"Chronicles" Changes

Message from Joe…

Changes to Tillman County Chronicles

 

It has been a few weeks since I have posted anything to this site. There are several things that I want to write about in coming weeks, but I have been occupied recently with other projects. Updates to “Tillman County Chronicles” have gone on hold.

Background of the “Chronicles”

"Tillman County Chronicles" began in January 2009.

I have been a member of the Tillman County Historical Society’s board of directors since 2005, and I served a two-year term as president of the TCHS Board from 2009 to 2011.

I have always been interested in local and area history and I know that lots of other people are, too. I have a writing background so when I assumed the presidency of the TCHS board in 2009, a newspaper column seemed a good way to promote activities of the historical society, to share stories and exhibits from the Pioneer Townsite Museum, and to focus on the history of the area. Both “The Frederick Press” and “The Frederick Leader” readily agreed to print the column every week as a free service to the community and the historical society.

From the first column, response has been positive. I appreciate the many encouraging comments that I have received over the past three years concerning “Tillman County Chronicles”.

For me, time has always been an issue, though. I work a full-time job and I have a lot of other projects and activities.

I always had a Tuesday morning newspaper deadline for the column, so Monday nights often found me digging around for something to write about.  Almost always, “Chronicles” columns have been written the night before the Tuesday deadline – commonly in the middle of the night.

A year or so ago, I set up this blog site and have since archived most “Tillman County Chronicles” here. Anyone coming to this site can enter a key word (“Abernathy”, “Tipton”, “Brush”, etc.) in the search box at top right of the page and be given a list of all “Chronicles” that are keyed to that word.

Many visitors to the site are referred by Google or other search engines.

The blog, like the column, has been fun to do, and I have always been amazed at the number of blog site visitors.

Until now, the “Tillman County Chronicles” blog site has been driven by the newspaper column.

Newspaper Change

In late January, Tillman County journalism underwent a seismic shift when Frederick’s two longtime newspapers became one.

Heartland Newspapers, the corporate owner of “The Frederick Leader”, purchased the locally owned “Frederick Press” and the new newspaper became “The Frederick Press-Leader”.

I think the move was a good one. In the world of modern journalism, small-town newspapers have a difficult time making ends meet. The fact that Frederick has been served by two newspapers for all these years is remarkable in itself. It has seemed inevitable that, eventually, one of the two newspapers would have to cease publication, although it was impossible to know which it would be.

“The Frederick Press-Leader”, by maintaining names and staff of both newspapers, continues the traditions of both historic publications, and that is a very good thing!

The folks at “The Frederick Press-Leader” are great. Ray Wallace at the newspaper is a good friend, and he is very willing to continue publication of the “Chronicles”. The publication deadline of the new newspaper, though, is now Monday.

This may seem like a small point, but I don’t do Monday deadlines well! I guess that having to write anything over the weekend for a Monday deadline seems like homework, and I do like weekend time!

So… this seems a good time to transition “Chronicles” from a newspaper-driven column to posts that are planned first and foremost for the website.

The Difference?

Planning “Chronicles” posts specifically for the website will allow more variety of format.

That may include less structured comments and explanations, direct reprints of old newspaper articles, current reports, more conversational opinion, and more random photos. It may include long posts or very, very short ones. There may be many posts in the span of one week, or posts at irregular intervals.

I think that a looser format will mean that more items can be included in a less structured way, and that will be a good thing.

“Tillman County Chronicles” may still show up sometimes in the local newspaper, but it will be after the material has posted to this website and it will probably not be on a weekly basis.

So… Stay tuned.

Any Ideas?

If you have any ideas about topics that you would like to see explored or presented in “Tillman County Chronicles”, drop me an e-mail at tillmanokhistory@gmail.com.

Downtown Frederick, 1920

Sent to The Frederick Press-Leader, March 5, 2012

 Click photos to see larger

1920 Frederick was booming town

Downtown Frederick was a busy place in 1920. The area had been opened to settlement for only 19 years, and the city of Frederick was only 18 years old.

By 1920, though, cars and trucks had replaced horses on city streets.

The city’s modern business area featured many brick buildings and concrete sidewalks, although streets were still unpaved. Early telephone and electric lines were suspended overhead.

The three accompanying photos, all taken in 1920, show Frederick’s downtown streets and landmarks of the day.

  

North Main Street

This photo was taken at the intersection of Main and Grand, looking north. The Register Building, current site of Louise Bradley’s barber shop, is on the right. To the north, at the site that many of us remember as the J.C. Penney building, is a sign advertising “S&S Millinery, Ladies Ready to Wear”.

The corner building at the left of the photo was the Bank of Commerce. The building, later know as the Dillingham Building or the Hughes Jewelry building, was remodeled in the 1940s or ‘50s, changing its exterior appearance.

The Frederick Post office in 1920 was located on Main Street, north of the bank building.

Several of the buildings on the west side of this block would be destroyed in the major downtown fire of February 1974.

The Tillman County Courthouse would be located in the next block north, but had not been built in 1920.

Grand Avenue Looking West

This photo was taken at the intersection of Main and Grand, looking to the west.

The large Bank of Commerce Building, now the Hughes Building, is on the right.

The corner building at left is the Carr and Pritchard Hardware building. It was at 100 West Grand, the site where Cole Pest Control is now located. The Carr and Pritchard building later housed C.R. Anthony Department Store with several businesses on the second floor. It was extensively damaged by fire in the 1950s and rebuilt.

A large barber poll west of Carr and Pritchard identifies a barber shop.

The early Frederick water tower at West Grand and Third Street was a Frederick landmark for almost 100 years until its removal just a few years ago.

Grand Avenue Looking East

This picture was taken on Grand Avenue, looking east, from a point in front of the Frederick Leader building.

The corner building at right is one that many of us remember as the Frank’s TV building.

A sign identifies the building immediately east of it as a bakery.

Further to the east is the Nuf-Sed Cleaners.

Several blocks to the east, the tower of the early First Baptist Church can be seen. The church would be destroyed by fire in 1931.

Joe Wynn is a member of the Tillman County Historical Society’s board of directors.