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Buffalo Express March 26 - April 23,
2003
Taken from "The Flo News" written by Norma Moore
March 26, 2003
It was founded in 1867 with a few
settlers, from Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and Tennessee.
Marquez was then considered chiefly of prairie land dotted with farms,
the convenience of water from nearby creeks rivers and springs being the
resource of their farm life, they soon learned the sandy and red soil
with the proper mix and the water, produced long growing seasons and
with the wild game and fish, they had a proper living.
Marquez's bright future came in 1871,
due to the arrival of the International and Great Northern Railroad.
This promoted a rapid growth of population, railroad depot provided
jobs, a market for the farmers produce a choice of transportation and a
hustle of activity day and night. The freight room and the cotton
wharves a buzz with the farmers shipping their cotton to other parts of
Texas and the world, and the many travelers gathering around the coal
burning stove in the middle of the room was always filled with crowds of
people all this providing a new flourishing.
Marquez, turned a small preview into
a booming township with organized churches, a school, and professional
businessmen of many walks of life. This Leon County Community
brought recognized wealth and a bright promise to many other people and
many other places.
The Marquez Times and Farmers Journal
were published. The operators D.J. Price and LeRoy Trice welcomed
new residents and much important land development with their
advertisement of land for $1.50 an acre. This was well received by
subscribers, and by them passing on the word and as more land owners
called Marquez home. The first post office was established in
1872. The outgoing mail was dropped into barrels.
April 2, 2003
Marquez with rich heritage was named
for Marie De Le Marquez, on whose estate Marquez is located. Its
first history was recognized as a prairie land convenient in water
resource of the creeks, rivers, and springs. It was first
populated with a few white settlers who considered themselves as campers
thinking they would move on after they had raised enough food to
survive. To their great fortune they realized the climate, the
good rain and the water resource provided an almost year round
gardening. They started planting orchards, large gardens and
cotton and corn crops. With the abundant wild game, fish, and with
their cattle, chickens, and hogs, the settlers were well satisfied with
Marquez as their new home. They gave God glory for their great
abundance.
The Marie Marquez farm and ranch is
the largest landowner. Along with these few settlers were the
Marquez township from 1867 until 1871. When the I. and G. N.
Railroad made its arrival, this provided a prosperous era of Marquez
history with a rapid population and a remarkable growth of business
organizations.
The Railroad operation, bringing many
employees from other states and supplying the local men with work; the
railroad depot with production of huge crowds of people from all walks
of life, a market for the farmers crops, a new way to transport their
cattle, hogs, and the recognition of a flourishing town with bright
promise. The Marquez Township developed into a wide trade
territory offering general merchandises, hardware, lumber, groceries,
furniture, churches, newspapers, a post office, blacksmiths, drug
stores, improved land status and refined social fraternal lifestyles.
The Marquez Times Farmers Journal,
The Marquez Listings, The Marquez Monitor, and the Marquez News supplied
the township with promotional population of moral citizens and
impressive land development. D. J. Price, LeRoy Trice, Fred
Carrington, Jack Robinson, E. O. Boggs, and Brad Robinson were the
important publishers and editors.
The first post office built was in
1872 and the first post master was Joseph Brown. He traveled by
horseback at times delivering the mail himself when the bad weather kept
people home.
From the wooden areas of Marquez came
timber for homes, barns and split rails for wagons, fencing and
furniture. The timber brought the sawmill operation. A. Amos
and Alfred Petty are the well remembered saw mill owners and operators.
D. W. Carrington and Son owned and
operated the General Wood Shop Company, which supplied carriages,
liveries, Hickory wagons, rib boards, horses and groceries. Buck
Winn had a livery, feed and sale stable. Sid Myers was famous for
his material, yard goods and best jean pants.
Buck Winn's wife operated The Winn
Hotel with rates of a dollar a day. It was neat and clean with a
friendly atmosphere.
The McArthur Hotel with Carrie
McArthur in charge, just across the railroad depot was appealing.
Her hotel offered the best food and pie was so delicious. It was
favored by the railroad men, the traveling farmers and the stockmen.
It was called the Famous Marquez Pie.
The Blacksmiths were James Petty, Tom
Watson, Bob Thames, L. Autry, Bob Horn, and Jeff Collins. The
McArthur's, Carrington's, Boggs', Grayson's, Winn's, Spencer's, Petty's,
Jones', Vestal's, Seales', McCormick's, and Allison's built a one room
schoolhouse. It was erected on the bank of Mill Creek. This
served as the school, the Church, the Community building.
The Church was the hub of the
citizens social activity. Worship services were held every Sunday
if weather permitted. They had dinner on the ground staying long
hours sharing, visiting, and their feast was under the shaded trees.
Also some memorable summer revivals would be held for two weeks at a
time. Traveling Evangelists held the services staying in family
homes. These were the best of God's ministry. Many souls
were saved and baptisms were held at the old Mill Creek swimming hole.
Later the first Baptist Church was
established in 1892. The Christian Church in 1895, organized by D.
W. Carrington, E. Bateman, and A. D. Boggs. The Methodist Church
was established in 1919. It was organized by B. D. Dashiel, Oscar
Keeton, J. S. Moore, W. H. Joyce Gill, Charlie St. John. The first
pastor was Rev. J. S. Steward. The black Baptist Church was in
1909 and was organized by Reverends Williams and Allen. It was a
thriving church with many added to their membership. The
Presbyterian Church was established in 1922. Brothers J. L. Ward
and J. M. Black were pastors. This being a one room church was
replaced.
April 9, 2003
The Historical Marquez
settlement was two settlements. The first with only a few in
number. These were farmers, named for Marie Marquez, who owned a
large tract of land and was the most important of the establishments of
Marquez. Then with the arrival of the Iron Horse, the T and G. N.
Railroad, Marquez became a booming township providing an increased
population and a wide section of territorial growth.
Marquez at first with a one room
school house which was their school, church, and their community center
in 1867. Marquez became a foundation of an impressive ministry of
God's Christian work of the second Marquez township. The First
Baptist organized in 1892, the Presbytery erected in the 1800's only
with one room, this being replaced in 1922, with a larger more beautiful
church.
The Grayson family donated the
Baptistery. Mrs. (Grayson) Love gave the piano. This church
held services for over 90 years, many preachers and many dedicated
members have been faithful servants. The Christian Church was
built in 1895, a deed obtained from the New York and Texas Land
Companies was a one room building until 1928; when a larger church was
erected and now is of brick. The Methodist Church founded in 1919
was reconstructed in 1920 by Charles St. John.
The Black Church was vital of God's
Ministry and was established by Reverend Allen and Williams with a great
number in membership. It is well recognized as a great mission.
Marquez first little school house on
Mill Creek in 1871 has become one of the best planned organized
education systems of our Leon County.
A Leon Academy organized by the
Trustees Sydney Myers, F. M. Carrington, Silas Spencer making provisions
in 1902. There were 166 students enrolled. H. H. Wahl was
the superintendent. These students started in the 1st
grade and continued through their senior year. They with the
highest marks of academics and devoted of marches, drills, and patriotic
songs, vocal music and art. The teachers were Ida Yarborough, Zela
Seale, Zula Powell, Sid Bateman, Mrs. F. M. Carrington, and Lula
Barkley.
From 1902 until 1957 Marquez's school
system was of the highest standard with Cicero German, English
Literature, Debate, Latin Composition, Shakespeare plays, Geometry,
Essay and oration, bookkeeping and commercial law, were added to their
basic states of educational skills. Other teachers were Troy
Davis, Herman Easterling, Ruby and Blanch Petty, Hardy Seale, Julia
Sadler, J. M. Bandeen as principal, Guy Lanier, Willie, Dean, Beene and
James Atkisson were some of the teachers of the 1940's and 1950's.
In 1958 the enrollment of the Marquez
school had declined due to World War II. The Marquez and Jewett Schools
consolidated their schools to form the Leon School, which is a most
influential Leon Country school system.
The most remembered Druggists were
Lloyd Powell, Hugh Cundiff, and Edwin Evans, their recommended remedies
was often as good as a doctors, lemon juice, honey, juice of boxwoods,
tansy tea.
(the issue April 16, 2003 was combined with the first part of this
story)
April 23, 2003
Marquez with its unique history and
the preservence of this recorded history can respectfully be accounted
to three of their special ladies, Thelma Jones, Vesta Petty, and Mabel
Cash, with their deep love of the people and their loved Marquez.
They have compiled and shared
recorded family, community heritage since the Marquez establishment
until its present day. It has been passed from one generation to
another, all sharing the same love of God, their families, and dedicated
pride for a moral Christian, family township for all their citizens of
its beginning. It has grown into a wide territorial prairie of
churches, several businesses, a social status that includes all families
and visitors.
The once dotted farms of the land now
rich with ranch, farm, oil & gas wells, beautifully well kept gardens,
orchards, flowers, and sweet watermelons of Leon County.
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