"If you's lookin' for Ann Hawthorne, dis is me. It was my job, after dark, listenin' for dem Klux, den I gits under de bed. Dey use to pass by with bags on de mules and fill dem with stuff from de houses. Us place was right near Col' Springs. Onct or twict he sell de nigger what won't do right and do de work. An Anglo-Texas man of Scots-Irish descent who suffered being kidnapped from his natural family at the age of five by a Native American raiding party, he returned to the Native American people of his own free will after being ransomed back from the Comanche. De white folks lets me live in dis shack for mowin' de lawn, but I worries 'bout when I can't do no more work. [citation needed]. It jes' slip out. The master reads us de paper right after dat and say us free. The median income for a household in the city was $38,000, and for a family was $31,875. How I did play roun' with de chilluns till I's big enough for to wo'k. I ain't no flour-bread eater. August 10, 2011 Arrests made for rioting in Navasota, assault of peace officer under investigation. "There used to be a man who raised bloodhounds to hunt slaves with. I goes over to dey camp every day and dey gives me lots of good eats. Iffen it git to be a ser'ous ailment dey sen' for de reg'lar doctor. But he never give 'em a patch to work for deyself. The slaves After a timid "How-do-you-do," and a comment on the great heat of the June day, she went back in the house. "When freedom come my mudder and me pay no 'tention to it. ", "Dey didn' know nuffin' 'bout preachin' and Sunday School in dem times. It were mo' jus' a farm, but dey raise us all we need to eat and feed de cows and hosses. The city also has golfing facilities and parks as well as wineries. Us hab chicken and turkey and cake. This led to the formation of numerous private militias, and ultimately during the late 1860s the KKK in Navasota, and on one occasion a tense confrontation between federal soldiers and a crowd of local white citizens occurred there. "The end of the war, it come jus' like thatlike you snap your fingers.". I uster be glad when summer time come so's I could go barefoot. Guns were made in nearby Anderson, and cotton, gunpowder, and shoes were made, processed and stored there for the Southern Confederacy during the American Civil War. De marster and his boy, Marster Ben, jined de army. I warn't in need of 'em, but de devil in me caused me to do it. And I'm a-headin' for the Golden Shore!'. Navasota suffered a series of disasters in the mid-1860s that severely depleted its population. WebInitially, slavery was not allowed in Texas under Mexican rule. [20] In addition, the Pack Warehouse is located in an unincorporated area near the Pack Unit. Don't you be a-mindin' him, mister.". "Did you ever stop to think that thinking don't do any good when you do it too late? So, on Christmas night, de chillen takes dem and puts dem on de stick. Massa Buford say, 'Yes,' and de trader say he'll be back in 'bout three weeks, soon as he sells all the slaves. Sometimes the slave made friends with the dogs and they wouldn't let on if they found him. HOMESLAVERY INDEX Marster and all de folks comes in and sets down, and he asks for de biscuits, and I's under de house and could hear 'em talk. "To de bes' of dis nigger's mem'randum, de feed am good. Dey serve cake. "We was 'fraid of them Klu Kluxes and come to town, to Snow Hill. That happened the second year after the War. Course de field hands got it worse, but den, dey was men. Everyone was a-singin'. Dey done took all de rations and us couldn't eat de cotton. This resolved a long investigation by Local Police. Sometime den us go to chu'ch. Dere am three women what do dat, and give us de meals in de long shed with de long tables. Massa Buford says de trader comes from Missouri, but if I is born dere I don't know. Then he laughed: "No, you ain't. He open de blacksmith shop and buy some slaves. Dat ol' press had dem long arms a-stickin' down what dey hitch hosses to and mek 'em go 'roun' and 'roun' and press de bale. She 'longs to Massa John Ditto and am so big everybody knows her, but de niggers won't tell on her. Dey was one Mef'dis' Chu'ch and one Baptis' Chu'ch in Jasper. But de slaves some of 'em uster had family prayer meetings to deyselfs. By 1860, the vast majority of enslaved Black people in Texaswho made up 30 percent of the states He wouldn't have you if you did. That same year, according to a report in the Jewish South newspaper, the ", "My ma she was jis' a fiel' han' but my gramma and my aunt dey hab dem for wuk 'roun' de house. ", "Yas, I 'member de house I was raise in. Day has dances and fun till de Ku Klux org'nizes and den it am lots of trouble. ", "I heerd 'bout dem broom-stick marriages, but I ain't never seed none. "No one knowed when de Klux comin'. The law said in black and white no master couldn't whip no slave, no matter what he done. History of African Americans in Texas Us have most nothin' to eat and den de Ku Klux come 'round dere. "She can't sell de cotton. ANN HAWTHORNE, Beaumont, Tex., was clad in a white dress which was protected by a faded blue checked apron. "Three days after de celebration, de marster calls all de slaves in de house and says, 'Yous is all free, free as I am.' Weapons and stolen property recovered. ", "My gramma and my ma and ol' man Norsworthy dey come from Alabama. The C.A.N. As of the census[3] of 2010, 7,049 people, 2,206 households, and 1,726 families reside in the city. Fust de 'federate sojers come and takes some mules and hosses, den some more come for de corn. Dey give us milk in a sep'rate vessel, and dey give eb'ryone a slice of meat in our greens. We uster jump de rope and play ring plays and sich. When the nearby historic town of Washington-on-the-Brazos resisted railways, it forfeited its geographic advantage and began to decline after many of its businesses and residents began to migrate to the new railhead 7 miles (11km) to the northeast across the Brazos River at Navasota. He calls his son, Zeke, in and tells him dat I should be fotched to my mamma. The old Negro was growing very tired, but, at a request, he instantly got up and tapped his way out into the scorching sunshine to have his photograph taken. Slaves were increasing faster than the population as a whole. used the City Charter to revoke the alcohol license and the PD enforced the local laws of the land pushed by the new Police Chief, a Texas Ranger who took over after the past Police Chief and investigator where removed for corruption after an outside the county investigation of the City of Navasota Police department. John Richard Parker And us hab all de sugar cane and sweet 'taters us want. WILLIAM HAMILTON belonged to a slave trader, who left him on the Buford plantation, near Village Creek, Texas. Then they was ready for 'em. They'd hide in the cabins and then's when they found out who a lot of them Klu Kluxes was, 'cause a lot of 'em was kilt. I can' 'member my fust marster's name, 'cause when I's 'bout two years ole, me and my sis, 'bout five, and our mammy was sol' to Marster John Henderson. But he wasn't hard on dem like some masters was. He told me once he lived in New York and, "I's borned in Grimes County, ninety years ago. I buys goods for sheets and table kivers and one nice Sunday set dishes. Back in slavery you couldn' let 'em ketch you wid a chew of t'bacco or snuff in your mouf. Grimes County As of 2018, the population of the town was an estimated 7,715 people. ", "Dey had cabins for de slaves to live in. "One time they had 12 men in jail, 'cused of robbin' white folks. Old cotton, old corn, what for you born?'. The only misery I had was when a black spider bit me on the ear. WebSlavery grew faster after Texas became a U.S. state in 1845. Police seized drugs, money and illegal gambling machines. Den at night, de big fire builded and all us sot 'round it. We was free. Generally, the census only names the slave owner. I had a aunt what was de weaver. They spent that night singin' and shoutin'. Navasota We couldn't no more shoot 'em than we could fly. De whol side of my lef' leg mos' bu'n off. The Yankees beat and settled down there and the cullud folks flocked down on them and when they got to the Yankee lines they was safe. The Navasota Rattlers were 3A Div. slavery in navasota, texas They went in droves of 25 or 50 to the Yankees and they put 'em to work fightin' for freedom. Early Photographs of Juneteenth Celebrations - The Public The gov'ment give me $30.00 a month for drivin' a four-mule wagon for the army. I was too little to get on the stand, so they had to hold me up and Mr. Harper bought me for $1,100. Sometime he fiel' han' on de plantation, too. We decided we was too soft and freedom wasn't goin' to be much to our good even if we had a education.". "But the War didn't change nothin'. '", "Land sakes, Felix!" De sojers done took de rations. Pauline Over in de valley, Massa Moses owns lots of land and fifty nigger families, and he gives each family a deed to 'bout fifty acres. Dey allus sen's me for de mail, and when I fotches it, dey run to meet me, anxious like, to open de letter, and was skeert to do it. "The masters couldn't whip the slaves there. "You knows, I believes I's mo' contented as a slave. "How did you know the end of the war had come?" Git dat li'l bonnet. Weather Underground provides local & long-range weather forecasts, weatherreports, maps & tropical weather conditions for the Navasota area. to the Harper family, who lived in Snow Hill. Navasota, Texas - Wikipedia "Us have de cabin what am made from logs but us only sleeps dere. Dey got dey glass. WebBuilt in 1834 by Henry Fanthorp as a home for his third wife, Rachel Kennard, the Fanthorp home and Inn has been closely connected with events of early Texas history. WebIt was a space where the horrors of slavery were laid bare, including the disruption of black families for profit or convenience, for the world to see. I marry Hyman Hawthorne. My mother use to cook and wait on tables. Then there was neighbors went off to fight. I'll never be a slave I's pleased to see my mammy, but after a few days I wants to go back to Marshall with Marster Zeke. She lives in Woodville, Texas, with her husband, Josh, to whom she has been married 13 years. The rooms have random-width puncheon floors. We'uns all stayed till he died, 'bout a year after dat. Things to do in Navasota, Texas Planters depended on enslaved African Americans to provide labor for their large cotton plantations. It makes white men a little insulted when you dont know they is white, and it makes niggers all conceited up when you think maybe they is white.". I's made de mistake of takin' de plate. Dat why I say I can't see so good. Jane am lots of woman, wide as de door and tall, and weighs 'bout three hunder pounds. Them shirts wouldn't rip no more'n buckskin. I State Football Champions in 2014. De way you sees me layin' on dis bed am what I has to do mos' de time. She uster weave all us clo's. Navasota is a city in Grimes County, Texas, United States. Art has increasingly become the concern of the artist and the bafflement of the public.Henry Geldzahler (19351994), The only thing worse than a liar is a liar thats also a hypocrite!There are only two great currents in the history of mankind: the baseness which makes conservatives and the envy which makes revolutionaries.Edmond De Goncourt (18221896). He allus brung me somethin', jus' like I he own little gal. This time it is initiated by the Grimes County District Attorney. Some dem cullud folks grandchillen still on dat land, too, de Parkers and Farrows and Nelsons and some others. She's wo'kin' for Jack Ditto and I's pleased to see her. Shoutin' the battle cry of freedom.'. Give us plenty of meat and bread and greens and t'ings. ", "I tell dese chillun here dey ain't know nuffin'. Some cullud people started to farmin', like I told you, and gathered the old stock. When a slave got bad they took him to the county seat and had him whipped. They gits de idea de white folks should give dem land and mules and sich. ", "I was bo'n up here in Jasper. "How you carries on! "I only 'members after de war, and most de cullud folks stays with Massa Buford after surrender and works de land on shares. In July 2009, a successful business owner was killed inside his liquor store by armed robbers. Reported in the Bryan Eagle and Navasota Examiner. You be a good girl and try to git through de worl' dat way.' Slavery was greater in the south because of the lands environmental conditions, which allowed the growth of multiple kinds of After September 1859, when the Houston and Texas Central Railway built into the town, Navasota became important as a shipping and marketing center for the surrounding area. We all walk down de road singin' and shoutin' to beat de band. Washington on the Brazos Historical Foundation is hosting a Texas Independence Day Celebration Saturday, Feb. 29, from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m., 2400 Park He lives on a green slope overlooking the Trinity river, in Moser Valley, a Negro settlement ten miles northeast of Fort Worth. Plantations' Past | THC.Texas.gov - Texas Historical Commission It didn't seem to make the whites mad, either. On her feet she wore men's bedroom slippers much too large for her, and to prevent their falling off, were tied around the ankle by rag strings. He was a good man. WebOn the banks of the Navasota River, Civil War veterans met for reunions from 18891946. I's workin' in de kitchen and dey tol' me to cook heaps of ham, chicken, pies, cakes, sweet 'taters and lots of vegetables. Den he die and lef' me wid eight chillun. The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. "I 'members seein' Faith Baldwin and Jeb Johnson and Dan Hester gittin' whupped by de Klux. They played marbles, see-saw and rode. One in Palestine marry a nigger slave and buy her from her master. We had all the clothes we wanted and if you wanted shoes bad enough you got 'emshoes with a brass square toe. Ma tell 'em to write him he neenter (need not) come. June 20, 2012, Federal agents return to Navasota along with Navasota Police and arrest 21 area residents for drug trafficking. When us chillun git sick dey git yarbs or dey give us castor oil and turpentine. Us hab chicken and all kinds of good things. He relentlessly fought the various power factions, and one day fought one perceived local warlord in the mud on main street, throwing him in jail and defying all comers, as the rest of the troublemakers began to search for cover. Some of 'em was bigger dan others and dey put a big family in a big cabin and a li'l family in a li'l cabin. "Yes, sir, I'm Felix Haywood, and I can answer all those things that you want to know. She say he ain't no service to her. CHURCHES But he never punish nobody 'cept dey done somethin'. WebSlaves were a large part of the local economy, as they were imported, traded and used to work in the many local cotton plantations. Dat's what my old mother told me 'way back in slavery, before I was ever sold. Dat was up in Jasper county where I's bred and bo'n. I was handling pipes. Marster says, 'If you did, de houn' got 'em.' I don' 'member anything 'bout my pappy, but I 'member Marster Henderson jus' like 'twas las' week. Dat how come I 'member ol' mistus name so good. I 'members once de missy asks me to make a 'lasses cake. ", "Dey feed us good back in slavery. He settled on the south side of the Navasota River near Bur Oak Springs and developed a cotton plantation and cattle ranch that extended at one time over about 5,000 acres. Every Sunday morning the undertaker hitched up a buggy and went downtown to collect the bodies he expected to find after another wild Saturday night. My friends is good to me and lets me stay with dem. "When I's 16 year ole I want to hab courtin'. The investigation started after an out-of-town newspaper (The Eagle) in Brazos County reported on the possible corruption. Texas Lynching Victims Memorial If dey sick, dey didn't habe to work and he give dem de med'cine hisself. "Then when I was eight years old they sold me. Reported by the Navasota Examiner. It was jis' a one-room log house. Its application scored 17 of 20 points. A tree am fix, and some present for everyone. In the city, 30.7% of the population was under the age of 18, 10.6% were between 18 and 24, 26.7% were between 25 and 44, 18.0% were between 45 and 64, and 12.6% were 65 years of age or older. He mek 'em outer rough red russet ledder. Slavery & Abolition (U.S. National Park Service) When dey gits through, dey ain't much more tookin' to be done. A Grimes County grand jury convicted two suspects in August 2012. I stops four years ago and comes out here to wait till de good Lawd calls me home. On January 19, 2011, the citizens of Navasota made a stand against illegal businesses trying to enter its city limits after murders and drive-by shootings. Everybody in dat part de country knowed him. The gov'ment builded school houses and the Klu Klux went to work and burned 'em down. Fear, uncertainty, and Another attraction is the historic Brule Field, a natural amphitheater built in the 1930s out of native stone. Ye, dey feed us good and us had plenty. One thing about 'em, they get educated, but there's not much for them to do when they get finished with school but walk the streets now. ", "I don' 'member seein' no sojers. It gits so bad round dere, dat de menfolks allus eats supper befo' dark and takes a blanket and goes to de woods for to sleep. [12] It served as the primary grid for the local high school football team, the Navasota Rattlers, until the new stadium was constructed in 2006. Beaumont, Jefferson, Dist. Daughter, I don' want dat hat you got dere. Far as I cares, you is free now, and can stay here and tough it through or go where you wants. "Don't you tell nobody dat I use to be a slave. I ain' been gone to de sawmill town very long when she sen' for me. John was my father. Den us play, 'Rabbit, rabbit. In 1908, Navasota was a lawless boom town, wracked by violence: "shootouts on the main street were so frequent that in two years at least a hundred men died." De marster was a sergeant. The master had to give 'em a half or third of what he made. ", "Atter he dead I wash and iron and cook out and raise my chillun. Den when I 'cide to marry Bob Thomas, she he'p me fix a hope ches'. Dey load up my sack and sometime dey bring me stuff in a car right dere to dat gate. "I was born way back in 1851 in North Carolina, on Mr. Subbs' plantation, clost to Snow Hill, which was the county seat. MOLLY HARRELL was born a slave on the Swanson plantation, near Palestine, Texas. I says, 'I's got no 'lasses.' It am heap of change since den. But, first, let me ask you this: Is you all a white man, or is you a black man?". In de winter time dey fed us in de kitchen. [7], Navasota was considered such a "wild and woolly" place that women and children were discouraged from going downtown even in broad daylight. De nearest I comes to gittin whupped, 'twas once when I stole a plate of biscuits offen de table. "After breakfas' in de mornin' de niggers am gwine here, dere and everywhere, jus' like de big factory. A wild hog was trapped at the free food bank in downtown Navasota. Nobody took our homes away, but right off colored folks started on the move. She does not know her age, but thinks she was about seven when she was freed. "White man, dis old cullud woman am not strong. They got together and organized the militia and had leaders like reg'lar soldiers. We soon found out that freedom could make folks proud but it didn't make 'em rich. It was the endin' of it that made the difference. Mistus was so lil' she couldn' lif' me but she fin'ly git me to bed. For every 100 females, there were 86.5 males. Work, workdat all dey know from time dey git up in de mornin' till dey went to bed at night. Dere was jis' one room and one family to de cabin. Dat was de fus' time Missy laugh after de funeral. Whoever git de girl's pie eat it with her. During these days, Navasota was considered a wild and wooly place, where it was not considered safe for women and children to go downtown in broad daylight. Old Mew Johnson, the preacher, seen to it church went on. The Horlock Art Gallery and History museum has history exhibits relating to the citys past. James, known as Uncle Jim, seems happy, still stands erect, and is very active for his age. Although I may be poor, But he come and de daughter tek care of her ma and pa bofe. But I's had two strokes and I ain't able to go to town no mo'. There wasn't no reason to run up North. Throughout the Civil War, all the marketable goods produced in the region were brought to Navasota, which at the time was the furthest inland railhead in Texas. I works till us come to Galveston 'bout ten year ago. The museum itself is housed in a historic building. Us hav pie supper, too. I calls, 'Here comes de Klux,' and makes for under de bed. I l'arn how to hoe, too. Dat makes me 102 come nex' December. Every one to he job, some a-whistlin', some a-singin'. Navasota Weather Forecasts. A new municipal building was completed in 2011 and continued downtown improvements are under construction, with completion scheduled for 2023. Some white woman said someone had stole something of hers so they put them young men in jail. Slavery was integral to the local economy as planters depended on enslaved African Americans to labor for their large plantations. I tell my chillen we didn't know no more about pants than a hawg knows about heaven; but I tells 'em that to make 'em laugh. Plenty of everything and corn am de mostest us have. "I come to Texas in 1877 and Galveston was a little pen then, a little mess. Dat all raise on de place. High Point Elementary exceeded state targets in Student Progress, Student Achievement, Closing Performance Gaps, and Post-Secondary Readiness.[22]. Navasota, Texas Train Town USA Legends of America "She all 'lone in de big house and I think it break her heart. It's my heart. The grave of D. G. Mills in The dispatcher attended the police academy and had been working at Navasota Police department for some time. We couldn't help stick to our masters. A statue of Mance Lipscomb is now a part of Mance Lipscomb Park, near downtown. [Handwritten Note: '?'] Missy says, 'Don' say 'lasses, say molasses.' Dey say I's got high blood pressue.". He camped by Massa Buford's plantation and asks him, 'Can I leave dis li'l nigger here till I comes back?' FELIX HAYWOOD is a temperamental and whimsical old Negro of San Antonio, Texas, who still sees the sunny side of his 92 years, in spite of his total blindness. I'm thinkin' lots of 'em pretended to want to go as soon as they had to go. "Not long after dat, Marster sol' my mammy to his brudder who lived in Fort Worth. I uster sneak sugar out de barrel to feed Julie. Hidden In A Texas Subdivision, A Plantation Where Slaves Live plays are performed regularly at the Sunny Furman Theatre. "Me and my mother lef' right off and go to Palestine. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.0 males. The downtown buildings were overrun with lawless ruffians, gamblers, prostitutes, and drunks. Pierce attended a Negro school after he was grown, learned to read and write, and is interested in the betterment of his race. ", "Us gals wo' plain, long waisted dress. Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. Navasota was founded by European-Americans in 1831 as a stagecoach stop named "Nolansville." "After us cullud folks was 'sidered free and turned loose, the Klu Klux broke out. Mid 1860s skirmish between Navasotan disgruntled freedmen and Confederate veterans broke out in the Brazos Bottoms near Millican, after a race riot there threw the whole region into a panic. By 1865, the population of Navasota was about 2,700. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. "I knowed Wright Cuney well and he held the biggest place a cullud man ever helt in Galveston. Dat's de reason I's a co'nbread eater now. Dey sho' dead.' Later the White Mans Union was formed, which sought political solutions when possible to the power struggles in Navasota. Sometime dey brung lil' white chillen to dinner. He use to live in a plain, wood house on de Palestine road. Pauline married Navasota Grice in 1875 and they moved to Texas in 1917. After learning about her experience, Willing United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1860 I 'most forgot it myself till you got round me jes' den. She have to 'pend on de overseer and it warn't like massa keep things runnin'. I can't stan' much sun. Seasonal festivals attract crowds each year, with live music being a large part of the draw. Just like that, we was free. ", "My pa was Len Norsworthy. ", "When any of de slaves git sick ol' mistus and my gramma dey doctor 'em. We got layed-onto(whipped) time on time, but gen'rally life was goodjust as good as a sweet potato. There were many saloons and gaming halls to entertain the cowboys, railroad men, and others on the loose. "In de old days, if de niggers wants de party, massa am de big toad in de puddle. Mos' de niggers 'have theyselves and when dey don't massa put dem in de li'l house what he call de jail, with nothin' to eat till deys ready to do what he say. WebTexas Lynching Victims Memorial Share Special Exhibits The Freedom-Lovers Roll Call Wall Stories Behind the Postcards: Paintings and Collages of Jennifer Scott Portraiture of Resistance Memorial to the Victims of Lynching Freedom-Lovers Pledge Explore Our Galleries African Peoples Before Captivity Kidnapped: The Middle Passage Nearly Three Dere some old men dat too old to work so dey sot in de sun all day and holp with de light work. Unveiling the Stories of Black State Senators in Post-Civil War The Inn is of clapboard-covered log construction. Men you thought was your friend was Klu Kluxes and you'd deal with 'em in stores in the daytime and at night they'd come out to your house and kill you. Finally, in a rage of bullets and accusations, he and his cronies were attacked in spots all over the County. I don't know why he done it. Genealogy Trails De white preacher talk 'bout Christ. I heerd my gramma and ma say dey ol' marster wouldn' sell none of his slaves. Mister, them was shirts that was shirts! My ole mistus took me to Sunday school with her and I spruce up in dat hat. De nex' night back dey comes and asks where Jane am. If anyone has information on this cemetery, please let us know. He enjoy dat. Navasota, TX ), with the cooperation of the City of Navasota, The Navasota Police Department's new Chief, and the Navasota City Council made a stand against crime and the Railroad Street bars closed down after decades of open drug sales and vice. This crime was in the middle of the day on the main street in town. About 23.8% of families and 23.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.7% of those under age 18 and 24.0% of those age 65 or over. She make linseed poultice and kep' de bu'n grease good. She was a little, white-hair' woman, what never los' her temper 'bout nothin'.
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