After a fashion, we are trying to reconstruct the town square. We need pictures of store (2), Coop Alliance store (3), Crook Parnell (4), Masonic Lodge (6), and Justice of Peace Courthouse. Help us out . . . look in those old, musty shoeboxes full of pictures. Ask granny to do the same at her place.
5. Blackmith shop and gristmill. pbldgs4
8. Left. Winders, Pitts & Co. store 9. Right.Grace Jordan's first store. Also, served as a barber shop. pbldgs5
1. Store. pbldgs1
Grace B. Jordan operated different stores in Pine Forest. grbjordan
Dalton Pogue, son-in-law of Gus Minter, at one time operated the store (1) with his father James Pogue. daltonpogue
The Hopkins County Courthouse on the east side of the square in Sulphur Springs, Texas as it stood in 1996. It was made a Texas Landmark in 1975. It was designed by James Riely Gordan, a Richardsonian, in Romanesque style of red granite and and contrasting sandstone trim. Its romanticized Moorish design has been a challenging subject to many artists. the courthouse was completed August 22, 1895. It replaced the old courthouse which burned in 1894. This is where the man who murdered Emmett B. Minter in 1945 was tried and convicted. Emmett was shot as he left a cafe on the side street to the left of the courthouse. (Photo courtesy of Photography & Frames by Hulen , Sulphur Springs, Texas). For a more complete history of the courthouse see
Store in Pine Forest. It was located on the north side of the square, and faced south. This picture of the abandoned store was made several years ago long after its heyday. the couple are Charles R. Gray [Doris Josephine (McClure) Gray's son] and a friend. The store over the years was operated by various people: "Gus" Minter, Sam Minter . . . and later "Jim" Pogue and his son, Dalton (who was "Gus" Minter's son-in-law); Hiram Williams's son Arliss. The old store and all the others around the square are now gone. pbldgs1
These two stores sat on the west side of the square facing east. The one on the left was the Winders, Pitts & Co. store. The lots for this store were purchased in 1856. The building on the right was owned and operated by James Chapman from 1920 to 1943. It was sold to Grace Jordan, which was her first store, and she operated it for a few years. It burned in 1945. On Saturdays a barber cut hair in the store. pbldgs5
Betty McClure, owner of Betty's Country Store in Pine Forest on road 269, stands behind one of the town's first wells. The back porch of the parsonage of the Methodist Chruch at one time sat near the well. The church was founded in 1838. It was later moved closer to the main road through town. plmark3
Blacksmith shop and gristmill on the south side of the square in Pine Forest. The man behind the wheel of the Model T Ford is Charlie McClure, Jorene Orr's grandfather and "Gus" Minter's son-in-law. circa 1920s. pbldgs4
The Hopkins County Courthouse in 1906
The grave stone of John Morgan Minter (b. 1792 - d. 1856), patriarch of the Pine Forest Minters. Some say John was the first person to be buried in the Pine Forest cemetery. Others say an itinerant family had stopped to camp overnight in the area, and one of them, a man, died and was buried at the site of the cemetery, thus being the first person buried there. They have his grave being marked by a black rock. plmark6
The little Methodist church as it stands today, 1999. The site of the original church, which was built of logs, is located behind this church. The cemetery, in the foreground, is across the road from the church. pbldgs2
Looking northwest toward town from the back corner of the Pine Forest cemetery. The grounds are larger than shown here, for they drop off over a slight hill in the background, which was the site of the original cemetery. Over the years the cemetery has been extended twice toward the foreground. Minters have met here often over the years to lay their loved ones to rest and to visit their graves. Seven generations of Minter descendants and their familes are buried here. The church is to the right. Recently a historical marker from the State of Texas was delivered, and it will be erected to mark this site. plmark7
The Pine Forest church/cemetery historical marker issued by the State of Texas and installed in January of 2000. pldmark9
Top. The men who volunteered to install the new historical marker. .L-R: Weldon Watkins; R. A. Watkins; Joe Pat Jordan; Garvis Anglin; and Archy Highfield. Below. Same as picture at top, except Frank Phillips replaces Weldon Watkins at the left. pldmark10
The Methodist Church just prior to the one existing today, above. This picture was made in 1947, and the view is looking from the southwest across the cemetery. pbldgs10
The Minter spring where Pappy Minter had his mill before the Civil War is between the church and the town square. It is north of the road, is about 20 feet in diameter, and has as dam around it. It is all grown over with weeds, etc. You can see some water. This picture was taken 06/06/03. .
33.06.727N, 095.22.921W, Elev 578 ft
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Roadbed of the old Jefferson Road near Weaver. Exit 135 and go south on HCR3344. About a quarter of a mile the road turns east, and then after a mile or more it turns south. The Jefferson Road continues on where the turn is made. This is a view looking east on the old roadbed.. The arrows indicate sides of roadbed. The gate in the inset is for identification. It is to the left.. This picture was taken 06/06/03
33.08.967N, 095.24.370W, Elev 466 ft
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Top: A long-time landmark, the original "Long Bridge" as it is known and appeared over the years. It spanned Stout's Creek and a ravine and was located on County Road 3372 about a mile and a half east of Pine Forest. Built in 1929, the single lane, wooden bridge without bannisters was one of the last of its type in Texas. pldmark1. Middle: Old Long Bridge being dismantled in 1992 to make way for a new structure. Safety considerations and a weight limit of only 5,000 pounds ultimately led tothe bridge's demise. pldmark2. Bottom: The new "Long Bridge as it appears today, June 1999. pldmark4
Looking from the road across the old Emmett B. Minter place to the draw where the pine trees stood from which Pine Forest got its name. Only a few of the trees now stand of the original twenty acres. The site is on County Road 3372 about a mile east of Pine Forest, and about a half mile west of the Long Bridge above. A move is afoot to plant some pine trees around town so as to give more meaning to its name, or perhaps to stop strangers from asking the location of the pine forest. pldmark5
The old Methodist church in Pine Forest. Jack Robinson, a Minter descendant, attended church here the first eleven years of his life, from 1917-1928. He remembers at least two Culpepper events being held there in the Church. One was one Sunday when Uncle Johnny Culpepper and Uncle Billy Culpepper. both together, attended the Services, and Uncle Johnny said benediction. The other event was the funeral services for Flager Culpepper, a young man who had been slain by a companion. pbldgs11
The Baptist Church at Bethel. 2003. pldmark11
Pine Forest Baptist Church. circa ? Courtesy Tommie Reeves Smith
