August   4, 2005

The historical notes that Hazel Shelton gathered during the early 1980's are still in my topic for this week. All of the different dates and information include events that happened along Main Street before and after the turn of the 1890's into 1910.

Hazel’s notes are very brief, but they reveal a lot of history that I haven’t written about in the past. Pay particular attention to the 1910 fire. Different locations are still a part of our current business district. The WOW building mentioned is the location where the Hardware store is currently located.

Enjoy reading and please bring any additional knowledge in so that we can include it with what we already know.

July 29, 1892 – Aubrey has another dry goods store, A. Reynolds and Co. They occupy the brick next to W.F. Crawford. Thomas Howser has a new stock of groceries in the house that was occupied by Reynolds.

August 26, 1892 – James Mohon had the first bale of cotton of the season. It sold at 10 cents with merchants giving $20 premium.

Dec. 16, 1892 – J.L. Parker is having a two-story residence built on South Main Street.

June 15, 1894 – The Post Office Department at Washington has given Denton County another post office. It is on the Santa Fe Railroad, ten miles southwest of Denton and on the site of old Jarrell. It will be called "Ponder" and Cornelius Skaggs will be the postmaster.

Aug. 3, 1894 – Howard Smith of Aubrey, was elected County Commissioner of Precinct One (He lived around New Hope).

Aug. 10, 1894 – Levi Martin, a farmer at Midlothian claims to have invented a flying machine that will carry people. "I have conquered the law of gravitation." he said.

Oct. 26, 1894 – Aubrey went "wet" last Saturday, October 20, with a vote of 160 for and 140 against local option.

April 4, 1891 – Miss Ratchford put up a stock of millinery in the Parker Store house.

Oct. 23, 1891 – Aubrey Baptist Church has secured the services of Elder E.S. Hayes for the 1^st and 3^rd Sundays.

Dec. 28, 1892 – Died December 21, 1892, at the Mullin’s House, May Lybas, age 4 of tonsilitis.

Sept. 9, 1910 – From The Aubrey Herald – Pavilion completed at Belew Cemetery, R.H. Ezell superintended the job. It is 100 feet in circumference, nicely seated, well lighted and ventilated with a driveway through the center.

Jan. 18, 1890 – J.D. Pugh has set up a brick kiln south of Aubrey and is burning excellent bricks.

Dec. 25, 1908 – County Attorney Charles Mays and Sheriff Orr announce their intention to stop raffling, and also the sale of cold drinks on Sunday in Denton County. They give fair warning to all parties that from now on they intend to enforce the law which prohibits both practices.

Jan. 8, 1909 – Mr. Geers has sold the Aubrey Herald to J.M. Spencer, who had leased the plant and been editing the paper for several months.

Jan. 13, 1909 – A fire occurred at Aubrey, Tuesday night, January 12, 1909, which destroyed the Price building, a two-story brick on the east side of Main Street occupied by the Herald Office, the Post Office and the Telephone Exchange. The fire started in the printing office in the upper part of the building. As there were poor facilities for fighting the fire, the building and most of the contents were consumed.

Feb. 26, 1909 – The Denton Street Railway has gone in receivership. Major Ed F. Bates named as receiver.

Feb. 26, 1909 – Reprint from Aubrey Herald – Fourteen cases of eggs and four buckets of butter shipped from Aubrey, Saturday on one train to Dallas.

April 9, 1909 – A. Coffey from Aubrey was in Denton Monday and said the machinery for digging oil wells in the Aubrey field arrived at Celina Saturday. And preparations were being made to set up the drills Monday. Work of developing the Aubrey field will begin immediately and a thorough test given the supposed oil deposit.

Sept. 10, 1909 – Fire of unknown origin started in Dr. Bate’s office on the west side of the Main Street in Aubrey about 11 o’clock, Monday, September 5. Every wooden building on the west side of Main Street was destroyed and several brick structures were damaged. There is no fire protection, so citizens fought the fire with a bucket brigade. Destroyed were: office and contents of Dr Bates; the building occupied by Mullins and Connelly Grocery, their stock about one-half destroyed; Ed Boswell’s jewelry stock damaged by removal; Lanford and Caddell Dry Goods and Grocery, their stock damaged by removal and slightly from fire. This building was brick and damaged but not destroyed; the W.O.W. Hall, a two-story building, was totally destroyed; the lower floor occupied by Tom Mullins furniture stock was badly damaged; H. Ross Edward’s Dry Goods were damaged by removal and water; Fred McCormic’s drug store building damaged and the stock slightly by removal; H. Looper’s grocery stock was slightly damaged by removal; Geers, Allen, and Wright Real Estate office; W.T. Wilson’s constable office and fixtures owned by Charles Pearson damaged somewhat by being removed from the building; the Old Opera House owned by Ola Price was totally destroyed; Anderson Brothers and Hodge’s Warehouse and frame building totally destroyed with contents consisting of implements, buggies, and wares; J.A. Rhoads’ residence was slightly damaged. The building occupied by H. Looper and owned by Mrs. Ola Price caught fire several times but caught fire from the falling sparks but were all put out.

H.G. Musgrove, Aubrey banker, estimates the loss at between 20 and 25 thousand dollars.

The photo was made after the great clean up of the fire was completed. Note that the spirit to survive was present and the new buildings quickly replaced the destroyed buildings.

My Daddy, Jim Goin, is the third boy in overalls on the left. He was born in 1896, and I guess he was about fourteen or fifteen at the time the photo was made. The brick building was the building that Doctor Bates quickly rebuilt. The photographer was looking south on Main Street. The buildings on this block are no longer in existence.