Early Days In Hopkins County

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From the historical files of June E. Tuck, who does not validate or dispute any historical facts in the article.

Early Days In Hopkins County, By D. A. Sturdivant (1935), Editor

As the whiskey question is up again I will give the readers of the Echo some early history. I was born near Peerless 72 years ago. Hopkins then was a border county between East and West Texas, with only a few miles west to where wild Indians roamed. Those were the days of ox wagons, the old tar poles and the old stage coach.

I went to school in Sulphur Springs 58 years ago. I boarded with Judge Frank Rodgers. I went to the east end school, the only school there at that time. There were many fine old oaks that stood on the school house grounds.

The places where whiskey was sold were called grocery stores, usually one or two barrels of whiskey on blocks or short legs, pretty much like vinegar barrels, and now and then the whiskey was drawn from a faucet in a tin cup or glass to sell by the drink, or in some kind of container the customer wanted. The old ox drivers would get full and stop their ox teams under the shade of the trees on the school ground and lay around on the grass till they got sober, then yoke up and go on, or go back and get a fresh supply of whiskey and maybe camp all night there. We boys loved to watch the old stage coach go by with the six-horse team in a long trot and often in a lope. Well, this would be some sight now. I have seen eight yoke, sixteen oxen, to one wagon. Then when a new town was started it was with a grocery, usually in a log house or tent, and a barrel of whiskey constituted its stock.

The first effort at Peerless, which then went by the name of Lindley neighborhood was started in a tent on Caney about two miles south of Peerless, by old man Levi Millhollon. The next attempt Frank Glover put up a grocery about one mile south of Peerless. Here the first man was killed, supposed to be a horse thief. That was the most common mode of disposing of thieves in that day. After that a flour mill was built just east of where the stores of Peerless stands today, by a man named Gay. Then it took on the name of Gay City, after that Hillville, after that Fairland (sic,) when a post office was established by that name. Old man gay died and Garrett and Kirkbride got in charge of the mill and put in a still and made peach brandy. At that time nearly everyone had a large peach orchard. The old orchards died out and have never been replaced. Then is when the reign of terror began at this place now called Peerless, which only ended when the brandy played out. Since that time whiskey, beer or wine has been sold there five times and several have been killed and shot during those times.

Of course this young generation knows nothing of the horrors of these times and my prayer is that they may never have to go through these by whiskey being sold here again. Now the only way to avoid it is to vote against repeal. Now dear people, is you love your home, if you love your church, if you love your schools, if you love your neighbor, vote against repeal. D. A, Sturdivant, Route 1 , Ridgeway, Texas.