And the wall came tumbling down...

Before work began...

View from the sidewalk in front of the ice plant.

We had a storm this past Saturday night. Kent has been expanding the ice business into the hardware store once owned by Les Jameson. The structure had been cleaned out and made ready for a loading dock/garage area for the ice biz. The store front was in the process of being renovated. If you will remember, a few months ago the brick had been sandblasted. The loss of the structure to 100 mile an hour winds was a sad setback. The bank building looks incomplete now that the structure that once shared its' architecture is now in a pile on the ground.

Saturday's Happenings...

Sharing an email update with the Tx Historical Commission:

April Garner is a Program Development Specialist with the Heritage Tourism Program of Texas Historical Commission. And this is an exerpt of an email that I sent her in response to her "what can we do to help" email.

April, how exciting to hear back from you so soon! I met with the Visioning Committee and Remelle just last night and I realize that things are moving fast around here! Goree doesn’t wanna get left behind in their dust.

We, as a small town of three hundred in Knox County, are partnering with the Knox County Visioning Group, a county wide effort for bettering our part of Texas. Knox County and Judge Travis Floyd are PIONEERS in this endeavor and it is a very well-known effort. Goree has recently created a 501c-3 organization, Going for Greatness in Goree Group, http://cityofgoree.org/goingforgreatnessingoree.aspx , and this group is partnering with the city government’s brand spankin new 4A/4B corporations (taxes begin in Oct) to rebirth a town. Nature and Historic Tourism are what we are after. Our county wide economic director, Remelle Ferrar, is almost finished with the marketing, maps, etc. for our very own “Adventure Trail” thru Knox County (about to be hot off the presses, saw the final draft yesterday). Goree will fit into this trail, but as things stand right now I need money to get the work started on the ‘city’ side. We have a historic jailhouse, domino hall, and a possible hotel site. We have a building that would be a perfect place for a walk thru historical museum like the one in Hico, Texas. Hunting is hot in our area and so is Miller Creek, a lake right by us. The exterior of our downtown needs awnings, sidewalks and sandblasting of the bricks.

That’s what is going on with the ‘city/county’ side of which I am involved. Now, on the personal side! My husband and I have bought the historic bank building in the downtown area (waiting on the deed). We want to restore it, as close to historic accuracy as possible. The purpose would be for our office space (which is now in our home) and the back portion would be perfect for a hunting lodge with four units. Our business, Trainham Ice & Meat, is in the buildings next door. We have already renovated a small house in Goree for a bed & breakfast and it is up and running. Remelle told me about tax incentives for our project. I’ve studied these incentives over the internet and it seems like our project qualifies. Before work begins, I am under the impression that I need to have this property and the others for the city well on the way of getting on the Natl. Registry.

Thank you for your help and guidance in our endeavors.

Traffic Jam

Here's another old picture I found, taken sometime around 1976.
Notice the rush hour traffic jam.
Ed Hargrove

Downtown~'77 or '78

Upon closely inspecting this picture, submitted by Eddie Hargrove, I realized that this is a time when the movie theater was still intact. It is also before the downtown fire which destroyed several buildings including the nostalgic skating rink, I think. The old water tower is also in that picture. Thank you for sharing these pieces of Goree's past.

The Jail House

Landmark: Goree Jail. Some people still alive probably stayed here at least one night in this fine establishment. Would love to hear some of the stories about this still standing piece of our history...

My Home Town

I found your website today, It looks good. I'm impressed that Goree is undergoing a revitalization campaign. I hate the thought of it drying up and blowing away like so many small Texas towns have already done. I wish you much success. Even though I've been away from there 35 years, It will always be my Home Town.

I've attached a few aerial photos that you might like. I took these sometime in the late 70's , around 1977 or 1978, I can't remember for sure.

Eddie Hargrove

Downtown~

This fun picture was submitted by Jan Roberts. Lonnie McSwain in December of 1956 in front of Trainham Grocery with his new bicycle. Trainhams' 1955 Ford is in front of grocery store. Thanks so much Jan!!!

(Notice that the theater building still existed in this 1956 picture of downtown.)

Uh Oh...

Well, three steps forward and a few more back! On Saturday a wind crashed through town and so did the brick from this building. The building had been partially demolished for the brick which may have weakened the structure. About 8 feet of bricks seemed to have landed on the awning causing it to fall and brick peppered the street. We hate to see this pretty building go--but we won't give up!

Hometown Helper Grant

The following essay was submitted to the hometown helper grant program. At some point our project will be published on their website.

Our small town is almost dead. But, we are hopeful because we have a new theme and dream. Goree, Texas: Gateway to Miller Creek Reservoir. We are the nearest town with easiest access to the 3rd ranked fishing lake in Texas. In our area, farmers and ranchers have been innovative in discerning the trend of the times. They are catering to people who want guided hunting and fishing opportunities. All they have is the land and the heart to put it to good use.

With our new found purpose, the GGG Group wants to create an environment where dreams become reality. Based on casting the vision alone, businesses and ideas have already sprung to life. Deer processing, lodging, storage buildings, and for more info...
http://cityofgoree.org/goingforgreatnessingoree.aspx

Dreams are coming true, but we need a helping hand. What dream do we need your help with? A Hometown Makeover! We have talented volunteers with the heart, but we don’t have materials. We need to build two welcome signs, tin awnings and wooden sidewalks. The labor will be provided by volunteers which is priceless and we already have $891 from donations and fund-raisers. How can your $6800 help? $2,000 for signs, $3400 awnings, and $1400 sidewalks. The trex material is more expensive than wood, but durability is imperative.

This project will first of all let the world know that we exist with signs by the new highway and second of all help us create an aesthetically pleasing downtown area when they do exit. By revitalizing our downtown area, our existing and prospective businesses will flourish.

(Picture that inspired our downtown vision)

Good Times~

The Memorial Building has a new roof! And paint has been picked out and will soon be up on the walls of the kitchen area. "Golden Spice" is the flavor. It will be beautiful!

The City's buildings across the street received a 'new' roof, as well. I might add, the 'haunted house' building that exists above City Hall is cleaned out and ready for windows, electricity and sheet rock. The vision for this structure is a City Lodge which will have about seven rooms for rent for homecoming, reunions and hunters. Our dream is that this lodge will be filled with antiques and furniture that folks will have the opportunity to buy. Therefore, bringing in income to benefit the upkeep of the Memorial Building. A name for this new 'venture is being sought..."Lake Creek Lodge" is a possibility. Any others?

City Cafe

It was a sad day in Goree. We lost one of our fathers, grandfathers and friend. Billy Don Hutchens was laid to rest this afternoon. A huge crowd gathered to honor his life and say goodbye.

The Latham Family was present for this special occasion. Jackie, Linda, Charley and Dusty were in town for the funeral and afterwards desired to take a walk through their past. Their parents had a café, The City Café, where the current City Hall is located. They lived in an upstairs apartment that is accessed through a door between the City Hall and the garage sale building. The last known use of this structure was for haunted houses, which was apparent when touring the rooms. The remnants of body parts, spiders and fake blood littered the trail. Surprisingly enough, the second story was in fair condition.

What an honor it was for me to join the four of the five Latham kids as they pulled out memories from their childhood. And, I might add, some of that sibling spunk bubbled to the surface. Charley found where he had carved his initials on the door. Dusty remembered baths where water was dumped over his head. Linda was amazed to see the black trim from when her and her sister painted their room pink and black. Jackie claims that when some of her siblings climbed the water tower, she stayed behind. From time to time she would holler for them to come down or she was gonna tell Momma. The park was their personal playground.

After all these years, these folks still care. I think they care about preserving their memories, but they also want those who call Goree home to enjoy making new memories. As a matter of fact, they care so much that they made donations towards the “Going for Greatness in Goree” Campaign. They thanked me for the tour through the building, but I want to thank them! So here goes, thank you for the generous donations and thank you for the tour through your memories and your hearts. God Bless!

Myrna (not present on this trip), Charley, Dusty, Linda and Jackie

The Artwork Is Here~

The artwork isn't complete, but on the Goree website there is a taste of what we are going for. Tommy Guy Waldrip is the artist and he is to be commended for his artwork. I am sure that we can cut corners on the cost by doing much of the work ourselves. It is amazing how many talented people are in and from Goree. Someone has offered to gather the rock from house by the Hutchen's. We'd like to know if that is actual rock brought in from Miller Creek, if not we may need rock from the lake for nostalgic purposes.

We have made progress in the direction of funding our beautification project which is called the GGG Campaign, Going for Greatness in Goree. Nancy B. has finished the incorporation paperwork that is a precursor to applying for money. In the meantime, we will do what we can with what we have. Next Saturday morning a workday is scheduled to clean out the vacant building on the corner. Our vision for this building is a breezy courtyard with hanging garden. Come if you can at 7:30 a.m.