USA > Texas > Tarrant County > Fort Worth > History of Texas : Fort Worth and the Texas northwest edition, Volume II > Part 20
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The charter was effective March 1, 1873, and the first city election was held on the third day of April, following. The opposing candidates
BANKING HOUSE, LOYD, MARKLEE & Co., 1873-1877
for mayor were Dr. W. P. Burts and P. M. Thurmond. The election was spirited and exciting. Most of the more recent citizens were for Thurmond, who was himself a "new comer." as they were designated. When the votes were counted Dr. Burts was elected by a majority of 68 votes. The total vote being 366. The other officials were: Ed. Terrell. marshal; N. M. Maben, assessor and collector: Jno. S. Loving, treas- urer ; F. W. Ball, city attorney, and J. F. Swayne, city secretary. The board of aldermen were: M. B. Loyd, M. D. McCall, A. Blakeney. W. J. Boaz and A. G. Rintleman. There were twenty candidates for alderman, all of whom have answered the last roll-call and passed over the river.
When the panic of 1873 fell upon the country the city government suspended business as far as practicable. The city officials agreed to draw no salaries and depended on the fees of the Mayor's Court for whatever compensation they received. All ordinances were suspended except those pertaining to the preservation of the peace. The city election was held at the proper time, when Dr. Burts was re-elected. The fol-
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lowing comprised the official roster. T. M. Ewing, city marshal; John S. Loving, treasurer; Theo. Hitchcock, secretary ; G. F. Parnham, col- lector, and J. L. Chapman, city attorney. The aldermen were: R. H. King, A. B. Fraser, W. H. Overton, W. H. Williams and Joseph H. Kane.
Among the defeated candidates for aldermen were: W. J. Boaz and J. P. Alexander, who stood for re-election and Col. J. P. Smith. Ewing resigned as city marshal the following December and at an election for his successor T. P. Redding, N. M. Maben and H. P. Shiel were the candidates. Redding received forty-seven votes and Maben and Shiel sixty-eight votes each. Another election was ordered and Redding with- drew and Columbus Fitzgerald, who had been the deputy of Ewing, entered the race and went off with the goods.
At the succeeding election Capt. G. H. Day and J. F. Cooper were the rival candidates for mayor. Day received 206 votes and Cooper 136. J. C. Scott was elected city attorney ; C. McDougall, city secre- tary ; H. P. Shiel, city marshal; G. F. Parmer, assessor and collector ; J. S. Loving, treasurer. The board of aldermen were W. T. Maddox, P. J. Bowdry, D. R. Cawford, Isaac Dahlman and J. J. Jarvis.
Much interest was manifested in this election because of the alleged profligacy of the former administration. The city debt had been run up to the mammoth sum of $4,952.91, and something had to be done or the city would be financially ruined. There was also a delinquent tax list of $19.85, showing a gross lack of attention to city affairs by those in authority.
The next city election was probably the most exciting political contest ever pulled off in this city. Captain Day, who had been twice mayor, was not in favor with a large number of people and a hercu- lean effort was made to defeat him. The aspirations of several good men was a serious handicap to their efforts. The contest finally settled down to Day, Larry Steele and John D. Templeton. When the ballots were counted it was found that Day and Templeton were tied and Steele three votes behind them. A second election was ordered and Steele was prevailed upon to withdraw. The result was another tie and a third election was ordered. Interested parties began to scan the poll lists to ascertain if any fraudulent or illegal votes had been cast, when the discovery was made that B. B. Paddock, who then lived where he now does, at the corner of Jennings Avenue and Terrell Avenue, and Hugh W. Davis, who lived across the street. both of whom were outside of the city limits, had voted in each election. Both were and had been active in city affairs and it had not occurred to them that they were not citizens of the city and allowed to participate in the election, and Day was elected by three votes. Paddock and Davis had to behave themselves for a season and were threatened with prosecution for illegal voting every time they became too active in matters that did not concern them.
At the succeeding election Day was beaten by Col. R. E. Beck- ham, who held the place for two terms, when he declined to again be a candidate. Col. John Peter Smith was chosen as his successor. This is enough on this subject, although there were other and inter- esting contests in the late '80s and early '90s.
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUILDING, FORT WORTH
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RAILROADS
A volume might be written upon the struggles that Forth Worth went through in securing the railroads that have contributed so much to its growth and success. Mention has already been made of the failure of the Texas & Pacific to reach Forth Worth on schedule time. A land grant had been given the road by the state conditioned on its being completed to Forth Worth by the first day of January, 1874. Generous and public spirited citizens of the city, Maj. K. M. Van Zandt, E. B. Daggett, Thos. J. Jennings and H. G. Hendricks, had donated 320 acres of land lying along the south side of the city upon the same conditions. As each succeeding legislature met, it extended the time for the construction of the road for a year, and the grant of lands by the above named citizens was renewed. This continued until the Constitutional Convention of 1875, which passed a resolution further extending the time until the adjournment of the first legislature held under the new Constitution.
This session of the legislature convened on the second Tuesday of January, 1876. Tarrant County was represented in that body by the Hon. Nicholas Darnell, who had also been a member of the convention that framed the Constitution. In the meantime the people of this city, despairing of the road being constructed by the company, undertook to build it themselves. They organized "The Tarrant County Construction Company" and subscribed to the capital stock, assuming to make payment in money, labor, material, forage, supplies or anything they had which possessed a marketable value. A con- tract was entered into with the railway company for the construction of the road from Eagle Ford, its western terminus, to this city. The contract was let to Roche Bros. & Tierney. The work was com- menced in the fall of 1875. Maj. K. M. VanZandt was the president of the company, John S. Hirschfield, vice president; Zane-Cetti, secre- tary, and W. A. Huffman, treasurer.
When the legislature assembled the railway company made appli- cation for still another extension, but the opposition to it was very pronounced and had a large following. It soon became evident that a sufficient number of votes could not be secured to obtain the extension. The company had expended large sums of money in surveying and platting the lands in the West, which amounted to sixteen sections per mile. It was too rich a prize to abandon without a struggle. The company took the contract off the hands of the Construction Company and put forth every energy to the construction of the road to this place, with a view to its completion to this city before the Legislature should conclude its labors and adjourn. Gen. John C. Brown, of Tennessee, was the vice president of the company. and he was on the ground day and night, if his services were neces- sary. Maj. D. W. Washburn, the chief engineer, was equally active, and the contractor, Morgan Jones, is said not to have changed his clothes or gone regularly to bed during that period of unexampled activity. The Legislature had finished its labors early in July and the Senate had passed a concurrent resolution of adjournment and sent it over to the House. The rails of the Texas & Pacific were
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many miles East of Fort Worth. An adjournment of the Legisla- ture meant the sacrifice'of the magnificent landed domain which it had surveyed and platted. Then commenced the most strenuous parlia- mentary battle recorded in the history of this or any other state. The friends of the railway company refused to adopt the resolution to adjourn. The vote was so close that the absence of a single friend of the company might mean disaster. Gen. N. H. Darnell, the mem- ber from this county, was one of those who voted against adjourn- ment and the General was sick. He was carried into the hall every day on a cot, and voted "no" on the resolution to adjourn sine die ; and voted "aye" on a motion to adjourn till the following day. This was continued for fifteen days. The rails had reached Sycamore Creek just east of the city. Here was a long bridge and a still longer trestle. The latter has since been filled up. Bridge timbers and ties were converted into a crib upon which the rails were laid. Then the track left the grade and took to the dirt road, which ran nearly parallel to the right of way. Ties were laid on the ground, sup- ported at either end by stones picked up from the right of way, and the rails spiked to them. It was as crooked as the proverbial ram's horn, but it bore up the rails. On the 19th day of July, at 11:23 o'clock a. m., the first train ran into Fort Worth. The train was in charge of Conductor W. R. Bell. Mr. L. S. Thorne, subsequently vice president and general manager, had charge of the head brake. Engineer Kelly, the father of Jack Kelly, who is now the travelling engineer of the Forth Worth & Denver, was at the throttle. The names of the rest of the crew are not obtainable at this writing.
It was a day of great rejoicing in Fort Worth, and the gallant band who had manifested so much patriotism and faith and worked so assiduously for the city came into their reward. A great demonstra- tion was had. Lacking cannon, anvils were obtained from the shop of W. H. Williams-for whom E. H. Kellar worked as an apprentice -Maj. J. J. Jarvis was chief of artillery, with P. J. Bowdry as his able assistant. Business of every kind became active and the city commenced to grow and prosper. Buildings of every kind and char- acter were in great demand, and new ones were constructed as fast as men and money could erect them.
Pending the long wait for the Texas & Pacific, other roads had been chartered and organized. The Forth Worth & Denver City was the first of these. It was organized August 12, 1873. Its per- sonnel came from the active forces of the M. K. & T. and the Texas & Pacific. The first president was J. M. Eddy, of the "Katy." W. W. H. Lawrence was vice president and C. L. Frost, secretary and treas- urer. It maintained its organization intact during the period of depression, and was found ready for business when the effects of the panic were dissipated.
The Red River & Rio Grande from Denison to the Gulf was chartered, as was the Fort Worth, Corsicana & Beaumont. The first of these was absorbed by the M. K. & T., and the latter was never given vitality, but later the Fort Worth & New Orleans was organ-
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ized and built by Fort Worth people. It was later absorbed by the Southern Pacific System, where the ownership still remains.
The Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway entered Fort Worth on the second day of December, 1881. In the meantime work had com- menced on the Fort Worth & Denver City Railway, which was char- tered as early as 1873, and the construction of which was delayed by the same panic that had wrought such havoc to the fortunes of the Texas & Pacific. The grading was commenced on this road in November, 1881, at or near the present station of Hodge. The first rail was laid the following February and the work was prosecuted with vigor until the road reached the state line at Texline, where it met the Denver & New Orleans, which had been constructed from the City of Denver.
The M. K. & T. came into Fort Worth over the rails of the Trans- Continental Division of the Texas & Pacific in the early part of 1880. It continues to use the same line, there being a joint ownership thereof.
On November 23, 1886, work was commenced on the Fort Worth & Rio Grande, a company organized and promoted by the writer.
In 1887-88 the "Cotton Belt" made its advent into this city, and in the '90s came the Rock Island, the Frisco and the I. & G. N. The Trinity & Brazos Valley followed soon after, using the Santa Fe rails between this city and Cleburne and later the Rock Island between this place and Dallas.
During the last decade railway construction in Texas has been practically suspended. A few short lines have been built from the main trunk lines to adjacent territory, more for the purpose of con- trolling traffic than for the development of the country.
Since the discovery of oil in North Central Texas several lines have been constructed for the purpose of serving this industry. Among these are: The Wichita Falls Ranger & Fort Worth Rail- road, from Wichita Falls through Breckenridge to Dublin, where it connects with the Frisco System, thereby giving an entrance into Forth Worth. The Cisco & Northeastern Railroad, from Cisco to Breckenridge, a distance of twenty-eight miles, serves the new terri- tory in Stephens County. The Ringling Eastland & Gulf Railroad. from Mangum to the Texas Central Railroad, through Eastland to Breckenridge. The Santa Fe constructed a branch line from Shat- tuck, Oklahoma, to Spearman, Texas.
There is now under construction a line from Newcastle, Young County, through Graham to Breckenridge, a distance of forty miles. This, too, is constructed for the pupose of serving oil interests.
These constitute the only new lines of railway constructed in Texas during the last ten years.
For four years, 1876-80, the town was typical of Western life : rushing business, noisy, boisterous existence, in which the cowboy and his twin companion, the six-shooter, figured conspicuously. Cat- tlemen-those pioneers of Western life-made the town their head- quarters and drew their supplies therefrom, and a few of the wiser
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men, with prophetic eye, saw a great future for the place and com- menced to work to that end.
Progress and development have been so swift in obliterating the primitive order of things and introducing all the accompaniments of modern life that even old-time citizens have almost forgotten the "wild and woolly" aspects of existence in Forth Worth during the latter '70s. The railroad brought its evils as well as its benefits. For several years Fort Worth was the clearing house between the legally constituted society of the East and the free and untram-
meled life of the West. Here the currents of humanity met, and in the swirling vortex that ensued could be found every class of man- kind. Fort Worth was never in the same class with the Kansas towns of Abilene and Dodge City; the substantial and better class of citizens was always in the ascendant here, and license was never allowed beyond the limits of control. But all descriptions agree that "hell's half acre" formed an exceedingly lively, even if restricted, por- tion of the city. Shootings and bawdy house riots are chronicled with daily regularity in the columns of the local papers of 1870-80. The citizens worked under a high pressure of mental and physical excitement and energy and action in producing the net result of progress, at the same time produced that share of evil which inhuman affairs can never be entirely dissociated from the good.
CHAPTER XLVII EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES
Fort Worth aspires and bids fair to become the Athens of the Southwest.
The Texas Christian University, the Baptist Theological Seminary, Our Lady of Victory Academy (Catholic), and the Texas Woman's College, the latter fostered by the Methodist Church, are flourishing, successful institutions representing an investment of several million dollars, having large and commodious buildings with modern equip- ment in every essential detail and which is being augmented from
BUILDING AND GROUNDS, TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
year to year as the requirements demand. The enrollment for the current year is 2,137. An able corps of teachers in every branch are provided, and their growth and development has been phenomenal.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The present school system is indebted for its inception and success largely to the work of Gen. K. M. VanZandt and Dr. C. M. Peak, who as early as 1866 inaugurated and secured the first school in the city and who have always been enthusiastic workers in the cause of edu- cation. In 1866, together with W. H. Milwee and Milt Robinson, they secured from the Masonic lodge the use of the first floor of the Masonic building. These four men contributed the money to pur- chase a load of flour and sent it to East Texas and traded it for lumber with which to equip the room for school purposes. They secured the services of Capt. John Hanna, a stranded Confederate soldier, to teach the school. They followed this with the establishment of a Union
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HIGH SCHOOL, FORT WORTH
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Sunday School. This was the first step to bring about the co-operation of the citizens of Fort Worth in matters of civic welfare, which has endured to this day.
Fort Worth had no free public school system until 1882. In the early days private schools furnished the greater part of the educational advantages to the young. Professor Hanna's Fort Worth High School was one of the noted institutions of the sixties. In the latter seventies among the important schools should be mentioned: The Weaver Male High School, in the northwestern part of the city, of collegiate grade. The Arnold-Walden Institute, for young ladies, also having a primary department, was at the west end of Fourth Street. Mrs. Scribner's School, for young ladies, was also on Fourth Street. Miss Alford's School, Second and Taylor, was a girls' school of first grade. Mrs. Burchill's School contained primary, intermediate and grammar grades.
In February, 1877, by order of the city council, an election was held to determine whether the city should assume exclusive control of the public schools within its limits. Ninety per cent of the tax- paying votes were cast for this proposition, and thereby the city be- came a separate school community, receiving from the collector of taxes its proportion of the school fund, having power to construct schools and to levy an additional tax of 1 per cent, provided a special election showed two-thirds of the taxpayers in favor of the levy. In July of this year, the levy was voted by the necessary number of tax- payers, but an adverse ruling of the attorney-general prevented for some time the diversion of the public funds to this purpose, and for this and other causes the public school system of Fort Worth was not inaugurated until 1882.
In February, 1882, the council was again appealed to. This time to have a special census taken to ascertain if the requisite number of people lived in Fort Worth to authorize an independent district. The council objected to this on account of funds. The writer of these lines agreed to do the work of supervision and Colonel Smith and Major VanZandt furnished the money to pay the enumerators. The work was done efficiently for the sum of $300.00, and there were found in Fort Worth 11,136 people. A. E. Want was one of the enumerators who took this census. An election was then ordered to levy a special tax to supplement the school fund. Doctor Peak was on the streets, in season and out of season, urging the tax, and it was approved by a very handsome majority. There were only thirty-five votes cast against the proposition, but from the noise made by the opponents many more were anticipated.
The first school trustees were J. J. Jarvis, John Hanna and W. H. Baldridge. The school opened in October with about 650 pupils.
An advertisement was inserted in the local papers and those in Saint Louis for a superintendent. There were thirty two applications filed, and some of the applicants came in person to interview the trustees. After much deliberation and discussion, Professor Alexander Hogg, of Marshall, was elected at a salary of $1.200 per annum. He
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entered upon his duties at the fall opening of the schools. The follow- ing teachers were selected :
Principals : Mrs. Clara Walden, Miss Sue Huffman and Thos.
Lacey.
First Grade : Miss Jennie Oliver, Emma Hildebrand, Pinka Jones, Ida Rich and Mrs. M. L. Pearcy.
Second Grade : Miss Bessie Foute, Jennie Howard, R. Madder, Eva Haywood, Clara Burnham, Maud P. Johnson, Lula Dial and J. N. Lacey.
There was in the Available School Fund $3,906 and the board announced that with the special tax levy a school could be conducted ten months in the year.
From this modest and unpretentious beginning has evolved one of the best and most successful school systems of any city of the size of Fort Worth in the country.
At this time there are in the city and belonging to the city, twenty- nine school buildings, twenty-one for white and eight for the colored pupils. These are all commodious, substantial and pretentious build- ings, thoroughly equipped with the most modern and approved facil- ities for the education of the youth of the City.
The value of this property, including equipment, is $2,252,914.14. The High School Buildings, of which there are three, are the pride of the City and the admiration of every one who sees them. For the current year four hundred and eighty-nine teachers are employed, four hundred and thirty-seven for the white pupils and fifty-two for the colored.
The enrollment of pupils for the year approximates 18,000, and the expense for the year will be $890,000, of which $180,000 will be for the interest and sinking fund for the several issues of bonds for the establishment of the schools. It is asserted, without fear of success- ful contradiction, that no city in the country of like population can make a more satisfactory exhibit of its activities in the line of edu- cation.
COLLEGES AND SEMINARIES
In addition to its unexcelled facilities for instruction provided by the public schools, there are several colleges and seminaries that would be a credit to a much larger city.
The first in date of organization and construction is the
TEXAS WOMAN'S COLLEGE
This college is the successor to Polytechnic College, which was founded December 16, 1890, by the people of Fort Worth, who con- tributed forty acres of ground and a cash donation. The first presi- dent of the Board of Trustees was Bishop Jos. S. Key. He resigned in 1906 and was succeeded by Rev. O. F. Sensabaugh.
The first president of the school was Rev. J. Watkinson, who con- tinued to serve till 1894, when he was succeeded by Rev. M. F. Lloyd, who, after serving for six years, resigned, and Rev. R. H. McSwain served as acting president until October, 1900. G. J. Nunn succeeded Lloyd, and in April, 1902, H. A. Boaz became the president and con-
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tinued until the college was converted into a Woman's College in 1915. It is now owned and directed by the five Conferences in Texas of the M. E. Church South.
The Texas Woman's College is located about four miles east of the business section of Fort Worth in the thriving suburban city of Polytechnic and upon a beautiful eminence that overlooks Fort Worth and the surrounding country. The college has connection with the city by an efficient three-minute car service; by a splendidly paved street leading directly to the city and by an excellent road leading to the Fort Worth-Dallas pike. This gives easy access to churches,
MAIN BUILDING, TEXAS WOMAN'S COLLEGE
business and other industries of a great city and at the same time retains the advantages of the open country.
As a woman's school, the college is an outgrowth of old Poly- technic College and has been running in its present capacity for six years. The attendance of students of college grade has rapidly in- creased from 101 in 1915 to more than 300 during the present year. and the total attendance in all departments with no names repeated has increased from 317 in 1915 to more than 500 during this session. Only two degrees were conferred in 1915, but the number has increased year by year until this year it has reached thirty-two. In fact, the most rapid growth of the school has been in the junior and senior classes, which speaks well for the academic standing of the institution.
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From the beginning the Texas Woman's College has had the highest rating given the senior colleges by the classification commit- tees of the State Teachers' Association and the State Department of Education. Her students are admitted to post-graduate work in all the great universities in the United States.
The campus contains forty acres of land, upon which are found four large dormitories, a main administration building, a conservatory building, a high school building and a gymnasium. Two modern church buildings are just off the campus. The property of the college is estimated to be worth $800,000.00, and with subscriptions, now being paid by the Methodists of Texas and the business men of Fort Worth, the school will soon have gathered an endowment of about $300,000.00 and at the same time will be out of debt. The income and expenditures reach about $200,000.00 annually.
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