Since we have added the latest group of local history items to our Portal to Texas History it has been great fun to see how they mesh with the Alto Heralds and with the Flickr photograph collection.
For instance, one of the papers by Mildred Nicar Bertilino has to do with the History of the Fairris (Ferris) farm. Mildred, who grew up on the Fairris Farm wrote a short theme about the property for an essay contest when she was in school. Then later, she expanded on the story in a letter.
E Geiger, the next owner deeded it to T L Ferris on January 2 1903. During the ownership…..the Ferris Farm was a prison farm.
From the Alto Herald, we find out a little more about Colonel Fairriss, including stories about his marriage and wedding reception in January 1908, and his trip to the Democratic Convention that same year.
Over the years, somehow the spelling got simplified to Ferris instead of the correct Fairris.
About the house, which was built by Lorenzo Sanders in 1864, Ms Bertilino has this to say: “Mr Sanders built his beautiful home of lumber hauled from Shreveport, Louisiana. The nails used were square with no point. Mr Sanders, a slave owner, made much money from his large fields of corn and cotton. …. the oldest lumber house in Cherokee County”
Our picture, from our Flickr collection, shows the house in its later years, before the bell used to call the workers from the fields was stolen and before the house was moved to Nacogdoches.
Another connection comes from the description of the syrup mill:
“There was a syrup mill near Espinosa Springs and by the creek. My father cooked off the sugar cane juice.
From the Alto Herald – May 2, 1940:
FOR SALE – Pure Ribbon Cane syrup, any quantity. Price right. See Tom Nicar at Ferris Farm or Dudley Lawson, Alto, Texas.
“Some 500 acres of the farm was sold to the Duren Lake Hunting Club which is still there in the Neches River Bottoms”
From the Alto Herald September 26 1938: DUREN LAKE BARBECUE WILL BE HELD TONIGHT
Coincidentally, just last week we received from the Warren Taylor Whiteman collection several pictures of the Duren Lake Flood of 1957.
The HISTORY OF THE FERRIS FARM contains a wealth of interesting information about people and activities along that portion of El Camino Real, including descriptions of some of the Indian artifacts and burials found on the land. To access the paper go to http://texashistory.unt.edu/explore/partners/SHML/browse/
Originally published in the May 21, 2014 edition of the Cherokeean.