| Howland Memories |
 |
| |
 |
Frank Henderson kindly sent this photo
and recollections of Howland, Texas:
Robin, I am attaching a picture of an old
store in Howland, Tx, that I took a few
years back. When I was a young boy we
use to visit my Grandmother's house in
Howland. She lived just down the road
from the store, so my Dad would walk us
to the store for a float or vanilla coke.
Those were the good old days, that our
children will never get to experience. The
store was run by members of my
Grandmother's family.
I was hoping to get a photo of my Granny's
house, but it has already been torn down.
The only thing left on the lot is the old
well, where we would get our water. The
old outhouse is gone also. I still
remember the crawdad holes all over the
place as well as cotton fields. We use
take our baths in an old #2 tub. My sister's
never let me forget, because I always was
the first to get a bath.
and recollections of Howland, Texas:
Robin, I am attaching a picture of an old
store in Howland, Tx, that I took a few
years back. When I was a young boy we
use to visit my Grandmother's house in
Howland. She lived just down the road
from the store, so my Dad would walk us
to the store for a float or vanilla coke.
Those were the good old days, that our
children will never get to experience. The
store was run by members of my
Grandmother's family.
I was hoping to get a photo of my Granny's
house, but it has already been torn down.
The only thing left on the lot is the old
well, where we would get our water. The
old outhouse is gone also. I still
remember the crawdad holes all over the
place as well as cotton fields. We use
take our baths in an old #2 tub. My sister's
never let me forget, because I always was
the first to get a bath.
| So, you may ask, where's Howland? Howland is in my (Robin!)'s home county, Lamar, and lies about 100 miles northeast of Dallas. Howland was settled in the 1880s, and at first operated under the name of Grove, but was re-named either to honor (and gain favor, perhaps?) a local railroad owner, or was asked to get a new name because of postal confusions with nearby Honey Grove. Howland was quite a large town in its day, with stores, cotton gins, doctor's offices, and a school. Before the Great Depression wiped out many of the area farms, the downtown held over 12 businesses. By the 1960s, however, the railroad ceased coming through Howland, and the town gradually diminished in size. Howland is yet another ghost on the Texas prairie. |
I used to drive through Howland every day on my way to East Texas State University. Way back then, I lived in a wonderful little farm house
in Brookston, another Lamar County semi-ghost. I was always intrigued by the old buildings that hugged the road - thanks to Frank
Henderson, I now know a lot more about them. Here's where Howland is, if you would like to discover it for yourself:
in Brookston, another Lamar County semi-ghost. I was always intrigued by the old buildings that hugged the road - thanks to Frank
Henderson, I now know a lot more about them. Here's where Howland is, if you would like to discover it for yourself:
