Washington County Soundwalk Experience > Chappell Hill
Chappell Hill – Lesser & Son General Store – Panel 11
Transcript of audio:
Not a horse was tied to the hitching posts in front of Phil Lesser & Son on this warm, dull spring day. The dust on the road had just settled down, when three bearded men with Stetsons, rode by on horseback. One of the men wore a six-shooter on his right hip. Phillip Lesser, who was sitting on an apple crate beside the front door of his store, watched them as they passed. He noticed that they dismounted their steeds in front of McDermott’s saloon.
A middle-aged woman in a long dress and a sunbonnet on her head was walking towards the store. Phillip stood up as she drew nearer and tipped his hat. Good evening, Mrs. Jones. Is there something I can do for you?
The woman walked over to a bolt of gingham in the store before she spoke. “How much is this a yard, Mr. Lesser?”
Phillip took the bolt of material and laid it on the dry goods ‘counter “It’s ten cents a yard, Mrs. Jones.”
She sat down on the one-legged stool bolted to the floor on the customer’s side of the counter. mercy! Everything surely is high!” she exclaimed. “I could use as much as eight yards, but I don’t know if I can afford that much.”
Phillip started measuring off eight yards of material. He took a pair of shears and cut half way through. The woman gets up from the stool she sat on and placed one hand across the counter on top of the cloth. “Wait, I haven’t decided on this yet, Mr. Lesser!”
With a smile, he finished cutting the material and said, “I’m deciding for you.”
“Well, go ahead and wrap it up. Then come sell me some thread and lace. I hope you have some silk ribbon.”
“We’ll get you fixed up, Mrs. Jones.”
After his customer had left, Phillip went back to the apple crate in front of the store. The next customer had a chicken with the legs tied together under her arm which she wanted to exchange for a few groceries.
Chappell Hill – Reinsteine’s Store – Panel 13
Transcript of audio:
The building in front of you, before the Bank modified it, some yeas ago, was Reinstein’s General Store.
Annie Winfield and her husband Morris Lesser, lived behind her son Jake’s store where Annie kept some chickens. Mrs. Reinstein lived on Main Street two blocks North of them. Mrs. Reinstein had a flower garden in her yard, and one of these chickens would wander off and end up in Mrs. Reinstein’s garden destroying many of her treasured flowers.
One day Mrs. Reinstein decided to try to scare the chicken away hoping that it would not return. She came back to her garden with a shotgun. Her intentions were to shoot in the air and scare the destructive fowl away; but the bird flew up as she pulled the trigger and was killed by the shot.
A man that worked for the Reinstein’s, witnessed the spectacle, and almost split his sides with laughter. Mrs. Reinstein quickly gathered up six bits handed it to the amused observer and instructed him to give it to Mrs. Lesser in payment for the chicken.
Chappell Hill – Firehouse – Panel 14b
Transcript of audio:
This building was the original Fire Station for the current Volunteer Fire Department, started in 1974.
One night in the spring of 1918, long before this station was in service, a magnanimous and un-governable fire started in the Jake Winfield home. Jake Winfield’s home and store, Morris Lesser’s home and saloon, the vacant building, and the pool hall were all left in extirpation.
Someone went into Jake Winfield’s burning home to take a trunk out in an endeavor to save it. Although they did get it out in time, they did not set it down far enough from the blaze, and it was destroyed anyway.
That night Luther Knight had bought a pair of galoshes from Phil Lesser on credit. He wore them while helping to fight that fire later that evening and he lost them in the mud. He waited until daylight the next morning to go back and look for them; however, they were gone. That morning someone else was wearing a new pair of overshoes, the worst part being, Luther still owed for them.
Chappell Hill – Various – Panel 19
Town Hall
Transcript of Town Hall audio:
The area in front of you is one of the locations for the Chappell Hill Town Hall. The town hall was used for many diversified functions. It was even used as a rink for roller skating when a greased pig was let out in the rink, and any one of the skaters who could catch it could take it home. The town hall was used for almost all of the public gatherings in Chappell Hill.
Saloons on Main Street
See stop 23 for more on the Saloons on Main Street
Chappell Hill – Winfield Store – Panel 21
Transcript of audio:
The building in front of you was formerly Jake Winfield’s general store.
In the days when tenant farming was known to the South, many of the tenants had accounts at the general stores that were kept for the entire year before they were collected. Jake Winfield was one of the many merchants who did a good business in Chappell Hill, and he kept several accounts like this as all of the stores did at that time.
One wealthy farmer had fifty families on his land. Each family had an account at Jake Winfield’s store that they ran for the whole year. One of the sharecroppers had gotten a wagon from the Winfield Store to be charged to his account. At the end of the year when Jake began to add up his accounts, he could not remember who had gotten the wagon, so when the land owner came in, he told him about it.
If you don’t know who got the wagon, then just charge it to all of them, the man said. So, Jake charged the wagon to each of the man’s fifty hands supposing that the ones who did not get the wagon would come back to the store to let him know. Only one of the fifty sharecroppers came back, the one who bought the wagon. He came to complain about the price; however, none of the others ever mentioned the wagon.
Chappell Hill – McDermott’s Saloon – Panel 23
Story 1
Transcript of audio:
At one time, Chappell Hill had fourteen saloons on Main Street, and according to Mary Louise Young the owner of the Brazos Star which was formerly McDermott’s Saloon, people must have picked cotton all day and drank all night. Here’s a few stories about some of them.
Charlie and Dan Neeves, two brothers who owned a shoe and leather shop in Chappell Hill at onetime, were customary patrons at Morris Lesser’s saloon; but they never came together, for they were reared in an abode where liquor was quite the contrary of having predominance. Neither knew that the other brother drank nor wanted the other brother to entertain such a notion; each brother, therefore, had Morris promise that he would keep the visits to the saloon a secret.
Morris had two entrances to his saloon, and one day Charlie and Dan Neeves came into the saloon from opposite entrances. They met eye to eye and, each stared, for a while, at the other with a bewildered and astounded countenance.
Story 2
Transcript of audio:
Fist fights and gunfights, most of which took place as the result of a poker or dice game, were a common occurrence in this day, and were chiefly motivated by those with an affection for potation; thus, they were called “whisky talk”.
In one fracas the sheriff and constable were summoned to suppress a demented man bearing a six-shooter from slaying another innocent person; he had just shot and slain a Confederate veteran, Mr. Askew, who was reposing in a chair in front of the drugstore.
It seemed that no one, the law officers included, were disposed to approach or address the one causing the disturbance. All in good time, there appeared a stout figure, low in stature, and unarmed, who, without contention, but in an amicable mode as one would petition unto a child, approached the man, and, alleviating his fears until he released hold of the weapon, handed him over to the appalled lawmen. This man to whom the agitator reluctantly submitted was none other than Morris Lesser.
Story 3
Transcript of audio:
The following is a statement to the sheriff, by Nathan Winfield, on May 1,1917, concerning an incident at the saloon.
“I was sitting in the pool hall on the night of April 30, 1917. I was sitting in a chair leaning up against the door, on the North side. My attention was attracted when I heard Joe Pribilski and Mr. W.P. Bugg talking very loud. Joe had a pistol in his hand, hanging at his side.
Mr. Bugg told Joe that he wouldn’t do anything but talk. Joe then told him that he would do just what he said he would do. I saw Mr. Bugg step back a step or two and then I saw a flash that looked as if it came from his gun. Then Joe fired at Mr. Bugg.
I cannot say how many shots were fired. After Joe shot at Mr. Bugg, Mr. Bugg went through the grocery department and came out of the saloon door.
Mr. Mills had in the meantime, grabbed Joe and they fell off the sidewalk onto the ground. While Mr. Mills was still holding Joe on the ground, Mr. Bugg stood on the saloon gallery and shot at Joe again. This is the last shot I saw fired. I then ran through the pool hall and stopped in the back of it.” Nathan Louis Winfield.
Shooting the Breeze with Mary Louise Young (Owner of the Brazos Star)
Transcript of audio:
Based on an article by Lorie A. Woodward
Interviewer:
The Brazos Star was formerly McDermott’s saloon, located on the East side of Main Street and is housed in a circa 1860’s former dance hall and saloon.
Tell me about the Brazos Star.
Mary Louise:
“I bought the building in 1969. The deal was too good to pass up, and somebody needed to save it.
Initially I had antiques on one side and a saloon on the other. I may be the only owner in history who doesn’t drink beer, but I do like a frozen margarita.
Interviewer:
And the bullet in the wall?
Mary Louise:
I don’t know the whole story, but supposedly the outlaw Bill Longly frequented here. I’ve still got the wooden panels that you can put over the glass in the front doors in case of a gunfight.
Some people accuse me of putting that bullet there myself, but I had a man in here once who said, “I know you didn’t put that bullet in there because it’s an 1880 Colt blah, blah, blah.” I should have written down what he said.
Interviewer:
Why is it important that we save history?
Mary Louise:
In school, I didn’t like history because they made it boring. They just wanted us to memorize what date LaSalle went exploring. I started saving these buildings because I liked the challenge of it. Then I became intrigued by the history. Wouldn’t it be great if these walls could talk, so we’d really know what went on?
Chappell Hill – Calaboose Story – Panel 7
Transcript of audio:
Based on an article written by Nath Winfield,
Calaboose: kal ’a boos [Sp. A jail, a prison] Most small towns had one. The early citizens of Chappell Hill were probably as law-abiding as the next, but when one of them strayed from straight-and-narrow to the extent of becoming a nuisance to his neighbors it was necessary that he be securely locked away somewhere until it was convenient to transport him to the county jail.
In August, 1859, the members of the Town Council instructed the Marshall to “…raise a subscription for the purpose of building a Lock-up or City Prison.” Apparently, funds were forthcoming, since in November of that year, a committee was appointed to superintend the building of a calaboose. On March 17, 1873, J.S. and Ida Haller, and J.S. and Lottie Felder sold to William Schwontkowsky “…. A tract or parcel of land in the Town of Chappell Hill on Cedar Street, known as the calaboose lot, 40 by 100 feet on the Town Map.” Subsequent transactions show that this lot fronted on the south side of Cedar Street, just west of Ravine Street”.
Oddly, none of the deeds refer to the calaboose itself, only to “the calaboose lot”. Any building or improvement on a piece of property was generally noted by the surveyor, such as “the lot where the calaboose now stands”.
Prisoners were being incarcerated somewhere in the town. On August 30, 1875, J.M. Coby was paid six dollars by the Town Council for feeding prisoners and, by a resolution duly passed the following year, the Council provided the sum of 25 cents “… for each day that any prisoner remain in the calaboose.” This was presumably sufficient to sustain life, at least for short periods.
A bill for three dollars and ten cents for repairs to the calaboose, presented to the aldermen on April 14, 1880 was rejected, but monies for food for the prisoners were made available at odd intervals throughout 1881. A perennial problem at the time was that of hogs being turned loose to roam the streets. On July 2, 1882, it was recorded that: On motion, the Marshal was instructed to build a pen for hogs on the calaboose lot…” “A resolution passed by the Council in may, 1883, mandated that one dollar per day be charged for every state and county prisoner confined in the “City prison.”
There was most certainly, a calaboose in use shortly after the turn of the 20th century, A clipping, dated April 15, 1903, taken from a Chappell Hill newspaper and pasted in one of those ubiquitous scrapbooks so popular at the time records that:
John Thompson… driver on Mr. Joe Routt’s place, died from lockjaw caused by a broken jaw bone, caused by a rock thrown by a convict last Saturday night on the road near this place. It seems that he ran over a scraper, (the convicts were working the road). They cursed him and he them in return. Then four of them assaulted him with rocks and clods of dirt, with the above result. Constable Kindrick arrested four of his alleged assailants, Frank Reed, Tom McDade, Chester Colbert and R.C. Hill, and lodged them in the calaboose. Sheriff Teague was notified Saturday, assisted by Mr. Joe Routt they were taken to Brenham and lodged in jail charged with murder.
So momentous a news item as the building of the “new” calaboose must have taken place before that time.
Some older residents of the town remembered the calaboose. It was located on the south side of Poplar Street, about half way between Main Street and the Museum. Not an imposing structure, it was only 10 or 12 feet square, and was built of thick planks fastened together in to layers, one vertical and the other horizontal, leaving inch wide openings between the planks. This design allowed cool air to circulate during the sweltering summer months. It is probable that even cooler air circulated during a January “norther”. The door was secured by a large and rusty padlock.
Sarah Glenn Seale recalled her reluctance to walk past the grim little building on her way to school on Monday mornings, since quite often, some hapless Saturday night reveler was still locked inside, and who could say whether or not the lock would hold? This was in the 1920’s.
Marnie Lesser Whitmarsh remembered a Halloween treasure hunt, 1939 or thereabouts, organized by one of our teachers who had hidden a vital clue in the calaboose door. Just venturing up to that ill-omened place was trauma enough for a bunch of seventh-graders who had already scared themselves silly prowling he dark streets of the sleeping town, and the horrific groans and yells that greeted them when they summoned sufficient courage to search for the hidden clue to put an end to the treasure hunt. A certain citizen of the town later admitted to having been bribed to produce the sound effects. Fortunately, Nath Winfield was with a different group.
Chappell Hill – Baseball Stories – Panel 8
Story 1 – Introduction
Transcript of audio:
The most common sport played at school was baseball. Those who played divided up into teams at school and played against each other. They also competed with the teams of other towns, i.e., Brenham, Hempstead, Carmine, Giddings and Navasota. The picture you see is the Chappell Hill Baseball Team about 1915.
Story 2 – Lack of Good Sportsmanship
Transcript of audio:
A lack of good sportsmanship was evident in many cases amongst the players for the teams of the various towns. One particular game played between Hempstead and Chappell Hill serves as a good example.
On their way to Hempstead the Chappell Hill team was taken as far as the Brazos River in a wagon. Upon reaching the banks of the river the boys walked across the railroad bridge, the only bridge across the river near Chappell Hill. When they reached the other side someone from Hempstead met them in another wagon to take them the rest of the way. It was agreed that someone would take them back as far as the river when the game was over.
Hempstead has always been noted for its rough character and violence, hence the nickname “Six-Shooter Junction”. Chappell Hill won the game and Hempstead was furious. They refused to take the Chappell Hill boys back to the river as they had previously agreed; consequently, the Chappell Hill team had a ten mile walk back to the Brazos River where their wagon was still waiting on the other side to take them the next couple of miles into the town of Chappell Hill.
Story 3 – Money Trouble
Transcript of audio:
In one instance another problem for the Chappell Hill team was money. After a game in Giddings, the players did not have enough money to eat, nor return home; therefore, one member was sent to Chappell Hill on the train. He returned to Giddings on the next train with some money for the team.
Story 4 – The Tale of Buster Bottom
Transcript of audio:
On their way home one night after a game in Brenham, the Chappell Hill team was caught in the midst of a downpour. They were traveling in a wagon drawn by two mules on the old Mercer Road which was the only direct connection between Chappell Hill and Brenham. Miss Annie Donneville, the schoolteacher, was with them. They were without a lantern, which, combined with the heavy rain, made it difficult to keep on the road.
Along one place in the road was a long wooden bridge that crossed a creek and some gulleys in an area known as Buster Bottom. When the ball team reached the bridge in their wagon, the mules stopped and would go no farther. The darkness and the water flowing over the bridge prevented anyone from seeing where the bridge lay.
Luther Knight, who was travelling with the team, removed his shoes, rolled up the legs of his breeches, and jumped over the edge of the wagon. He led the mules across the bridge by the reins knowing where to go by feeling the boards of the bridge with his bare feet. Thus, he saved a drenched baseball team from spending the night inn Buster Bottom.
Story 5 – Narrowly Avoided Disaster
Transcript of audio:
Chappell Hill had just finished playing a game with the Carmine baseball team at the school in Carmine when noon came on a warm spring day. The Chappell Hill team rested while eating dinner. Luther Knight had gone with the Chappell Hill team to see the game, and he was sitting in the sill of an open window with a school girl. They each sat on one end of the window, and Luther’s sailor-brim hat lay between them. They both left the window intending to return later for some more of the cool breeze it brought into the room. Whilst they were gone the window fell slicing Luther’s hat in two.
Washington County Soundwalk Experience > Chappell Hill