  I'm slowly making my way through it all but it is going to take a while.

In the meantime I was able to spend two weeks during Thanksgiving with my daughter and grandson in Arizona and for Christmas my daughter and I met for the holidays in San Antonio where we spent five days exploring the city and simply resting, enjoying no cooking, no cleaning, room service, and the other amenities that come with living in a hotel.  So welcome back and continue with me on my travels through Texas!

Today I bring you photos of the Angel of Oak Grove Cemetery near my home here in Nacogdoches, Texas.  I live about 25 miles outside of Nacogdoches and it's our rural area's go-to place for most of what we need on a day-to-day basis.

The angel is somewhat small compared to other cemetery angels but she is the most well-known marker in this historic cemetery where four signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence lie at rest, alone with others who were instrumental in the formation of the Texas Republic and later the State of Texas.

She presides over the grave of William S. Clark and his descendants, many of whom still live in this area.  Clark came to Texas in 1829 and was an active political figure throughout his lifetime.  The angel is in need of cleaning but the environmental deposits serve to highlight and outline the beauty of the sculpture. Her nose and fingertips have disintegrated.  She is, afterall, over 140 years old.

A perpetual breeze blows the folds of her skirts.  Does anyone know why so many angel sculptures show the angel with her right hand raised with the palm turned to the sky?

The bow at her waist is also an artistic masterpiece in my opinion.  You can see in this photograph the deterioration of her fingers.

Athens City Cemetery

Last week on my "day off" I traveled to Athens, Texas, a city of about 13,000 (it seemed much bigger!) about 70 miles southeast of Dallas to visit the East Texas Arboretum, to eat a great BBQ rib lunch at Applebee's and hopefully to see some Texas bluebonnets (alas, there were few but tons of Indian paintbrush).  I had made a note somewhere in time that there was an angel statuary at the Athens City Cemetery so of course that was another hotspot on my travel map.

It didn't take long to spot this dynamic duo in the center of the historic cemetery which is only a few blocks from the courthouse square (oh, btw, my courthouse photos were poor because the number of trees around the Henderson County Courthouse in Athens make it virtually impossible to photograph).

Both these lovely statues are in the Wofford family plot.  The Woffords were obviously a notable family in this area because these are magnificent pieces of art, although I can find little information about them.  Supposedly the seniormost Wofford served in the Civil War and came to Texas shortly thereafter where he was a prominent businessman.  One of his relatives, undoubtedly, was a noted Civil War general but remained in the South after the War.  The first names were different.  There is a small town named for the Woffords about five miles from Athens.

What struck me as unusual about these statues was their cleanliness.  Most cemetery statuary in this area is encrusted with soot and lichen and very few families have the resources to keep the marble as clean as these seem to be.

Cemetery Beauty

The East Texas region is known for its beautiful azaleas and they are finally in full bloom, being almost a month later than usual due to our prolonged winter.

This little cemetery is one of the oldest in Shelby County, Texas.  I often drive by when I'm in Center, just 14 miles away, because it is so lovely.  Located only two blocks from the courthouse square, it has graves that date back before the Civil War.

I had never been here to know about its azaleas.  It literally takes your breath away to see the beauty.  The cemetery is on the grounds of the Methodist Church and obviously has a loving caretaker.  Most of the blooms are a rich pink and white, although there is a smattering of pale pink, brilliant red, lavender, and coral.  The pink ones are my favorites.

Mockingbird

No, this is not an old photo.  The flowers are artificial and were placed at a grave in Oak Grove Cemetery in Nacogdoches.  I occasionally take a drive through this historic cemetery which contains the final resting place of several Texas heroes from our revolutionary days and other pioneers.  I saw this little mockingbird and I felt certain that I wouldn't have enough time to grab the camera, zoom in, focus and shoot before he flew away but he must  have been intent on something because he sat for several minutes and allowed me to take several shots.  I didn't dare open the door of my vehicle because then I knew he would be frightened and leave.  As it turned out, I actually left before he did.  Maybe that stump was just a good perch.

New Corn Hill - Holy Trinity Catholic Church

The twin spires of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church (c. 1913) are visible through the corn fields for miles as one traverses the rural roads of Williamson County, Texas, just 40 miles north of the state capitol in Austin.   These photos will conclude my Central Texas trip which I took in June, with perhaps an odd photo appearing here and there in the days, weeks, or months to come.  I've had to take another extended blogging vacation due to a heavy work load and the 24/7 care of my mother.  Mother celebrated her 92nd birthday this past week and her memory continues to deteriorate so I must remain vigilant at all hours of the day just to stay on top of things.

I knew this church was beautiful because I had seen photos of it before my trip, but when I spotted those double spires over a mile away peeking up through the summer corn, it took my breath away.  I happened to be there on a Sunday afternoon and a large crowd was gathered in the adjacent, more modern fellowship hall.  I was able to visit the inside of the church and, though, simple, it is stunningly beautiful.  I'll show you a couple of interior shots in my next post - hopefully tomorrow.

Here is a view of the Holy Trinity Catholic Cemetery behind the church.  It is populated with many graves of Czech, Bohemian, German and Moravian settlers who came to this area in the late 1800s, although the original town of Corn Hill was formed in the 1850s.  Corn Hill suffered a demise when the railroad was rerouted through a different town, and New Corn Hill was established.  All I saw in New Corn Hill were a few barns, and this gorgeous church with its large extensive cemetery.  It is hard to believe that this idyllic setting is just a few miles from a major U.S. interstate highway.

Calvary Cemetery - Granger, Texas

Calvary Cemetery, a mile outside of Granger, is a Catholic Cemetery whose residents are primarily of Czech ancestry.  The land for the cemetery was donated by John and Eva Tobolka in 1893.

My research into angelic statuary in Texas cemeteries had told me there was a beautiful angel residing at Calvary, so that was the reason I searched the place out.  There was supposedly another angel located in a separate cemetery but I was unable to find it.  Many of the tombstones have inscriptions written in Czech and I was unable to read any of them since I was unfamiliar with even the alphabetic symbols which is a version of Latin script.  The blooming trees in both this and the previous photos are mimosa.

This is corn country and the cemetery was literally surrounded by corn fields on all four sides with the road actually bifurcating the property into two sections.

Backtracking my way returning to Granger, SS. Cyril and Methodius looks like it is directly across the road from this large corn silo and water tower, although the two are actually separated by quite some distance.

Oak Hill Cemetery - Smithville, Texas

Just a few miles south of Smithville is the Oak Hill Cemetery.  I'm fascinated by angel statuary and happened one day to stumble onto a photographer's website featuring photos of angels in various cemeteries in Central Texas.  One of the "good" ones was in Oak Hill so I made to note to try to find the cemetery when I visited that sweet little town.  I was not disappointed.

This gorgeous angel graces the grave of Edna May, daughter of W.T. and E.\M. Flint.  Born in 1880, she was just a few days over 30 years of age when she died in 1910.

Although not an angel with wings, this beautiful statue marking the grave of Theresa Esterak, wife of C.O. Leshikar, appears to have been recently cleaned.  Theresa was born in 1882 and died in 1914.

Day Trip Stop 4: Jefferson - Texas Courthouse No. 34 and More

From Linden I went south a short 20 miles to Jefferson, one of Texas' most charming little communities.  Jefferson has made a name for itself and has kept its history alive by catering to the tourist industry, but yet it's still a sleepy little down deep in the piney woods of East Texas so it never gets too crowded.  It's full of restored Victorian homes which act as B&Bs, shops tastefully converted which entice visitors to come in and it's full of lots of history too.  I had been there once before but this time I decided I'd visit Oakwood Cemetery.  I was actually looking for a rather famous grave of a woman who had been murdered in Jefferson in the 1800s but I was so fascinated with the multitude of large statuary that I quickly forgot that poor doomed woman.  I didn't count them but I would guess there are between 15 and 20 large statues as memorials, several of them angels, and who can resist an angel.

Among the moist poignant is the Schluter family plot with angels adorning the graves of Annie Laurie and her  son Little F.A.  There is a family of older Schluters buried alongside Annie Laurie, her husband W.T., and Little F.A.,  I am surmising it is the mother, father and several siblings of W.T., all of whom died as infants or children.  The elder Schluter was Frederick Augustus who died in 1882 and there are graves of four of his children who all died between the years 1959 and 1865 and that of his wife Ann who died in 1864 at the age of 42.

Annie Laurie 

Wife of W.P. Schluter,

Died May 14th, 1897.

Thy Life was Beauty, Truth,

Goodness and Love.

Little F.A.

Son of

W.P. & A.L. Schluter

Born Jan 14, 1884

Died Aug. 21, 1892

He shall carry the

lambs in his bosom

And now on the happier subjects.

The old Texaco gas station as you enter the historic district of Jefferson.

The General Store is a good place for reminiscing and having a cherry Coke or an old-fashioned malt.

Jefferson also has a beautiful Carnegie Library which is still used as a library today.

Unfortunately the Marion County Courthouse in Jefferson is in desperate need of repairs.  There are actually bricks which are crumbling from the front of the building.  It was built in 1912 in the Texas Renaissance style, and it is so blah that that's the only thing the Texas courthouse website that I go to for info even has to say about it!  Its Confederate soldier memorial is even rather dinky compared to most others I've seen.  What happened here, Jefferson?  You have one of the most picturesque little towns in the state and you haven't made an effort to lobby the Texas Historical Commission for some of those millions of dollars they hand out to restore historic courthouses?  Perhaps you have but there's just no mention of it anywhere.

Marion County, Texas:  Population 10,500

Jefferson:  Population 2,000; 165 miles east of Dallas, 15 miles west of the Louisiana border

Since 2000 Jefferson has hosted the Pulpwood Queens Book Club Girlfriend Weekend's annual conference which attracts authors from all around the country.

It is also considered by some to be the most haunted small town in Texas and ghost tours are popular events. 

Thanks for coming along my road trip.  I'm hoping to have another one in the near future.

Youree Chapel and Scott Cemetery - Part 2

Two of the large Scott tombs in the Scott Cemetery near Marshall, Texas

The above photo illustrates the meticulous grooming of the cemetery grounds.  

This group of graves has had concrete borders poured around them

with space for planting within the forms.  

They each had fresh pansy plants and also were decorated with greenery and red berries 

in observance of the recent Christmas season.

A sweet angel stands vigil over the grave of Mary Rose Scott who died in 1909 at the age of 16.

A closeup showing more detail of the statue shows that the fingers of the angel's right hand have broken off.  She is, after all, over 100 years old and resides in a very moist and warm climate.

There seems to be some confusion in the details of this tomb's inhabitant.  The Texas Escapes website states  that this is the grave of Mary Smith, a widow from St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, who married W.P. (William Pinckney?)  Rose in 1817.  However, the inscription on the carving states 

"Mary Rose Austin, Beloved Wife of Edward H. Randolph, 

whom she loved with her whole heart

April 24, 1919"

Maybe my next trip to the cemetery will resolve my curiosity as to who was this lady's husband, Mr. Rose or Mr. Randolph?  Or perhaps she wed Mr. Randolph after Mr. Rose died in either 1850 or 1851 (again some confusion).

But what about the 1919?  A woman who was a widow and married again in 1817 would not be alive in 1919.  Or was the monument erected in 1919?  

I'll probably never know the answers to these questions.

Whoever Ms. Austin's husband was, Mr. Rose or Mr. Randolph, she has earned a prominent spot at this beautiful East Texas cemetery.

The Youree Chapel and the Weeping Angel statue (also known as the Angel of Grief) featured in yesterday's post were both constructed in 1904 after the death of William Scott Youree in Monterrey, Mexico.

Perhaps I'll return in the spring because there are several tulip trees (sometimes called Eastern Magnolias but we call them tulip trees here in Texas; although beautiful, they bear absolutely no resemblance to our huge Southern Magnolias) and I'd love to see them in bloom amongst all these breathtaking monuments.  You can see a few remaining dried blossoms on the tree on the left.

Several of you asked if I went inside the chapel.  The answer is no because it is locked.  There is a number to call for information and I believe it is often used as a venue for weddings.

Youree Chapel and Scott Cemetery - Part 1

A few weeks ago when returning from a shopping trip to Shreveport, Louisiana, I took a small detour off I-20 near Marshall, Texas, in search of the Scott Cemetery, which I had read about on a website called texasescapes.com.  I followed the directions I found on Google maps meticulously but was unable to locate the historic burial ground.  Upon returning home I went back to the Internet and decided I had been in the right place all along but maybe the small church and family cemetery must have been hidden by woods, because how could one be in the right place and not see monuments like the ones pictured below.

Last week I returned to the area in search of the cemetery and still could not find it!  I finally flagged down a motorist on a small farm to market road who at first seemed to be totally confused as to what I was talking about.  He finally remembered a small cemetery a couple miles back from where I had come so I backtracked, made a left-hand turn instead of a right and literally stumbled upon this masterpiece!

The Scott and Rose families joined each other in marriage prior to their arrival in Texas in 1840.  They later were joined by the Yourees, Austins, and Randolphs.  The repetition of names in the cemetery can be very confusing to all but genealogists or family members.  They were obviously a family who remembered their dead monumentally.

The centerpiece of the cemetery is the weeping angel at the grave of William Scott Youree, erected in 1904 at a cost of a reported $40,000.  It is considered to be the most artistic creation of sculptor Frank Teich.  It is ten feet tall and is carved from Carrera marble.

There are four other known weeping angels in Texas cemeteries.  As you can see this one has sustained damage to both arms, the work of vandals!  It's twin in Houston's Glenwood Cemetery has suffered the same vandalism to the left arm and authorities are keeping a close eye on the statue and as of yet it has retained the right arm.

Above is the huge tomb that marks the gravesite of Henry Hudson Youree.  The grieving angel can be seen in the background.  The afternoon I was there the temperatures were below freezing and winds were brisk.  I only had on a light-weight coat so I really could not comfortably stay longer than about 20 minutes.  I'm determined to return however to capture more of the beautiful tombstones and the 50-foot memorial to the Confederate soldier which marks the entrance to the cemetery.  It is larger than most Confederate monuments found in courthouses throughout the South.

I have another post planned for tomorrow with more pictures of this one-of-a-kind cemetery which some say is one of the most beautiful in Texas.  I don't know how many graves are resident but I would estimate somewhere perhaps around 200 so it is fairly small as cemeteries go.  It is definitely a breathtaking site.