LAST OF THE OLD-TIME LAWMEN
Joe Moore was an Alto legend. He was a man of many talents – farmer, photographer, lawman, innkeeper, road-builder and musician. When he died in 1952 at the age of 90, his obituary was entitled “LAST OF THE OLD-TIME LAWMEN” His mind was still sharp up to the last ten minutes of his life. He had outlived three wives.
At six feet four inches and weighing 280 pounds Joe Moore was a commanding figure around Alto. Born here in 1862, a youthful desire for adventure took him to Indian Territory, which is now Oklahoma for a number of years.
Returning to Alto, he married Ella Tannery but she died in childbirth soon after. He became a professional photographer, and many of the pictures in the Alto library’s Flickr collection can be attributed to him. He had studios in Alto and Douglass and also traveled the East Texas area. After his death a box of undelivered prints was discovered and donated to the Stella Hill Library collection. We continue to try to identify them.
Sometime in the early 1900’s he took a position as a deputy sheriff. When he lost the election for sheriff in 1909, he became Alto’s first City Marshal and served in that capacity for a number of years.
During his service as city marshal Mr Moore affected a high stiff collar, Prince Albert coat, morning trousers and a broad-brimmed sheriff’s hat. He usually carried out his duties unarmed, taking a gun only when he expected real trouble. One of his proudest accomplishments was facing down a crowd of about 150 men bent on lynching a prisoner in the city jail. He just talked the gang into going home.
Joe Moore loved to tell of his exploits as City Marshal. One of his favorite stories was about stopping a drunken citizen who was in town on his horse. When the rider failed to heed the Marshal’s order to go home, Joe just took hold of one leg and rolled him off the other side of the horse.
Besides keeping order in the town Mr Moore was also responsible for maintaining the city streets. This report was noted in the July 27, 1916 issue: Under the personal supervision of Mr Joe Moore, the city is having some effective road improvements made this week on the street leading to the mill. The new tractor recently purchased by Mr Moore is being used and is proving very satisfactory for this class of work.”
While city marshal, Joe Moore was also designing and building a town landmark, the Moore Hotel, which was managed by his second wife, Ruth Watkins of Douglass. The sprawling structure, replete with widow’s walk and porches, when finished boasted 40 rooms. It was located on San Antonio Street in the block just east of the current highway intersection. It remained a well-known feature for citizens and visitors alike until it was demolished about 1945.
After his second wife died in 1928, Mr Moore took a job in Huntsville with the prison system, but he soon came back to Alto and in 1930 put the hotel up for sale. In December 1930 he married again, this time to a local widow, Mrs D A Blanton. They lived at Redlawn where Joe went back to farming.
In addition to all his other interests, Mr Moore was an accomplished musician. He played the violin and the cello and was a member of several different musical groups. He spent his last years with a nephew in Nacogdoches, but he is buried in Old Palestine Cemetery.
There are very few former citizens of Alto who would not remember Joe G Moore, City Marshal and the Moore Hotel.
We are fortunate enough to have a collection of excellent images from Joe Moore’s photography studio, but not fortunate enough to have labels. For these first two, I’m betting that it was the Marshall himself.
The next couple look a bit like Joe Moore to me, but I’m just guessing.
And these last ones I have no idea. Perhaps they look familiar to some of you? Maybe you recognize an ancestor or two?
