PRINCETON
DEVELOPMENT OF PRINCETON AND
COMMUNITY
Weekly Democrat Gazette, March 14, 1901
Tuesday a Democrat
reporter accompanied S. H. Cole on a land surveying tour two miles southeast of
Princeton where Mr. Cole ran a line for Ben Wilson of Altoga who had sold his
farm to G. W. Duncan formerly of Altoga. While Messrs. Cole, Wilson and Duncan
were surveying the reporter did the nimrod act resulting in our killing much
time and ammunition. Mr. Duncan has a big job before him to clear up and put
into cultivation his new bought land but we predict that he will be successful,
for appearances are that he possesses that pluck, energy and ability so
characteristic of Tennesseeans.
On our way home we
taried a brief time in the fast growing railroad village of Princeton -the
"prince" of three S towns. Among the business enterprises we noted the
following: W. A. Harrelson, general merchandise; Alma Wilson, general
merchandise and postmaster; John K. Wilson, druggist; Sam Smith, general
merchandise and lunch stand; Meroncy & Stinson, general merchandise; D. C.
Eifird, general merchandise and Bois d'Arc dealer; Boorman & Davis, M. Ds.; Jack
Aycock, Bois d'Arc dealer; R. L. Lafevers, depot agent. A. M. Butler is having a
large storeroom built which will be occupied in the near future by West Bros.,
late of Tennessee, who will place a large stock of general merchandise therein.
It is reported that Alma Wilson will in the near future erect a brick building.
We believe Messrs Alma Wilson and W. A. Harrelson are the pioneer merchants of
Princeton. Messrs Meroncy and Stinson have just recently embarked in the
mercantile business. Both formerly lived near Chambersville, this county, and
are excellent gentlemen.
Princeton is
surrounded by a deep rich black soil formerly densely covered with timber, green
briars, red bud and other sprouts, but this condition has vanished before the
ax, saw, grubbing hoe and plow, wielded by an honest sturdy, home loving
yeomanry, and as a happy result, blocks of little farms lie in every direction
from Princeton. Even within the memory of the writer there was no Princeton nor
many settlements surrounding. Fifteen and twenty years ago we helped Geo. A. and
T. B. Wilson survey along the course of Tickey creek from almost its source to
its mouth, sometimes spending a whole day in the dense brush without food nor
water carrying a chain, then slumbering on blankets while the festive mosquitoes
and ticks exultingly caressed us. How different now. A man can get a cool
refreshing drink at almost every turn and feast on fat chicken, spare-ribs and
delicious biscuits instead of dry cornbread and strong northern bacon. May the
car of progress roll onward throughout the 20th century and Princeton be a
"prince" indeed among its kind. A striking feature in the country are the number
of new farm residences and barns just being erected. While referring to these
many improvements we will not forget to mention our visit to the office of Drs
Boorman & Davis. These gentlemen, while not officing in a brick edifice,
certainly have a well equipped office. In fact, as far as we were able to judge,
they are prepared to handle their patients just as well as many physicians of
larger pretensions in larger towns. We may possibly tire our reader with this
write-up of Princeton, but being a "pioneer" of that section, we feel rather an
inspiration.
And now in
conclusion for fear some of our newly acquired readers may doubt our claim as a
pioneer we respectfully refer them to our old time friend, John Martin, of Jack
county, for whom we drove a span of mules while building ground tanks in
Princeton and Culleoka section in the long ago. Yes, we were there, but of
course we are young!
LITTLE CITY OF PRINCETON HAS MANY IMPROVEMENTS COMPLETED OR UNDER WAY
Weekly Democrat Gazette, April 22, 1937
Interesting Brief Visit Made There By Representatives Of The Daily
Courier-Gazette and Weekly Democrat-Gazette-Modern New $42.000 Brick School
Building Completed Few Months Ago-Citizens State Bank Making Substantial
Additions To Its Building-Much New Building and Remodeling Completed or In
Progress.
Coming back slowly,
but steadily, the little city of Princeton, located seven miles each of
McKinney, is recovering from the depression period of six or seven years in a
very apparent way.
A couple of
representatives of this paper, visiting there briefly Monday, took note of more
or less new construction work, remodeling, repainting, recovering and repapering
being done in both the business district and the residence section of the town.
The principal
improvement underway now is the work going on in the enlargement of the Citizens
State Bank brick building.
The institution,
which has been the chief financial interest of Princeton for the past thirty
years, found it necessary to build more spacious quarters in order to handle its
growing business. Consequently, additions are being built to the old corner bank
building, both to the north and to the west of it. When completed, the building
will have a forty-foot front on one street and fifty foot facing on the other.
It plans to rent three store buildings of modest dimensions and occupy the
remaining portion of the substantial brick property as a home for the bank,
which has become badly cramped for space in which to handle its steadily
increasing volume of business.
It is putting in
enlarged vaults for both itself and for the accommodation of patrons and for
storage of its own records. It will have modern office rooms for its needs, more
pleasant working quarters for its employees and also a more attractive lobby for
the public. The work has progressed to near to the completion point and soon
will be finished up in a neat way.
Citizens State Bank,
Princeton, Texas.
Officers are: T. Ben
Wilson, President. Mrs. T. A. Curtis, Vice-President. J. W. Chappell,
Vice-President. J. W. Neal, Cashier. W. T. Hooten, Jr., Assistant Cashier. Mrs.
C. H. Akin and Russell Wilson, Bookkeepers.
The bank, which is a
member of the federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, had a total of $186,752.57,
as reported to the Commissioner of Banking, State of Texas, at the close of
business, March 31 1937. It has a capital stock of $25,000.
The President of the
concern, T. Ben Wilson, is a native of the county, son of the late George A.
Wilson, largest landholder of the county when he died forty years ago. He is a
brother of former Postmaster Wallace C. Wilson of McKinney. Mrs. Curtis,
Vice-President, is the widow of a former Cashier of the bank. The other
vice-president, J. W. Chappell, is a successful farmer and long a useful and
progressive citizen of the Princeton community.
J. W. Neal, Cashier,
was born and reared near Melissa, where his parents, the late Mr. and Mrs. Jim
Neal, were regarded as among the most estimable early settlers and a substantial
farm couple. Mr. Neal has made an outstanding success with a small country bank.
He is a Gibraltar of strength and civic leadership in the affairs of Princeton
and its fertile trade territory.
W. T. Hooten, Jr.,
Assistant Cashier, was reared at Princeton, where his father, W. T. Hooten, Sr.,
was a leading merchant for many years.
Mrs. C. H. Akin,
bookkeeper, is the daughter of Mrs. Pearl Strother of McKinney, former County
Clerk of Collin County. She is the wife of former Representative C.H. Akin of
Princeton, where he is actively engaged in business circles.
The other bookkeeper
is Russell Wilson, son of Mr. and Mrs. R. O. Wilson. He is a graduate of the
McKinney High School and received his higher education at the Texas A. & M.
College. He is a young business man of solid character and has a very promising
future of success and usefulness ahead of him.
This editor
regretted to learn of the ill health of our good old friend and former Princeton
merchant, W. T. Hooten, Sr., merchant for many years at Princeton, but who, for
sometime past, has been a resident and owner of a country store at Sikes, eight
miles southwest of Greenville. Hi is suffering from a partial stroke of
paralysis. At the present time, he is visiting his daughter, Mrs. John McMurray
and husband, at Greenville. As stated above, he is the father of W. T. Hooten,
Jr., Assistant Cashier of the Citizen State Bank, Princeton.
It is the consensus
of opinion that this year's onion acreage around Princeton and in the Princeton
trade territory will total from 1,400 to 1,600 acres, or about sixty per cent of
the normal crop. At the present time, the onions are looking fairly well with
the exception of such crops that were set out in defective slips. Onion growing
has come to be one of the staple crops of that part of our county centering
around Princeton and Farmersville. Lots of corn had to be replanted in this area
and the crop is therefore, backward at this season of the year and not al all
promising. Cotton planting is now underway. Cotton has long been the leading
crop of this part of East Collin.
While in Princeton,
one of the editors of this paper made an interesting visit to the Post Office.
Ray Gantt has served sixteen years as the faithful Postmaster. He is a native of
Princeton, being a son of M. C. Gantt, farmer, whose place is located one mile
north of town on the Longneck road. Mr. Gantt, in addition to his postal duties,
also handles a line of national magazines and papers, a line that does not
interfere with his duties in the postal service. He has a good home, just west
of the new school building, which he and his wife keep in a creditable manner
from a civic standpoint. Postmaster Gantt is a brother of Prof. Elburn L. Gantt,
Superintendent of the Princeton Public School for the past several years and
recently re-elected. His youngest brother is Walter B. Gantt, young business
man, onion dealer and cotton buyer, in season.
Paul G. Boorman,
Princeton's only rural Letter Carrier, serves Route One, which is 42.65 miles in
length. He has held this position for several years and is quite efficient. He
is a brother of Lynn Boorman of McKinney and a son of Mrs. Sallie (Wallace)
Boorman, who lives in her home on Tennessee Street, this city. His father, Dr.
T. G. Boorman, deceased, was one of East Collin's most highly esteemed citizens
and extensive practitioners. Paul is the every image of his revered father whose
memory is treasured in scores of homes in the territory of his practice in and
around Princeton. Paul also has the humorous slant on life that his father had
and spreads sunshine among all with whom he mingles.
J. I. (Isaac)
Griffin has underway the erection of a six-room and bath modern home. One of the
best concrete foundations for a residence that we have ever seen is already in
place and the frame work of the building is nearly completed. The structure will
be of native Denton County rock, reddish brown in color. It will be unique in
construction when completed, and a distinct addition to the pretty civic
appearance of this little East Collin city. Mr. Griffin is a native of McKinney,
being a son of the late Isaac Griffin, a prominent ginner, threshermann and farm
owner of McKinney for many ears, who died several years ago. His mother is still
living and resides at the corner of North Church and West Heard Streets,
McKinney. Mr. Griffin gives considerable attention to onion prediction, buying,
selling and shipping that product, which has carried the name and fame of the
Princeton area to remote corners of the country for high quality dry farming
grown onion products.
Mrs. Ben W. Dugger
has recently had her residence extensively improved, repaired, repapered and
repainted in a most attractive and comfortable way. She has done her part
towards improving the looks, value and comfort of her home and adding to the
civic attractiveness of her little home city.
Cecil Robbins is
another Princetonite, who has recently re-roofed his residence, repapered and
repainted the same in an attractive way. He is a property owner and taxpayer,
who believes that money spent in a timely way for upkeep and paint prolongs the
life of property investments and, therefore, is always a paying proposition. A
well kept home and premises adds to the happy home life and pride of the owner,
while at the same time contributes to the value and prestige of the town in
which it is located For civic progressiveness and attractiveness in the eyes of
home people and visitors.
W. H. Rutledge has
recently added to the appearance and convenience of his residence property by
improving and repapering it and plans to repaint the same in the near future. He
believes that money invested in good paint, properly applied, is a real
investment, because it prolongs the life of a home as well as beautifies it in
the eyes of his neighbors and the general public coming to the town to trade or
visit.
Another Princeton
home that has undergone substantial repairs inside and out, repapered and
repainted is that of G. H. Dalton, a well known and highly esteemed citizen of
that town, which he has called home for many hears. Mr. Dalton can always be
counted on to pull for his home town in every way, in civic and business
advancement, school interests and otherwise.
T. C. Myers, a
thrifty farmer, has recently erected a new box and weatherboarded farm home on
his place, four miles south of Princeton. He will probably built a new barn
sometime later in the spring and summer. Lots of farm improvements have been
made throughout Collin County during the past few years. Mr. Myers is one of the
forward looking farmers to help overcome the depression and set normal business
back on the throne again by making these improvements which add to his own
convenience, helps give employment to labor and does his bit in a business way
for hardware, paint and lumber establishments of his town and county.
The. J. S. Heard
Estate has built a four-room frame farm residence on what is known as the Heard
Ranch, two miles southeast of Princeton. Preparations are underway to also build
a large storage barn on the same property. The Heard Ranch contains several
hundred acres of rich, productive black land, with a number of sets of farm
improvements for tenants living on the property.
E. E. Davis, farmer,
has built a good new six-room residence on his farm, three miles northeast of
Princeton, within recent months. Mr. Davis is a useful, thrifty citizen, who
believes in making the farm more attractive as a home proposition where a
livelihood for himself and family is to be made.
C. A. Mantooth, who
was reared in the Altoga community and has chiefly educated his children in the
McKinney Public Schools, has built a nice four-room frame residence on his farm,
three miles northeast of Princeton, which is occupied by his son, Ross Mantooth
and young wife.
J. Willis Neal,
Cashier of the Citizens State Bank, Princeton, is another progressive East
Collin citizen, as well as a successful country banker to build a new and
comfortable little frame residence on the farm that he owns, two miles northeast
of Princeton. Mr. Neal is a son-in-law of Mr. and Mrs. T. Ben Wilson, a
substantial pioneer couple of that little city. Mr. Wilson is President of the
bank, which Mr. Neal is as capable serving as Cashier.
During the last four
or five months L. V. Reid has erected a comfortable five-room frame farm house
on his place, located on the Longneck road, a short distance north of Princeton.
Mr. Reid is a progressive farm citizen who is now occupying his comfortable new
home with his family.
Another new home
completed this year in Princeton is that of Choice Bates, a rather accommodating
clerk for Bros. Grocery store. His firm are also veteran operators of a
Princeton garage business. Mr. Bates' wife is one of the competent teachers in
the Princeton Public School, which is conducted by a faculty of eleven or twelve
teachers under the superintendency of Prof. Elburn L. Gantt.
J. D. West, son of
Edd West, one of East Collin's most widely known and highly esteemed business
men and merchants, finished a new five-room residence within the past year in
Princeton. J. D., like his father, is energetic and believes in building up the
prestige of Princeton as a center for one of the richest farming areas of North
Texas.
While in Princeton,
the representatives of this paper made a brief business call at the Wilcox
Lumber Company yard, an old established Princeton business, which deals in
lumber, doors, sashes, shingles, lime, sand, cement, paints and varnishes. The
Wilcox Lumber Company was first established at Plano, over sixty years ago, by
the late J. M. Wilcox, who later moved it to McKinney where its headquarters
have been maintained since It owns several other lumber yards besides the
McKinney and Princeton yards. After the death of J. M. Wilcox, the founder, he
was succeeded as president of the Company by his son, the late George Wilcox,
one of the most capable and valuable business men and citizens that McKinney
ever had. After the latter's death, his brother, District Judge Frank E. Wilcox,
became President, and is now capably serving in that capacity with Frank Cook of
McKinney, manager, and Roscoe O. Wilson, manager of the Princeton yard in his
fourteenth year. The Princeton yard is spacious carries an excellent and varied
stock and is patronized by a wide scope of territory. Commencing about a year
ago, his business decisively picked up and has been better than for several
years past.
We had the pleasure
of greeting Alva Burnside, son of A. L. Burnside, a well known farmer of our
county. Alva operates the truck and delivery business for the Wilcox Lumber
Company, at Princeton, and is giving Manager R. O. Wilson, for valuable
assistance in waiting upon and serving their increasing business.
Among the busy
artisans of Princeton is the firm of L. N. Helton & Son. The other member of the
firm is Henry Helton. They are carpenters, builders and contractors, who take a
pride in doing their work in a satisfactory, substantial way.
One of East Collin's
busy carpenters, paperhangers and painters is G. C. Murphy of Princeton. He,
like others engaged in the various phases of the building craft, has been kept
quite busy in recent months, helping to do the work in his line that is being
carried on in an increasing way, at Princeton, and for a large cope of
surrounding territory.
Claude Houser & Son
is another firm of paperhangers and painters that keeps quite busy. The son is
G. D. Houser. They do high class work and spread out in their contracts to other
parts of the surrounding farm area and county wherever they may be needed and
contracted with.
C. E. Wakety,
getting his mail on Route One, Princeton, has recently erected a nice, new frame
residence on his farm, four miles northeast of Princeton. Mr. Wakety is an
excellent citizen and wideawake farmer, who believes in maintaining the
fertility of his farm and also keeping up its improvements to a high and
creditable standard.
In the country,
about three miles northeast of Princeton, Tom Recer has recently built a new
frame residence on his farm, which is occupied by his son, Bill Recer, and wife.
The Recers are an old and respected family name of East Collin, who originated
in that section soon after Collin was organized ninety-one years ago.
We had the pleasure
of greeting our old friend, Dr. S. J. Dobbs, who has been a busy physician and
surgeon in and around Altoga and Princeton for many years. He is still active in
the practice and is doing his part towards keeping the people healthy and
restoring the sick to health again. Princeton has another physician in the
person of Dr. C. C. York, whom we did not see on this brief but interesting
visit to this thrifty little home city.
G. A. Miller, Star
Route Carrier for the United States Post Office Department, between McKinney and
Princeton, is one of the mist highly esteemed citizens of that East Collin area.
He resides in Princeton and is connected with the big Miller Bros. Organization,
onion growers and buyers of the county. He has faithfully served in the capacity
as Star Route Carrier for a number of years and has the respect of all who know
him. He makes two round trips daily between the McKinney and Princeton Post
Offices carrying the mail and also passengers.
The major
improvement of Princeton and vicinity during the past few months has been the
erection, completion and dedication of the new high school building through the
co-operation of the Public Works Administration. The new building, which is on
the same campus with the old Princeton school, now used for the lower grades,
was built at a cost of $42,000. The A. J. Riffe Construction company of Dallas
had the contract while Allen Marshall did the work. Construction was commenced
in July and the school was formally dedicated on March 19 this year. Prof.
Elburn. L. Gantt is Superintendent and was recently re-elected for his sixth
year. The School Board is composed of J. W. Godwin, President; W. T. Hooten,
Jr., Secretary; John K. Wilson, R. E. Clements, G. H. Dalton, Charlie B. Neal
and C. M. McMahan.
HISTORY OF PRINCETON
Daily
Courier Gazette, Oct. 1, 1946 Centennial Edition
by
Mary Louise Leake
Once upon a time a
small railway stop was locate eight miles east of the county seat of Collin
County. The stop was called "Wilson Switch" in honor of the Wilson family. The
postoffice department objected to the name since another town in Texas was named
Wilson. The name was changed to Princeton, in honor of Prince Dowlin, who owned
the land and had it surveyed. It has been said, too, that his name was Princeton
Dowlin, and that he was one of the first residents of Princeton. The M. K. & T.
railroad built the narrow gauge railway in 1881, later it was sold to L. R. & N.
railroad and reconstructed in 1887 into a wide gauge. Princeton was merely a
stop until 1900 when the depot was built. John K. Wilson was the agent during
1901 and 1902.
Some distinguished
people who visited Princeton at this time were William Jenings Bryan and Carrie
Nation.
The first resident
of Princeton was W. A. Harrelson. He built the first house which is located in
the western part of the village.
On February 8, 1889,
the first postoffice was opened, and Mr. Harrelson was the first postmaster.
About this time W. J. Burton built the first blacksmith shop.
J. H. Sneed, the
first person to sell dry goods in Princeton, made his home the first dry goods
store. The first store was built in 1891 by J. H. Sneed and Alma Wilson.
Dr. T. G. Boorman
was the only doctor in Princeton at that time. The first drug store was owned by
Dr. Boorman and J. Frank Smith. The store was then sold to John K. Wilson, who
was the druggist and undertaker.
The first cotton gin
was built by J. A. Barnett, in 1895. Three gins were constructed. They were the
Oil Mill Gin, Godwin Gin and Farmers Gin.
The first church in
Princeton was the Methodist, built in 1896. In 1907, the Baptist Church was
moved from Long Neck. In 1910, due to the old church being blown down, a new
Baptist church was built.
The first brick
building ever built in Princeton was used for a bank. Later it was owned by John
K. Wilson and used as a drug store and undertakers department.
On March 20, 1901,
the West brothers came to Princeton and established both a grocery and dry goods
store.
The artesian well
was dug in 1906. The land was bought in 1918 by the city from a Mr. Taylor for
$5000.00.
Land was bought in
the northern part of the town from a Mrs. Mead to build a school house. The
first school house was built in 1898, however, in the southern part of the town.
A brick building was erected in 1910 under the directions of a Mr. Shepherd and
son.
Land was given by
Alma Wilson to the I. O. O. F. cemetery, which is located in the southwestern
part of Princeton. The first person buried was Clayton Hogan.
The one and only
hotel was built in 1904 by B. F. Test. It is situated in the main section of
Princeton.
Dr. T. G. Boorman
was in charge of the first telephone in Princeton. The modern system is owned by
the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company.
In 1921 the business
section of Princeton was destroyed by fire. This section consisted of a garage,
grocery store, barber shop, tailor shop and telephone office. This section was
rebuilt and the West brothers owned the telephone office.
Princeton continued
growing through the years-still prospering in its most productive crop-onions.
In 1936 a new high
school building was built just to the west of the old building, which was still
used. Buses have long since been bought to provide transportation for the
children living in the country. In 1940 the twelve grade system was added to the
school; before this time only eleven grades were had. To add to the attractions
of the school, a Mr. Fred Martin organized a band for the pupils of the public
school. This band was continued through three years, when the membership dropped
so low in the band that Mr. Martin could no longer make his long trips from Fort
Worth to Princeton once a week. The new lunch room had been added which
benefitted the boys and girls in school. Hot lunches were served at a very low
cost. Mrs. Bertha Wilson is still the supervisor of the lunch room.
There are now four
church in Princeton. They are the Baptist, the Methodist, the Christian and the
Church of Christ. On Christmas of the year 1940, the Church of Christ burned.
Church was held in the auditorium of the high school building until a new church
was built.
The migratory camp
was built in June of 1940. This is situated at the west of Princeton. It was
built for the people who moved into Princeton each onion and cotton season to
help do the work. Honorable Sam Rayburn made the dedicatory speech, introduced
by C. H. Akin, a local representative and also a native of Princeton. Later the
camp was made into a war prison camp for Germans captured during the World War
II. The artesian well dug at this camp was then used to supply water for
Princeton instead of the former well.
The population of
Princeton decreased rapidly during the year 1941 and especially during 1942
because so many boys and men were joining the armed forces and many people were
leaving to find jobs in war plants.
In 1943, the women
of Princeton voted to organize a study club. Since Princeton is the onion center
of Collin County, the women decided to turn the spelling of the word onion
backwards, and they found a suitable name: The Noino Study Club. The purpose of
the club was to lear more about different people, places, and to have social
gatherings every two weeks. Mrs. Guy Bush was the first resident. The laws and
the constitution were drawn. As all women do the women of Princeton began to
notice that Princeton was very unattractive because of the large dumping ground
in the center of Princeton where the railroad had been taken up. Each woman
began working and planning a park. There was a beautification committee that
went to work immediately. On this committee there were Mrs. Charles akin, Mrs.
Walter B. Gantt and Mrs. Luther Leake. Merchants from neighboring towns aided
the women as did the merchants of Princeton, in constructing te park. Many
people form Princeton, McKinney Farmersville and Greenville gave liberal
donations to this park. Under a special bill the German prisoners were
contracted to do the work on the park. The park is in memory of the boys who
served in the armed forces during World War II. The dedication was in the spring
of 1946. Lieutenant Colonel Tom Dooley was the speaker, who was introduced by
Ike Griffin.
The public school
has grown during the last few years, too. Four contract schools have come in
with Princeton school and two no grade schools. The total scholastics are four
hundred and seventy-two.
The school also has
been noted for girls basketball team, who won the Collin County championship in
1946. Sarah Cave and Doris McCormack received gold basketballs for their good
work on the team. George Lacy was the coach. Hugh Peterman, also won the Sports
award for the team in football. He had four boys that were outstanding. They
were Eldon Donihoo, Kenneth Combest, Jackie Fort, and Jack Harvell. M. S. Rogers
as organized a program of future farmers. Many of his boys have won prizes for
their stock shown at different stock shows. Mr. Rogers also had an agricultural
work shop on the campus of the school. The new school has had a new
superintendent for the last two years, Paul G. Henderson, formerly from Allen.
J. W. Chappell is
the mayor of Princeton now. There is a Co-op Gin in Princeton now; many garages;
practically every type of store except a dry goods store. Dr. C. C. York and Dr.
J. S. Dobbs are the only doctors here now.
Princeton has a
great production of cotton, wheat and corn and it is still noted for the great
production of onions.
Thus the small gage
railway stop called "Wilson Switch" has developed into a village that is
centered in the midst of the most fertile land in Collin County.
Princeton Cemetery
Communities Index
- Recommended
citation:
-
"Princeton
- Collin County Communities," Collin County,
Texas History and Genealogy Webpage by Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries,
Inc., <http://www.geocities/genfriendsghl>
[Accessed Fri February 13 13:37:28 US/Central 2004 ].
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