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f ........................... ..««•* I « I ^ I I I « I* ^ I » I I I 94 •••S *!•«*«« ♦««««**••• *«»». «•««**»»•»•••«« * ••• »« •«#«%!«SUNDAY, MAY 26,1963 SECTION V4 44 »4* 9944 4 4 lt;4 » * 9 » * • « • • *1*9* ***9*99**«**« ***ll**4 **4**II444«*4**«***««4««9* • • *!••••*• |**«|«|«* •* *«I**«««««4I||9**9«**«*99*9«««« * . **i94 4 » II *4 l*9»* . •*1ll|4«|4««l«|**« **l****«*l*«« I*l4 4 *9t4944»t4\944444494 4 t l99l*4*»****l«4*|««*«**«**««l||«*»**||«**«4*«9». *1 *99t***4¥444\9444 44 49944^44994^^94 4 4 4 4 49 i ••****94444*4^444499444*99994t9999494494449444 I 9 4 44 9 «« l**»***l*l|IM*«*«»4**l****44*****4**«*««*t**4999*»l|«l I4« 9 4 */4 *lll||« *♦ l»4l** •»»944 949494444444^* **44*«*l^l* ** * II I4|lll*\* I*l**||«**9*l4««* ***«**9|4« 4 4*99 *44*94100 Years of Grand Prairie History• •• ••••• • * s.S.JiJjrv.Si:?j:”:;:;;::;:::::!':,:•■ • ' • .....**»4lll%«9«*4t *****ii««i!•« I I * * **I|||44\*|* *4*^* *•«•,4494494* 44944994,I 4 4 99 49 9 i 4 44 I **4*|4ll4**ll.« 4 * 4 94 4444444449i4444lt;4** .4•44444. * 4*44 49 9 94 4 44*4 4 49 44 9 4944494 t*4 *94 4 49 4 94^94 4 4 4 44 4 9 * 4 4 4 94 S * 94 444k4444444*949*44 14*4*1* 4 • * I * 4 • •4 * * I S I *4lt;944944t4ti*i4*49499444,In 1929 fire completely destroyed the First Baptist Church,an estimated loss of ten thousand dollars. In 1939 and again in 1940 the Continental Tire and Rubber Company suffered huge fires that destroyed thousands of used tires. The spcond fire occurred July 24, 1940. Local firemen received help from tlie lire departments of Dallas a*nd Arlington, and with tlteir assistance tlie tire company’.s huiiding was saved. Smoke from this fire could be .seen by pilots of aircraft in Waco; •smoke and^ heat were so intense that three firemen were overcome, ffte fire continued to burn for more than a week, smoke damaging the interior of many homes of the community.The Parent-Teacher A.ssociation was formerly known as tlK‘ Mothcr.s’ Club, the change in name occurring about 1920, TItis association made many valuable contributions to the commtinity, particularly to the schools. In 1922 it purchased three drinkirrg fountains for the school. In 1922 it made contributions to the athletic department of the school. In 1924 it c.lt)iiated one luindritl dollars to construct a sidewalk frotn Uk‘ school to towti; in 192.5 it began serving lunches to titc schfU)] cliildrcri; in 19.31 it donated a set of scales to the school: and in 19.3b it helped the Chamber of Commerce spojisur the fit si ‘•l-jster Pgg Hunt*' in Grand Prairie.The 192] local Parent-Teacher Association began showing movies in the school auditorium on Friday afternoons. In October of that year Mrs. Mcllheiiny, president oftlic associa-tjon, received a twenty-five dollar check from the Dallas K1.1 Klu.\ Klan to cover a financial loss in proceeds from a movie due to a Ku Klux Klan parade.rile Grand Prairie Booster’s Club wa.s organized on .April 11, 19.37. The first group of officers for this club were;!r\'ing {light, pre.sidenl; Judson Wlieat, first vice-president; n.A. Turner, second vicc-prcsidenl; T. G. Smith, secretary: and Van Rcektitu. treasurer. 'Phe purpose of this club was civic iniprovemenl by younger adults of the town.The Sam Pike l^ost IS4 of the American Legion was organiz-etl In Gratul prairie i?i N'ovember 13, 19.34. Its major progi’am for [93^ was the sponsoring lt;if a safety prr»gram wliiclt inciiulcd the purchase anti installation of a traffic light. In !'^'3b the legion assisted in a child welfare programand a disabled veter.ins program, j'luring PH? the local post spon-soreti a Bovs' .Sah-iy patrol and a Boy Scout 'Croop. In J939, when a smallpox scai'e was rampaging Dallas Comity, the post •spohsorefl the \acrination of children and adult.s^ in Grand {•’rairit,-.rile Gi’.jiui Prairie ].ions' Cdub was organizetl in jamtary. !''2n. fhr fiisi .si.-i of officers eleclctl for tills club were P.iL clieniiauir, j^iesitleiU; \V. A. Bniiidage arul G.L, Rachels,*V ii e-pia sidi. lit. ami J. F. Bus, secretary and treastirer, .A charier Ixfmiuti was attended by approximately twenty memixTs in tlu basement of the pir,st Methodist Church. Tlie first proj,.ct selected by this club was to sponsor bc-rter dairies.1'he Rotary Cluh was oi'ganized in February, 1940. The organi.Mlioii ..f i!k- mejnlx’rs of tlie Irving IblarvC9ub assisted witli tile organi/at 1011 of the Gram! Prairie Rotary. At this meeting C. D. Miliar was ejected president and Leroy Young, seL'ietary. TIk' iioarcl of directors wa.s composed of C. D,Mifiai', J. S. W.ilk«-'r, G, \V. Bingliam, R(»y F, Preston, Leroy V'’nng. c;. M. 'T'nrner, and L. C), 3'urner. The local clubwas to meet each Friday at the community house. Nineteen men sigiiified chelr desire for membership.The Commercial Club was the major civic club from 1909 until about 1920, when it became the Grand Prairie Chamber of Commerce. In February, 1922, this organization was consolidated wfth the Dalworth Chamber of Commerce, becoming the Grand Prairie-Dalworth Chamber of Commerce, which name it kept legally until after 1941.The activities of this organization from 191.3 until 1941 were many and worthwhile. It assisted farmers by inviting well-informed speakers to discuss with them current practices in good farming: it was responsible for influencing citizens to vole for the establishment of a city park; it spent considerable effort in cooperation with the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce and other citizens for the construction of Mountain Creek Lake; it assisted each year in promoting tlie Grand Prcui-ie poultry and Live.stock Show; it helped sponsor the first “Faster Egg Hunt: and it helped Mayor Turner in Cooperation with the Dallas Chamber of Commerce for the location in thi.s area of Hensley Field and North American Aviation Incorporated. In February, 1923, the Grand Prairic-Dalworih Chamber of Commerce had 110 members, but by November 28, 1940, it had only ninety members.Thirteen women convened on March 3D, 1935, in the home. ” *4* 'rtC 4'I •’ , 'V •!••• 'I*- ,... - '.^4 . . . 4' 9t'^. ' f •• r‘**fv4.»rlt;1fk?.*( 4}I*rk;%'•'-viv'..y-.^f ..=vti. ».A BUSY LADY. . .♦ . . Miss Jennie Vickery wtio resides at 327 N, Center posed for the above-picture In 1911 soon after moving to Grand Prairie. Always active and interested In church work she anaided the Scarrlort Bible and Training School in Kansas in hopes of being a missionary. However, due to failing eyesight, she was unable to accomplish her first mission and returned home to continue active In the First Methodist Church,of Mrs. L. A. Robert.'^ to organize the Grand prairie Study Club. Mrs. F. N. Boclinc was its fir.st president. f)lher finsr officers included Mr.s. Jolin S. Swadley, first vice-pi’esidcnt: Mrs. John W. Trimble, second vice-president; Mrs, Farl J. Couch, reporter; Mrs, Clendcjn I, Hall, recfirding secretary; Mrs. Lonnis A. Roberts, treasurer; Mrs. Fslell W, Tum-mins, historian; Mrs. L. O. Turner, parliamentarian; Mrs. L. J. Young, corresponding secretary; and Mrs. 'Vernon J. Van Rcekum, an honorary member.Charter members other than the officers were Mmes. T, G. Collins, J. T. Harston (deceased), R. L. Hight, G. Re.x Megrail, and Miss Madge Tummins. The club federated in 1935. The purpose of the Grand Prairie Studv Club as slated in its constitution and by-laws reads: ' The objectof this club shall be inlellecluaf improvement and the promotion of charitable and social activity umtmg the membei's. Thi.s club contributed money and manv hooks to the citylibrary.From 19J4 to 1922 tlie Grand prairie Meth-xlist Church grew stronger, as the membership increased (o about two-hundred, and the varimis auxiliaries of the churcti were weli organized. In the fall of 1922 Reverend Read was assigned pastor of this Methodist Church, where he found the congregation still wor.slhpping in the same building he had helped to erect fourteen years earlier. He had not been serving the congregation long before he realized thai the facilities were inadequate: a.s a result, a .survey committei. was appointed to visit other churches for ideas eoneeniing churcli building plans. During one year of Reverend Read’s niinistry the membei-ship increased from two-hundred to 3.:»0. It soon became apparent to all members that a completely new church building was desirable. Plans were made for the building of a brick church at the corner of North Center and Churcli Street. The members of the missionary society again took the lead in initiating the building program by pledging twr-r.housand dollars and inimediatelv started work to reach their goal. In October, 1923, a building committee was named and instructed to begin active work. This committee was composed of the following members; W. B, Young, chairman: 1.. (). Turner, secretarv: H. M. Lucas’ S. L. Sanders. J. L. Richardson, J. N. Vickoi'y, j. A. Moore, W, A. Hancock, and T. G. Collins. The committee visitetl several churches for ideas to incorporate into their new chui-ch building, which they completed in 1925 co.sting $2i.-1)00. In 1939 a small building was erected for the Men’s Bible Class.The number of members in the Methodist Church remained rather constant during this period, as there were slightly le.ss than three hundred members in 1925, and thei'e were three hundred in 1940.In 19 15 the Fir.st Baptist Church, which had a membership of about four hundred, moved to a frame building tfiat was located at 122 Northeast Second Street. January 7, 1929. during the ministry of Reverend Hargrove, thischurch building burned. Following the fire church services were cojiductcd in the high .school auditorium.On August 5, 1929. the church met at a gravel pit north of Grand prairie to baptize sixteen persons. From the baptizing llie church reassembled at Che old church lot where(Continued on Page 2)
Newspaper Details
Grand Prairie News Texan
Grand Prairie, Texas, US
Sun, May 26, 1963
Page 48
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
TX, USA 19 Jul 2018
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