By Fay Minor Williams

Written December 1991

The time of this writing is in the waning days of December 1991. And my intention is to list from memory the names of the old-timers (whom I can recall at my present age of 80) that lived in our Community of Monroe proper—that is, near the old original country store.

And then, to list those who lived some few miles from the store, including those living in the black settlement of New Hope. Along with listing particular names, perhaps recall some of the meaningful incidents that happened in the community…..

Monroe Community is the location of the voting box of Precinct #12 of Rusk County. It is located in the upper (or north) part of our large county, Henderson being the county seat. The old original Monroe store, though deteriorated, seemingly wants to hold on to being a part of bygone days. One can look on it now in disbelief, remembering its flourishing days of the past.

This landmark store building stands directly facing the old original State Highway 322 where FM1249, coming from the west, intersects the old Highway 322. Nowadays, the new State Highway 322 and FM1249 intersect about ½ mile eastward from the Monroe store location. Many felt that changing the location of Highway 322 did great damage to the store’s business. Yet, with the passing of time go many things we hold dear, namely our loved ones and friends of the past.

In addition to the store, another landmark building, as prominent as the store, and in walking distance west from the store: the Bob Walker Cotton Gin and Sawmill, which blew a loud whistle daily at twelve o’clock noon during the ginning season. Also, Bob had a second cotton gin near Oak Hill.

When I was age eight, our daddy, Ruben Barton Minor, had sold our family farm to I. M. Beck. (It was located across the road from where his father, William James Minor, had his home and farm, which is now the location of Brown’s Orchard.) My daddy, Ruben Minor, then bought the Roy Hearn home (which was the former home of J. T. Harrell). This was in sight of the Monroe Store.  We moved during the Christmas holidays when school was out, and finished the school year at the one-room Monroe School that stood just beyond the Cotton Gin and Sawmill site. This date must have been December of 1918.

In about four years, our daddy sold the Roy Hearn place to Uncle Lon Adams, who wanted the place and the store for his nephews, J. T. Harrell and Jim Harrell. Thus, it became the Harrell’s Monroe Store.

In later years, Jim Sheffield built a second store. And why I mention this second store, just across and facing the old original Monroe Store, is that I am attempting to keep before us the "old originals," etc.

Just behind the Jim Sheffield store (long before its time) Bob Walker had built a baseball diamond, grandstand, and wall, and in summer it was well attended.

At this time, my age was probably ten years old, and my memory is sketchy. But at one time, and only one time, and possibly for a special cause, Bob built tables under the oak trees. (This was where Jim Harrell’s house stood. Jim’s house was built partly from the old Schoolhouse lumber.) Bob had a big barbecue dinner there, and there may have been several ball teams playing that day.

After selling out to Uncle Lon Adams, our daddy bought the McHaney-Stenchcomb farm through which runs old Barner Creek. The youngest of our family still lives on our old home site. That is my brother, K.W.Minor. Only a little thicket of woods separated our house and the cotton gin/sawmill. Children would come play on the huge sawdust pile during times the mill was not in operation. At one time during the non-operating season, Bob rented a small house near the gin pond to an elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Dick Ingram. Later, the Ingrams had the Monroe Store a short time.

During their stay on the gin property when it was late spring and the wild berries were ripe, Mrs. Ingram had picked fresh berries, baked her cobbler, and had it cooling on the kitchen table, but had also left the kitchen door open. Our daddy, Ruben Barton Minor, had foxhounds that he kept penned up usually, but there was one of the dogs that could climb the tall fence. This particular hound would get out and go on his merry way. This time he went on his merry way by following his nose to Mrs. Ingram’s open kitchen door. That hound had the first helping of Mrs. Ingram’s berry pie. The long lasting laughter that our daddy had from this incident was well worth the charge that Mrs. Ingram asked from our daddy to cover the damage/loss to her berry pies.

Another incident concerning the gin was what I remember about an old gin boiler that lay beyond the gin pond near a plum thicket. We children visited and always were attracted to this old gin boiler that was said to have blown up and out of its setting. This happened when the wood-burning furnace that heated the boiler overheated because it became too low of water. To me, that was unbelievable. The old boiler may still be there.

Also, seems I can remember mention of a post office service in the back of the Monroe Store run by a Mr. Bearfield. This is a dim memory.

To mention in closing the names that most of us remember as those living nearer the store were as follows:

Mr. Mib Hearn and his wife Anna Alston Hearn

Bev Robertson

Lon Adams

Jim English and his wife who was called Miss Fannie. (After her husband’s death, she was shot and killed, because of family trouble, by her son-in-law who then shot himself.) I can remember how very early in the morning that Jim Harrell came to our house and called out to our daddy to tell him that Miss Fannie had been killed. Jim loved Miss Fannie.

Now to the names of others that lived near the store:

Mr. Cambell

Mr. Dorris

Chess and Lena Mitchell, a well-thought-of black family. Faithfully every Sunday, Chess and Lena walked to their Corinth Church of Christ in the settlement of New Hope near the Monroe community. There was also a cemetery and Baptist Church in New Hope. Also, Lena and her two daughters would sing on summer nights on their front porch. Our daddy made us children be quiet so he could hear them.

Other names are:

Mr. Lawrence

Mrs. Parr

The ole Dr. Robinson family

John T. Watson

Henry Thomas

On the outskirts of New Hope three Watson brothers had homes on the Watson farm.

In closing, I would like to add a bit more about the last year of school at Monroe and also tell some details about the entertainment that I can remember Monroe being favored with.

Monroe’s last school teacher was from Longview. Her name was Miss Velma Huffman, and she boarded with Bill and Claude Harrell. Monroe was later consolidated with the Elderville School, which was a three-room school with grades one through eight.

A memory I have about Elderville School was when my friend Rosita Parr and I were eight years old, and it was the first year that we went to Elderville School and Corey Parr drove the school bus. Occie Holland’s family lived not far from the Elderville School and very near to where Hazel Eddington now lives. I remember there were times when Occie would stop the bus to send a message to Mr. Parr by Corey.

In late summer or early fall, almost without fail, there would come—with their large tent-- a traveling moving picture show. They would have shows for five nights of the week. Every night they would show an episode of a serial that would bring everyone back each night. One who never missed the entertainment was a black lady named Chinkie Hays. Her laughter and carryings-on was a show in itself. The title of the show I remember most was "Battling Brewster."