MISS BESS HEARD
This is an interview with Miss Bessie Heard on
January 20, 1975 in her lovely home at 315 North College Street in McKinney,
Texas. I am Juanita Randles, interviewing for the McKinney Memorial Public
Library to be used for the Bicentennial Celebration, and later to be put in the
archives section of the McKinney Public Library.
R: Good afternoon, Miss Bessie! Are you feeling all right today?
H: Fine, thank you.
R: This is such a nice sunny day, pleasant, though a little cool outside. Well,
let's start with where you were born, and then go back to your parents, and
where they came from. Just start telling me about your early life.
H: I was born in McKinney, Texas, May 26, 1886.
R: Well that makes you on up there doesn't it. Well you certainly have been
fortunate to have the help you had. And your parents, now were....
H: John Spencer Heard from Van Buren, Arkansas, and Rachel Caroline Wilson from
Lexington, Mississippi.
R: Now, and their forefathers came from which country?
H: Ireland, 1700 and something.
R: Did you ever get a coat of arms for your family?
H: Yes, I have it.
R: You were one of how many children?
H: Three.
R: All girls?
H: I had two sisters.
R: Would you like to name them and who they married, and so forth?
H: Nina Heard Ashton and Laura Heard Shoap.
R: Oh, Miss Katy isn't your sister?
H: She's my first cousin.
R: Where does Nina live?
H: She lives in Bryan. She's deceased.
R: The lovely home that she built there, you helped....
H: to design it.
R: and interior decorating and so forth?
H: Yes.
R: And it must have been something outstanding, because I believe I've seen a
picture of it.
H: I studied interior decoration in 1916 - 17 at Parson's School in New York
City.
R: Good! After you had gotten your formal education here?
H: I was educated at Mary Baldwin College in Stanton, Virginia.
R: So you went through grade school and high school here in McKinney.
H: Not high school, private school.
R: And then you went on to Virginia. What was the name of that college again?
H: Mary Baldwin College. I just got a new year book today.
R: How nice that you keep up. Did your sisters Nina and Laura have any children?
H: Nina had three children. They're all deceased.
R: and she lost her husband?
H: Just 37 years old. And Laura had no children.
R: But she hasn't been passed on very long, has she?
H: Three years.
R: Do you know who the architect was for this lovely house?
H: It was a group of architects in Dallas called E. Plannery, but they went out
of existence over the years. This house is fifty-three years old. It was
designed in 1921.
R: When you were a child, where did you live?
H: At the corner of Church and Virginia Street.
R: I have heard that your mother was a gardener.
H: She was a very great gardener. She raised all sorts of rare flowers and also
had a formal garden outside with many varieties of plants and two greenhouses.
R: Two greenhouses! In those days that was something, wasn't it?
H: She was probably the first rural? gardener in McKinney.
R: Formal gardens date back from the English. Did she have her walkways in the
garden?
H: Yes, she had gravel walks and geometric designs, and she would plant flowers
in the beds.
R: and the greenhouses?
H: She had unusual plants in the greenhouses, the rarer varieties.
R: I noticed that you had a quilt exhibit at the museum that she had made. Can
you tell us something about her quilting and fingerwork?
H: She did various kinds of handiwork and she did twenty quilts, both pieced and
appliquéd, crocheted a number of counterpanes. Her handiwork involved tatting
and knitting and colored embroidery.
R: And you still have a lot of her things?
H: We had a quilt show at the museum recently, with her handiwork.
R: Was she a club woman? (Miss Heard shook her head.) She stayed home and took
care of her family and did all sorts of pretty things?
H: She did a number of civic things.
R: I heard that you were an all-around girl when you were growing up. What did
you do -- horseback riding? In those days you didn't have cars, did you?
H: No, we rode horseback, and of course we had horses and carriages.
R: and bicycles?
H: Yes, I rode a bicycle and roller skated.
R: Climb trees and that sort of thing. Those were the fun days, wasn't they?
Getting to your father. What type business was he in?
H: After serving four years in the Confederate Army, he came to McKinney and
started in the general merchandise business with his brother, Stephen Dudley
Heard, and it was known as J. S. and S. D. Heard until the death of both of
them.
R: How long ago was that?
H: It was the mid 60's when they first came here. Some of the rest of the family
had come earlier. On the maternal grandmother's side, they came in 1852, and
Grandfather Heard came right after the war. Everything they had was destroyed,
and they were really refugees here.
R: Was that the Civil War?
H: The Civil War. A few slaves came with them. They were free but they stayed
with them anyway. They were planters in Arkansas.
R: And did your grandfather then farm in Arkansas.
H: He bought some land around here, and called it the Heard Ranch, over near
Celina, and then east of here at Princeton.
R: Well, I know about the Heard Ranch east of here.
H: The other one we sold many years ago.
R: Celina?
H: Yes.
R: Your father was the one who had the general store?
H: He handled all sorts of farming implements, carriages and buggies and wagons
and plows.
R: In those days one store sold almost everything you needed, didn't it?
H: Yes, I imagine so. They had a large apartment where they made fine saddles. I
used to watch the men make the saddles.
R: Did they sell farm implements and groceries?
H: The biggest part of it was the implements, saddles and harnesses and buggies
and thrashing machines. It started small on the west side of the square right
after the war. Gradually they built a big building, the Woolworth building and
the old opera house building. It was all one building.
R: And was the opera house in the upper story?
H: The upper story, a part of that building.
R: And tell us about the programs in the opera house.
H: They just built it and leased it. They didn't have anything to do with it.
R: It was Jimmy Worden (?) and somebody else. I've forgotten who.
H: All kinds of talent came, some of the best known actors of today.
R: I understand you sang there one time, didn't you?
H: Our music teacher had a concert. I played a violin solo.
R: and your sister Laura?
H: My sister Laura was a very finished musician, very talented.
R: Was it piano?
H: Piano. A big piano. I used to sit and laugh. She went to Austin College. She
graduated in music. She knew all about the theory of music, and was interested
in the old classical music.
R: And of course your friends ran out and in, and you had a lot of company, I'm
sure.
H: Yes, we did. We had so many house parties.
R: Can you recall any of your old friends now that are still living.
H: Not too many. Ida Ray was one. She was about a year older than I. She was the
youngest one. That's about all.
R: Not many of them still around?
H: We needn't go into that.
R: In those days everyone wore long hair. You are wearing short hair now. Were
you one who cut their hair way back?
H: Yes, I was about the first one to cut my hair off.
R: What did your mother and daddy think?
H: I had to persuade them to let me do it.
R: You got around and had a lot of fun. Did you go to dances, etc.?
H: Oh, Yes. We always had Christmas dances in the old Elks Hall.
R: I remember the old Elks Hall.
H: I used to have a friend who always came up from Dallas and spend the week end
with me and go to the Elk dance.
R: Well, were you ever the Queen of the Ball, or whatever they called it.?
H: Lead the grand march. Yes, several times.
R: Who was your boy friend then?
H: Oh, I don't remember.
R: It's been too long. You know, I think I can still remember my first little
boyfriend. Your father believed in educating you girls and letting you travel or
traveling with you.
H: He liked for us to travel.
R: Tell me about some places you went before going abroad?
H: First long trip was to Toronto, Canada when I was about 8 yrs. old. Then we
used to go out west to California, Grand Canyon, Yosemite Valley, in the early
days. Colorado in those days in the summer, it was so hot here, and no one had
air conditioning, so everyone went away to where it was cool.
R: Did you usually go by train?
H: Yes, we went by train, there were no cars in those days. It was fun to go on
the train. We went to the entrance of Yosemite Park by train and then they had
stage coaches to take you through the park. I was about 12 years old at that
time.
R: You've been quite a few places. Old Mexico.
H: I've even been to South America.
R: How did you go to South America?
H: We took a Caribbean cruise. Venezuela, Dutch Indies, Mexico and West Indies.
R: Went by chartered train, I guess, while on land.
H: Yes, National Garden Club chartered a French liner, very nice.
R: How old when you went to Europe?
H: That was in 1913. Gone about 3 months. It was a specially conducted tour. It
was educational.
R: That was educational and a lot of fun. Then you studied interior decorating
in New York City.
H: Yes, there were so few in that field then. Several years later I was with
Hallaby Galleries before Neiman Marcus started theirs. It was where the Old
Majestic Theater is now. That's ancient history.
R: Did you ever work or do homes around.
H: I did one big home in Demming, New Mexico and several in Dallas.
R: How did you get to Demming?
H: On a train. It was on a large ranch, 17,000 acres, I think. It was Spanish
type and I furnished it entirely. Oriental rugs on floors. It was a mansion.
When I first came back from New York it was 1917 and I helped get the charter
for the American Red Cross set up here and did not do anything but war work for
several years.
R: Didn't a group of the ladies come in and help with that after you got it set
up?
H: Yes, we had sewing departments, made dressings and garments for Belgium and
British Relief. We made and shipped thousands of garments.
R: Where was this located?
H: Part of it was in the upstairs of the old Elk's Club. The surgical dressings.
And we had another department of about 20 sewing machines down in the old
Coliseum, where we did all the sewing.
R: I remember the old Coliseum. We used to play ball there.
H: We sometimes worked until 10 o'clock at night to get shipments off. We had to
assort and tie pack very carefully and put into these huge cartons that weighted
about 200 lbs when we finished it. We had different departments. I was head of
the surgical department. I went all over the county and taught ladies how to
make surgical dressings, to make garments, and to knit. The funny part of it was
we were down in the old cold barny coliseum in winter and summer it was so hot.
We had to go across the street to get drinking water. The funny thing about it,
the WPA workers would drive up in big fine cars and they had ice water and
electric fans.
R: Can you believe it?
H: It was hard to get people to work. Some would come maybe once a week and work
but a few of us worked every day and night.
R: I know you have just grown up wanting to do for other people. I think that's
just wonderful and you are still at it. While still on the Red Cross subject,
did you have anything to do with this Red Cross building on Hwy. 380?
H: Yes, I furnished the interior, desks, chairs, tables and all furniture.
During the Second World War, Asburn General Hospital was here. Laura, my sister,
and I headed the women's work again. She was chairman, and I her assistant. We
worked out there in the wards etc.
R: Were you called the Gray Ladies then?
H: Yes, we were the first group to attend the first train to come in with the
wounded soldiers. We stayed with it until it was closed and then went to the
Veterans Hospital that took Ashburn's place. It eventually closed.
R: Yes, that was a great service and I know was greatly appreciated. Then you
became interested in a Wild Life Sanctuary. Am I jumping over too far?
H: Yes, next was the library. It came next in 1937. They sort of commandeered
me. I did not belong to a single club then, but the club women had started a
small collection of books in the basement of the Court House. They had not built
it up any. They had a few books above the Drug Store. Mrs. Lovejoy had stocked
it in the beginning. Then put them down in the Court House basement. It became
crowded, the county Superintendent of Schools needed the space so we had to get
out. I found a building on west Virginia Street across the street from the
Chamber of Commerce office, Dr. Erwin's building. We moved there for several
years, then we couldn't afford the pay the rent. We almost folded up for lack of
interest. Club women just lost interest. I found that the home on Louisiana
Street was on the market so we put on a drive, went before the Chamber of
Commerce and Henry Shoap was chairman, and we raised $1200.00 I think and paid
for it. We had that renovated and it grew and grew until it out grew itself. So
I got Paula Finch to take over my job because I had done about all I could do,
so she did and she made a very great leader.
R: Yes, we do have Paula Finch to thank for getting our new library.
H: Not all together I was the one who started it.
R: I mean for carrying the leadership of that project.
H: Oh, yes, she pushed it right through. She and I took several trips to Austin
to get funds, and the charter and I don't know what all. I got the charter for
the first library. Then the city helped us some, but not very much. The city was
just not interested in having a library. We met with them every week or two
through the years.
R: At one time it almost folded before it got over to Louisiana Street and you
bailed them out, so to speak.
H: Yes, I contributed to it. I told Paula we just had to have a new library
building, so we went to the City Council numerous times. I don't think either
one of them had ever set foot in the library through the years and finally they
did cooperate. But we got all the funds to start with. We got the appropriations
from Austin, and about 2 or 3 administration of the council before we finally
got them to call for a bond election. Once or twice it failed but we kept on
until it passed.
R: That's the kind it takes to get things done and just won't give up. We
appreciate you all for it.
H: McKinney didn't want to have a library but I was determined we would have.
R: And oh, it is so nice now and so useful.
H: And they didn't want that auditorium but Paula and I just kept on. But now
the City Hall takes credit. They did it all to hear them talk. They put that big
plaque on the wall and they just had one year or two of work on it.
R: They happened to be in office when it was really built. A lot of credit goes
to the wrong people a lot of times. It certainly is a remarkable place now.
H: We have such a lovely librarian now. You know we had such a hard time getting
one. We cound't afford to pay one for such a long time.
R: A real competant one took money to get and it took a while to work up to
that.
H: Librarians are not paid adequately anyhow.
R: That's true, but I think they are doing a lot better now. Maryhelen is quite
efficient.
H: The city council got her.
R: Well, the Library Board really found her and I'm on the Library Board and a
committee interviewed several prospects and picked out 3 or 4 of the best
qualified ones and then the City Council decided on which of those they liked
best. Your house when you were young backed up to the Heard Craig House now.
H: The whole block all planted in trees.
R: I'll bet that was lovely. Mrs. Katy Heard Craig was your first cousin. Her
foundation was set up for the club women of McKinney. Explain that.
H: That is entirely separate.
R: Now are we ready to get to your lovely museum? Tell me about how you got
started.
H: I established a foundation with the 1st National Bank of Dallas in charge,
and bought -266 acres, of native growth undeveloped land.
R: Some of that is hilly and some lower land. Now tell us where it is located
exactly.
H: Well, it is on farm to market 1378 just off Hwy 5 and joins the country club
on the west. East and north boundaries is Wilson Creek.
R: You built a smaller building at first.
H: It wasn't small.
R: No, I know but you have built more on to it.
H: Yes, we have doubled its size in the last 2 years. We built more exhibit
rooms and class rooms.
R: Now you call this what?
H: It is called the Heard Natural Science and Wildlife Sanctuary Museum.
R: Now the wildlife is mostly out on the 266 acres. The Wildlife Sanctuary is
the land behind the museum.
H: We have a large meeting room for various functions, art exhibits, etc. and a
kitchen off that for refreshments. The children come in bus loads to go out on
the trails to study nature and we also have a nature study department on the
ground floor for classes. Mrs. Lillian Hobbs is director of that.
R: And those are preschool children in that called The Moppett Class, I believe.
H: Yes, from 3 to 6 yrs. That's been very successful. They come from
Farmersville, Garland, Dallas, Plano, and only have had 3 from McKinney. It's
embarrassing. It's free-no charge. Volunteers workers that's what we have. We
have an efficient staff that Harold Laughin is the director of the museum. He
has a phd degree in biology and several other degrees. He's a very talented man.
R: very educational.
H: And he started off with us from the very first even before he came and we
began to break down the building.
R: Tell me about who helped you plan it first.
H: Well National Assisserie, Mr. Braston, and Ralph Scott at the bank who had my
trust in the foundation. We got in touch with Mr. John Ripley Forbes, who is the
national chairman of the Natural Science for Youth Foundation. He travels all
over the US to help you get started and he also helped start at least 75 nature
museums over the United States and one in Alaska. He was here recently to see
how things were doing.
R: He comes to see how things are still going.
H: Well we are on our own now, we have recently been a ---national museum
association.
R: Yes, I know Dr. Laughlin and his family. They're all so interested in the
museum.
H: Well they've been here for nearly eight years.
R: Has this been built 8 years?
H: No, it's been in operation 7 years. It took a year to build it.
R: 1967, I guess.
H: 1966, when we first began, of course, we have to get more exhibits. We go now
every month visting parce? stores.
R:in the entertainment room.
H: We call it the activity room. We have a very active phone tip. The head
museum girl, now those women have done an excellent job, they keep people
interested. They have went to sales and various other things. It's not only for
children. I think you'll like it.
R: I think I would too. It's quite interesting to go out there and all the
lovely collections, shell collections and that stained glass windows that's made
from rocks.
H: That --- collection was given to us by Mr. and Mrs. Jack Reese.
R: Well good.
H: The other collections I already had before I built the museum.
R: Well you've added some to that I believe.
H: Well some of the prints I have, but the shelves are just what I always had.
R: The oriental pieces already had.
H: It's more recent about 6 or 7 years. I had a few pieces I've had a long time.
R: Well it certainly is a fantastic collection. Then they built on the cave last
year or two did they not?
H: Yes, that's in the minerals.
R: How do join that particular thing, Guild.
H: Guild, well you have to pay dues and they meet once a month.
R: How much are the dues a year?
H: I believe it's $2.00.
R: Is that all, well most of us can dig that up. Well how did you get on those
nature trails?
H: Well we have such good volunteer help. We train them for three weeks
orientation to go by on the trails. Nobody goes on the trails without a guide.
R: That would be disastrous.
H: Very. You have to make appointments, cause we have to round up the guides.
One time we had such a large group, we turned down as many 500. We just don't
have enough guides. We have 20,000 people out a year.
R: That many, I didn't realize. I always brought my class out one time during
the year on the trail.
H: Johnny Warton and Burna Stevenson, they work from the very first. They have
to schedule all the bus trips and things. They come form Plano, Garland and all
around to the museum. So many garden clubs come and several from Dallas Women's
Club come up from a chartered greyhound bus. We served lunch. Recently Ft. Worth
Garden Club came over, they had their lunch catered. See you're not allowed to
have any picnics or fruits on the trail, you're welcome though to have it in the
activity room. We have a very finely equipped kitchen of everything we need.
R: And the bird feeders all along.
H: We've got the wild life sanctuaries. This afternoon they were just flying in
all direction.
R: A beautiful red and all colors.
H: Yes, mocking birds and...
R: Miss Bess, if you don't want to answer this, why you don't have to. The
foundation now will carry on after you're gone?
H: Yes, I set up a certain amount, First Nartional Bank in Dallas has charge
over the financial part of it. Of course the board is over how it operates. Dr.
Laughlin, the Director, he employs the staff and he can hire or fire. We have a
very effecient staff, most unusual people, they're very capable. He gets along
with people so well, and they all seem to like what they're doing so much.
R: They do. They're so interested in it.
H: Everybody out there applied for the job, and it showed that's what they
wanted then to do. They really do a fine job.
R: So enthusiastic about it too.
H: Well I guess different craft started when he was in high school.
R: As a trail guide.
H: He came out there and he just followed Howell around every where. Now he's an
assistant director and he graduated in biology. He got his master's degree. It's
a wonderful opportunity for a person to research for, we have a lot of SMU
students come over.
R: Oh, you do, you have a live snake, a lot of live animals around here.
H: Small animals, we don't feature that exactly, they were given to us. Dr.
Laughlin and ship of Hule College, Mrs. Hiles does too, she was with the Ft.
Worth museum 12 yrs. Her husband was transferred to Garland and it was to far
for her to commute. She does commute to McKinney from Garland. We was very
fortunate to get her, she's very efficient, she's recently written a book.
R: I didn't know that, I've met her several times.
H: Mr. Jim Piss has had much experience with museums all over the United States.
He's been around the world, he's been in in the Air Force, he's a very efficient
artist, he is efficient in arranging exhibits, he even makes the cases. He can
do anything. Howell, you knew him in high school, Skipper.
R: Skipper, they call him Skipper. Yes, I did. I knew his parents and all.
H: Mrs. Wharton is our head secretary. She's very efficient, very efficient.
R: Now she moved away, does she commute?
H: She commutes from Cartwright. She used to live just east of the museum, but
they sold that home, but she never misses.
R: Well, isn't that great.
H: We don't consider miles any more.
R: Especially when you're doing things you like to do.
H: Well it's been a great educational advantage for them.
R: Yes, it has.
H: They've been associated with some of the biggest artists in the US have been
here. Dr. Laughlin goes every year the annual National meeting. He'g got to go
to Philadelphia, Boston and several other places. Mrs. Helen Rerk from Plano she
used to live here. She still comes over. Mrs. Mary Lubaman, is in charge of the
shop and she also teaches in the nature classes.
R: Well it's certainly is a fantastic place and we're very fortunate to have
that here. Do you have any other plans for the museum that you haven't carried
through yet?
H: Well at one time the original plans were to have a planetarium. That will be
in the far future I'm thinking. What we're doing now is more important than
that, see I don't know how much it would cost now but it would be $160,000 and
it would be about $5,000 now. We have to employ a special astronomer to operate
the planetarium that would be about 10 or 12 thousand dollars a year. Unless the
City of McKinney decides
R: Decides to do something.
H: Mr. Forbes he just can't understand why they don't.
R: Well it is hard for us to understand.
H: I just think it's a foundation order they got plenty.
R: Well after all it's a limit.
H: It sure is you can't kill the goose that lays the golden egg. The director's
home is also on the sanctuary.
R: You built that too did you not?
H: A brick home air conditioned and everything. It was there when I bought the
land. It was the home of Dr. Perkins, who owned the land. The land had been in
his family a long time. Mrs. Louis Dial and Caroline Dial, her daughter, gave us
10 acres over there near the track. They're very interested in the museum.
Caroline is in Austin. She's with the university. Has been for many years, she's
very interested in conservation.
R: Certainly is a big asset to this area. I've certainly have enjoyed this
interview, hear you tell about your whole life's work and especially this
foundation.
H: Thank you so much, you've been most helpful having been a school teacher in
this area for many years you know what I'm trying to do out there, I appreciate
your cooperation.
R: Well we certainly appreciate everything you've done. Bye
H: Bye.
Surname Index
Recommended Citation:
"Miss Bess Heard,
EARLY SETTLERS OF COLLIN COUNTY." Collin County, Texas History
and Genealogy Webpage by Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries, Inc., <http://www.geocities/genfriendsghl>
[Accessed Fri February 13, 2004 ]. |
