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The Royse City News-Times
“An Advertising Medium Which Brings Results”
Royse City, Texas
Friday, November 13, 1936
Page 1
History of the City of Royse City
By James Matthews
(Royse City News-Times Editor’s Note: It was through the courtesy of Fred Mercer, Sam Mercer, and Jeim Orr, old timers here, that James Matthews gathered information for this interesting bit of history of our city, and he wishes to take this opportunity to express his thanks to them.)
In 1886 there were two inland towns in Rockwall County viz; Rockwall and Fate. When the M-K and T railroad was surveyed, the blue print showed that it would hit Fate in the center. The citizens were so sure of this that they refused to give the station site or contributed to the project in any way.
The railway company did not like their attitude so they made a swing or curve just west of Royse, missing Fate one and one-half to the south and also missing Rockwall. They then made stations at Royse and New Fate.
The inhabitants of Old Fate moved to the railroad, some going to Rockwall,, some to New Fate, but the greater number to Royse City, moving their homes on wagons, drawn by oxen eight to ten yoke to the house.
The Mercer, Bailey, Jouett, Yeager and Dr. White families were among the first to move. Dr. White was the first physician in Royse City. He settled just south of Mrs. Banks’ home and what a good man and fine doctor he was.
T.W. Bailey, merchant at Fate moved his storehouse and placed it where the Pollard and Wood store is now located.
Jouett and Yeager built on the Corner where Sam Riley [sic] and that corner is known by the old timers today as the Jouett and Yeager corner.
The first merchant was none other than A.G. Royse, who lives two and one-half miles south of Royse City today. His store was on the lot where the First National Bank building stands at present.
K.M. Peterson, a Norwegian by birth, was the first postmaster, bringing the post office from Foy, where Bob Douglas now lives. The office was placed in the building built by Peterson and Lane on the corner where the Citizens State Bank is today. The Lane of the firm was none other than our Barney Lane who lives with us today.
Bird Royse was the first resident of Royse City. Mr. Jim Orr built the first house, part of which is the J.W. Terrell home. This was used as Royse City’s first hotel, located in a densely wooded thicket, and from Main Street to where Mrs. Parker lives was also a densely wooded thicket.
The first opera house was a two story building built where Walter Bryant has his store today. This opera house was afterwards moved to the south of the railroad.
C.L. Jones came from Terrell and built and operated a store on the south side of the railroad and in a few years the greater part of Royse City was on the south side, being solid buildings from Davidson’s feed store to the northeast corner of Mrs. Russell’s home place.
J.R. Bond of Terrell built a dry goods store where the Adams building is today.
Clayburn Walker, father of Roy Walker, wecked an old cotton gin, located where E.A. Marvin now lives, known as Spunkty Ridge and built a hotel on the corner where Palmer’s Drug Store is now located. This was the largest and best hotel between Dallas and Greenville.
The first school house was built on the lot where Lyon-Gray Lumber Co. now is. The building was boxed, 28 by 14. Mrs. Wooster, a very fine woman, was the teacher.
The next school house was built on the branch west of the present homes of John Bost and Mack Davie. Here Mack Davie learned to chaw tobacco.
The first artesian well was drilled on the lot where J.V. Wood and Bro. lumber yard now stands. The second was drilled on the branch west of Cavitt’s gin.
The first church was built by the Christian denomination where Mrs. Douthit’s home now stands. All denominations worshipped here.
Later, the Methodist’s [sic] built their first church where the Paulks now live. Soon after, the Baptist[s] built their first church where the Banks home is located today.
Then the Presbyterians built their church where the Amis and Price station is located.
The first and only real saloon was where Ellis and Murphy are today. Chicken fighting was the main sport. The fighting opened about December and closed about February 1.
The post office was listed as Royse City at that time and the railway station just as Royse, but was afterward changed to Royse City.
Most of the above happened in 1887.
Royse City, up to a few years ago, had four exclusive dry goods stores, one of these working 15 sales people. They not only held their own trade but drew business from miles each way.
The last thing to think of is the burying place. Our cemetery was where the highway makes the curve just east of the Gulf service station on the Adams lot. Today as you travel there, you are driving over the graves of the dead as all those buried there were not moved to the present cemetery. Some few of the graves were near the street across from the Dadson place.
Transcriber’s Note: This newspaper article was transcribed retaining the original wording and punctuation, except as noted in brackets [ ]. The exceptions are in paragraphs 10, 11, and 16, where the transcriber repositioned lines of type transposed by the original typesetter.
Transcribed 25 Sept 2009 by Donna McCreary Rodriguez from the newspaper saved by her grandmother, Mrs. Hubert Harris (Annie Laura Graham) Buck. Contact: donna316@tx.rr.com.
The author, James Delyle Matthews, born in 1918 in Royse City, was the nephew of Mrs. Buck and the first cousin once removed of the transcriber. His parents were Samuel A. Matthews, Jr., and Katie Pollard Buck Matthews. After high school, James Matthews enrolled at North Texas State Teachers College (now University of North Texas) in Denton. He married Jessie Layette Powell of Aubrey, Denton County.
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