Author: Greenleaf Admin

John Allen Walker was born in Arkansas on 1862. His father was a lieutenant in the Confederate Army, serving with a unit from Northern Virginia. He was killed in the Battle of Antietam.

Walker attended both Baylor and Vanderbilt Universities, and although he received certificates of distinction, never graduated. He left school due to “eye weakness.”  In 1886, he married Mary Elizabeth Peacock, and in 1889 they had a daughter.

In 1894, he and a partner founded the Temple Grocery Company in Temple, Texas. In 1899, they purchased the Ramey-Smith Company in Brownwood, which was the first business in Brown County whose entire business was wholesaling goods. That business continued under the name Walker-Smith Company. They operated it until they died. At the time of Walker’s death in 1942, they had fifteen branches around west Texas and one in New Mexico. Their headquarters remained in Brownwood, along with a subsidiary canning plant.

Walker had many business interests over the years. He was the vice president of First National Bank in Brownwood, and of First National Bank in Ballinger.

In 1896, a small switchboard was installed in Brownwood, and lines to Goldthwaite, Ballinger, Coleman, Cisco, and Dublin were built. Another exchange provided local service in Goldthwaite, Coleman, and Ballinger. A merger of these exchanges in 1904 formed the West Texas Telephone Company, of which Walker was president for several years.

In 1916, Howard Payne College (HPC) was recognized by the State Department of Education, and became a member of the Texas Association of Colleges. Walker gave HPC its first endowment, with a gift of $30,000 in the 1920s. He served as a member of the HPC board for many years, as well as the boards of both Simmons University (now Hardin-Simmons) of Abilene and Baylor University of Waco. Through the course of his life, Walker contributed about $200,000 to HPC. In addition to this, he secretly assisted  financially countless individual students, widows, and orphans.

Walker and his wife were active members of First Baptist Church in Brownwood. Walker has a medallion on his grave stone saying he was a “member of the Sons of the American Revolution.”

Walker’s wife, Mary, died in 1936 at 73 years old. She was a vice-regent of the Texas Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She died in New York while visiting her daughter.

Walker was quiet and retiring by nature, and enjoyed strolling through the thriving city that he helped grow from a small pioneer town.

Walker had not been in good health for some time when he died. He had been in his office on Monday as usual, but died in his sleep early Tuesday morning . John Allen Walker died on December 15, 1942 at the age of 80.

In his obituary in the Dallas Morning News, Walker was called “Brownwood’s greatest philanthropist” and it stated that he was reputedly Brownwood’s wealthiest citizen.   -Freda

 

 

 

This grave stone is obviously handmade by someone who loved Mrs. Lois Straley very much. Cary and I have done some research on Newspapers.com, FindaGrave.com, and Ancestry.com, with little results. This is what we learned…Olita “Lois” Loven (also found spelled “Lovin”) was born in Fisher County, Texas on March 14, 1915. Her father had come to Texas from Arkansas. Lois was one of eight children.

She married J. H. Straley, and they had a child, Lonnie James Straley, in 1932. Her  death certificate lists her as a housewife. 

She and her husband lived in Brownwood when she died at 3:30 in the morning on October 9, 1933. She was only 18-years-old, and her child was one. She had gotten a blood transfusion the day before her death. On her death certificate, the cause of death was listed as “acute infection of the face.”

When I look at this grave marker, I am struck by the fact that someone REALLY must have loved her. The making of this memorial would have cost almost nothing, but the love put into it is just beautiful.  -Freda

Clara Jane Farr was born in Indiana on September 4, 1882. On March 2, 1919, Clara married Dr. Noah Achor of Illinois. According to her marriage license, Clara was a school teacher at the time. I am unclear how they came to to be in Texas.

Clara became an osteopathic physician, and in the early part of the twentieth century was the only licensed female doctor practicing in Brownwood. Her sister, Rose Denson, was her nurse and assistant.

Clara’s husband, Noah, was also a doctor. He was a veteran of the Philippine Insurgence, between 1899 and 1902, and also served in both the Spanish American War and World War I. While he practiced medicine in Brownwood, he was active in the Masonic Lodge. Noah died in the VA hospital in Waco in 1939, long before Clara.

Doctors Noah and Clara had two sons: Merlin and William. Merlin grew up to be a doctor like his parents. William served in the US Army Air Corps during World War II. His grave stone states, “Teacher and Engineer, At Peace with God.”

During her life, Clara was active in her community. She was a member of the Brownwood Business & Professional Women’s Club, at a time when not that many women in this area qualified. She married, raised children, was involved in her community, and was a physician. She seems to have proven that women can, indeed, have it all.

Dr. Clara Achor died at the age of 77 on December 3, 1959, and was buried beside her husband at Greenleaf Cemetery. Her headstone reads, “Mother, Teacher, Physician, Perfect Peace in God.”   -Freda

 

Thomas Hart was born in Parker County October 16, 1871. Shortly after Daniel Baker College (which was in the area where the Academy of Freedom is now) was opened in 1889 by the Presbyterian Church, Hart became a student. He was one of the first graduates of the new school.

He married Artie Vienna Hart, and they had two sons.

In May of 1909, his wife and sons went to visit friends in Zephyr while Dr. Hart stayed in Brownwood. At this time, Hart was the principal of Brownwood High School.

At about midnight the night of their visit, a cyclone hit the heart of Zephyr, killing thirty-four people and injuring more than fifty. Thirty-seven homes and a dozen businesses were totally destroyed; about that many more were severely damaged. Two churches and a rock school building were damaged. The cyclone turned walls and boards to splinters and stripped limbs and bark from trees. It cut a path 70′ to 150′ wide through the center of town. After the storm, dead farm animals littered the rubble. Circling overhead were seagulls brought in by the wind.

In the midst of the storm, lightning struck the business district, causing fires that destroyed a livery stable, two blacksmith shops, a general store, a newspaper printing plant, and a lumber yard.

Oddly, Brownwood heard about the disaster that happened not even twenty miles away two hours later from a reporter at a Fort Worth newspaper. Communication had been completely wiped out between Brownwood and Zephyr.

At about 4:00 in the morning, a special train arrived in Zephyr from Brownwood, with Santa Fe crewmen, rescue workers, seven doctors, and all available medical supplies. Dr. Hart came on this train to find his wife and children. Unfortunately, his wife and five-year-old son Robert were both dead.

Artie and Robert have a beautiful double head stone, topped with the statement, “We shall meet again.” On the stone are engraved two clasped hands, one female and one male, which signifies a good marriage, and the welcoming gates of heaven thrown wide open to welcome them.

Dr. Hart served many years as a Justice of the Peace. In an ad for re-election in 1958, he listed his accomplishments: former superintendent of Brownwood Public Schools, former teacher of government at Daniel Baker College, former Dean and President at Daniel Baker College, and former member of the Brownwood City Council.

When I was a kid, cars were totally in my dad’s bailiwick. Dad bought them; he fixed them; he drove them. We were just along for the ride. I guess this is why it makes such perfect sense to me to have a car show on Father’s Day weekend.

From 1:00 to 3:00 this Saturday, June 16, Heartland Cruisers will have a number of their cars at Greenleaf Cemetery for the Second Annual Father’s Day Car Show.

I have kinfolks all over Greenleaf Cemetery, including my father, his father, and any number of uncles, great-uncles, and great-grand-uncles. When these beautiful old cars are at Greenleaf, it somehow takes me back to the times of my parents and grandparents.

Over the years, my dad was full of stories that involved vehicles. For instance, his first car didn’t have any brakes. He figured out a variety of artful ways to bring the car to a stop. Nerves of steel! It’s not surprising that when joining the Air Force, he was in Explosive Ordnance Disposal. Enough about my dad. This weekend is going to be about all of our dads.

I know some folks think that a car show at the cemetery is an odd thing, but I disagree. I think it’s a perfect way to celebrate our fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and all the men in our lives that we have loved.

It’s also a fun thing for fathers (and mothers) to bring their children to. In addition to giving them a taste of their history, there will be a race car pinata for the kids to break open at 2:00. There is no charge for children to participate.

Sun Duo, with Debra Mathis and Daniel Graham, will be performing from 1:00 to 3:00. If you haven’t heard them, their music is sort of jazzy and eclectic, and is always a pleasure to listen to. Again, there is no charge to come enjoy the music, but you may want to bring lawn chairs.

When you get hungry, there will be peanuts, ice cold bottles of Dr. Pepper, and ice cold water available for any size donation.

We want to encourage anyone and everyone to come spend Father’s Day Eve (Saturday) with us. It’s going to be a pleasant, easy-going, stress-free afternoon. While you’re there, drive through the cemetery and find a little history. -Freda

THANK YOU, HEARTLAND CRUISERS!

 

Mark your calendars…Robert E. Howard Days are coming. That happens in Cross Plains (http://www.howarddays.com), but since Robert E. Howard is buried at Brownwood’s Historic Greenleaf Cemetery, we are having a celebration of our own.

Stop by Greenleaf on Saturday, June 9, between 8 AM and 1 PM to shop our Yard Sale. There will be all kinds of treasures to be found, including a kid’s swing set and an organ.

During the Howard Days weekend, Greenleaf Cemetery will start our Coffee Club fundraiser. With a donation of $50 or more, you will receive a beautiful Greenleaf Cemetery coffee cup, a cup of hot or iced coffee,  and a bag of delicious Greenleaf Blend coffee. Greenleaf still has debts to pay off to put us back “in the black,” so all donations are welcome and appreciated. This is a great way to give a needed donation, and at the same time get a lovely memento of the historic cemetery.

On Saturday, from 9 AM to 5PM, box lunches will be available in front of the office. Steves’ Market & Deli, along with Ben E. Keith Foods, will furnish the lunches, which will include a pimiento cheese sandwich, chips, soda or water, and a cookie. Each lunch is only $5, so it’s a great value. 100% of the proceeds will go toward paying off the bank note, so please stop by and buy lunches for family and friends.

Even if you haven’t heard of Robert E. Howard, you are probably familiar with one of his creations, Conan the Barbarian. Howard became very well known for his stories, which were published in pulp fiction magazines and newspapers in the 1920s and 1930s. In addition to Sword and Sorcery type stories, he also wrote other genres, including westerns, boxing stories, and poetry.

Howard was born January 22, 1906, and lived much of his life in Cross Plains. He went to Brownwood High School his senior year and graduated in 1923. He moved back to Cross Plains, only to return the next year to attend Howard Payne College, taking a course on stenography. Speculation says that he might have wanted to take writing courses, but his father refused to pay.

From childhood, Howard wanted to be a writer. By the age of 23, he was becoming successful. He continued to publish stories in an assortment of magazines and newspapers until his death. Compilations of his stories are still available in print, and in Kindle editions.

Howard’s mother had suffered from tuberculosis for many years. His mother’s health became worse, until she finally fell into a coma.

In the weeks before he died, Howard wrote his agent, giving him instructions on what to do if he were to die. He wrote his will. Howard borrowed a .380 Colt automatic from a friend. On June 10, he drove to Brownwood and bought burial plots for his family at Greenleaf Cemetery.

On June 11, Howard asked his mother’s nurse whether she would ever regain consciousness. The nurse told him she would not. Howard walked out to his car, retrieved the gun from the glove box, and shot himself in the head. He died eight hours later and his mother passed the next day.

A suicide note was found in his typewriter, “All fled, all done, so lift me on the pyre; The feast is over and the lamps expire.” This was taken from a poem by Viola Garvin.

Robert E. Howard and his parents are buried together at Greenleaf Cemetery, with a state historical marker on their plot.

It’s quite a story, but it’s only one of many at Greenleaf. Stop by this weekend, and soak in a little local history, eat lunch, shop the yard sale, and join the Greenleaf Coffee Club.

During World War II, Camp Bowie was a huge, bustling Army base. It was built in 1940. By 1942, what started as 2,000 acres had expanded to 120,000 acres. Camp Bowie became one of the largest training centers in Texas, with about 250,000 soldiers passing through. In 1943, it also became a Prisoner of War camp, with approximately 2,700 prisoners held there.

In 1946, the War Department announced that Camp Bowie was considered “surplus” since the end of the war. Much of the land and buildings were distributed to private owners. A smaller version of Camp Bowie remains as a National Guard training station.

During the war, Camp Bowie was largely a training camp, where soldiers were trained in the many tools of war, so it isn’t surprising that after the camp closed, there was a good deal of live ordinance left in and on the ground.

The story of Rudy Gil was told to me by a cemetery visitor looking for the grave of his childhood friend.

This gentleman said that when this took place in 1953, he was ten years old and Rudy Gil was only seven. When he was a child, his family picked cotton. One day some of the boys found three ordinance shells, and took them home to play with. They played with them for many months with no problem.

One day when it was raining, the boys were playing outside. Rudy was had two of the shells, running them through the mud and into each other, nose to nose. One of them exploded, and Rudy was killed.

Rudy is only one of the hundreds of children in Greenleaf Cemetery.