A TOUR OF THE OLD CROSS CUT SUBURBS
By John Limmer
Before we return to the late 1800's to introduce a few more of the area's pioneers, and since we're already standing right at the north edge of town, I think this would be a good time to take a stroll through Cross Cut's residential section. It's not very big, so it won't take long. We will start the second leg of our tour at the intersection of Commerce and Mesquite Streets, and proceed south, down Mesquite, from there. Once again, I believe it will be easier for you to follow along if you have a street map.
The base reference for our map is that of Dick Pentecost in 1904. Dick and Mr . Ragsdale, the surveyor, laid the residential sector out in nine square blocks, three on each side. Each block was 200 feet by 200 feet, and each was divided into two equal lots of 100 feet by 200 feet. Even if every lot held a home, which from all accounts they never did, the maximum number of houses within the "city limits" at any given time would be eighteen.
On the original 1904 map, this sector was bordered on the north by Commerce Street, which wasn't even graded until the brick schoolhouse was built in 1928, on the west by, appropriately, West Street, - on the east by Mesquite Street, and on the south by a survey line; a road appeared in later years as a matter of necessity .The grid was completed with the addition of two east/west streets - Live Oak and Marion, and two north/south throughways -Clark Street and Banty Alley. The alley never materialized. As a point of interest, none of these street names ever "stuck". Probably because in a nine block town, you never had to tell anyone your street address to direct them to your home. They either already knew, or some helpful neighbor would simply point it out to them.
Severe weather develops quickly in this part of the country. Many of you may remember the tornado which leveled the gym back in the forties.
As we continue our tour, we will be walking south on Mesquite Street. To our left are the back sides of the commercial lots which front on Main. The first house to our right, according to Lawrence Byrd, "was originally built and inhabited by a couple named Smith. When they got too old to take care of themselves, Grandpa and Grandma (Jesse, Jr. And Liza) moved in and took care of them ". When Jesse and Liza got too old, they moved up on the hill (to the Byrd home place) and lived there until Liza died in 1923. The next residents, Norris says, "were Tom and Belle (Byrd) Chambers in 1925, along with their four sons, Clifton, age 8, Clyde, age 4, Carl, age 2, and Junior, a new-born baby at the time ". Jesse also owned a commercial lot on Main at the time and Tom and his father, Doc Chambers, build a garage and service station on it.
This was Norris Chambers first year in the Cross Cut school, and he was in a rather odd position, age-wise, with the rest of the Chambers family. Although he was only a few months younger than Clifton (age 8), Tom's oldest son, he was Tom's brother and therefore, Clifton's uncle. He was living with his and Tom's parents on the old Rushing place some five miles east of town at the time. Sit it was too far to commute on a daily basis, he moved in with Tom's family for the 1925-1926 school year.
Lawrence finishes our tale of this particular house. "When Grandpa married Ellie, he tore the old house down and built a pretty nice house. Then he traded with the Evans for this store where the Woodman deal is, and they moved that house. Les and Opal bought Grandpa's part down there ".
Before we go any farther, I think it only fair to warn you that these were pre-slab foundation days and the purchase of an existing house didn't necessarily mean the new owner was going to establish residence where it sat when he purchased it. The home buyers of Cross Cut, in fact, may well have invented the "mobile home" concept years before an industry unto itself.
The house next door (Block 1, Lot 2) was originally built by Ack Willis, sometime around the turn of the century and he lived there until he moved to Abilene. Some of you may recall the strange looking vehicle sitting behind the house was Mr. Bright's home-made water wagon. He lived there after Mr .Willis moved to Abilene.
Just across Live Oak (Block 8, Lot 1) is the home of Lawrence Byrd. This house was owned, and possibly built by Dolphus Prater. Norris' temporary housing arrangements during his school years in Cross Cut included a one year stay in this house. It was the school year 1930-1931, when he was in the 7th grade, and he was under the care of his sister, Deoma, and Thelma Prater, daughter of Dolphus. Both were school teachers. They kept one of the several cows in Cross Cut at the time and it was Norris' responsibility to round her up and milk her every night. The next year, 1931 -1932, Mrs. Dibrell moved in. Ernest Byrd bought the place later and lived there until his death. Lawrence Byrd still lives there today.
Next door to Lawrence (Block 8, Lot 2) is the home where Pete Moore, his wife and son, Bryant lived. The telephone office was located here for a time.
Here we turn west on Marion Street. The open area on the left (Block 15) was the old 2-room school playground.
The house just past Banty Alley on the right (Block 10, Lot 2) was the Methodist parsonage, and beyond that was the Methodist Church building. The church originally sat on the corner of Commercial and West Streets, between the Baptist Church and Commercial, but religious beliefs are sometimes touchy things.
On the southeast corner of Clark and Marion was the Hill house. It was later purchased by A. H. and Laura Plummer who lived there until Mr .Plummer's death.
The property just north of the church (Block 10, Lot 1) was owned by the Testons according to Lawrence's best recollection. Norris remembers "two or three small houses on this lot in the late 20 's. Mr. Ren.fro, pastor of one of the churches, lived in one of them. Later I believe the DeWeeses lived in another ".
Across the street from them (Block 11, Lot 1) was, according to Norris, the Elsberry place. Lawrence's recollection differs somewhat. He remembers, "Dave Clark built a house where Tom and Belle retired to (the lot adjoining the Baptist Church property on the south, now owned by Scott and Keeka Byrd). When Dave died, Tom bought that house and moved it to this lot. He also owned the lot to the south (Block 11,
Before we go any farther, I think it only fair to warn you that these were pre-slab foundation days and the purchase of an existing house didn't necessarily mean the new owner was going to establish residence where it sat when he purchased it. The home buyers of Cross Cut, in fact, may well have invented the "mobile home" concept years before an industry unto itself.
The house next door (Block 1, Lot 2) was originally built by Ack Willis, sometime around the turn of the century and he lived there until he moved to Abilene. Some of you may recall the strange looking vehicle sitting behind the house was Mr. Bright's home-made water wagon. He lived there after Mr .Willis moved to Abilene.
Just across Live Oak (Block 8, Lot 1) is the home of Lawrence Byrd. This house was owned, and possibly built by Dolphus Prater. Norris' temporary housing arrangements during his school years in Cross Cut included a one year stay in this house. It was the school year 1930-1931, when he was in the 7th grade, and he was under the care of his sister, Deoma, and Thelma Prater, daughter of Dolphus. Both were school teachers. They kept one of the several cows in Cross Cut at the time and it was Norris' responsibility to round her up and milk her every night. The next year, 1931 -1932, Mrs. Dibrell moved in. Ernest Byrd bought the place later and lived there until his death. Lawrence Byrd still lives there today.
Next door to Lawrence (Block 8, Lot 2) is the home where Pete Moore, his wife and son, Bryant lived. The telephone office was located here for a time.
Here we turn west on Marion Street. The open area on the left (Block 15) was the old 2-room school playground.
The house just past Banty Alley on the right (Block 10, Lot 2) was the Methodist parsonage, and beyond that was the Methodist Church building. The church originally sat on the corner of Commercial and West Streets, between the Baptist Church and Commercial, but religious beliefs are sometimes touchy things.
On the southeast corner of Clark and Marion was the Hill house. It was later purchased by A. H. and Laura Plummer who lived there until Mr .Plummer's death.
The property just north of the church (Block 10, Lot 1) was owned by the Testons according to Lawrence's best recollection. Norris remembers "two or three small houses on this lot in the late 20 's. Mr. Ren.fro, pastor of one of the churches, lived in one of them. Later I believe the DeWeeses lived in another ".
Across the street from them (Block 11, Lot 1) was, according to Norris, the Elsberry place. Lawrence's recollection differs somewhat. He remembers, "Dave Clark built a house where Tom and Belle retired to (the lot adjoining the Baptist Church property on the south, now owned by Scott and Keeka Byrd). When Dave died, Tom bought that house and moved it to this lot. He also owned the lot to the south (Block 11,
Lot 2). Then, in later years when Grandpa divided the land up, they (Jesse's children, Belle Chambers being one) got 57 acres a piece east of Sandy Branch, he (Tom) picks this house up and takes it over yonder, on his place. I helped him move it ".
Norris remembers the adjoining lot to the south (Block 11, Lot 2) as having "a false front store building on it in 1925. It had apparently been a store at one time, but someone was living in it then. It was later tom down or moved away ". The way Cross Cut residents moved buildings around, this might well have been a store on Main at one time or another, and moved to this location for use as a residence.
Ownership of the two blocks on either side of Clark Street, north of Live Oak (Block 12 on the west side, and Block 13 on the east side) is cloudy.
Block 12, Lot I -Lawrence recalls the owner to be " a man named Evans, who fell out of the pecan tree and killed himself'.
Block 12, Lot 2 -Lawrence believes this to be "the site of the B. W: and M J. McDonough place ".
Block 13, Lot I -Norris simply recalls, "more houses here ", while Lawrence believes it to be "the location of a schoolhouse, and that the lots were turned north/south ".
Block 13, Lot 2- Norris remembers this to be "the old McDonough house", while Lawrence recalls it to be "the home of Bob Westerman after the school was gone ".
From here our tour takes us west on Commercial for one block. then south on West Street. The southwest comer of that intersection is the two acres donated by Mr . Clark for church property, and on that property sits the Baptist Church building. Behind that building is the church arbor. There are no block or lot numbers at this location as it is beyond the original Pentecost survey.
Immediately south of the church is the retirement home of Tom and Belle Chambers. The house which originally sat on this site was built by Dave Clark. Tom purchased it from Dave and moved it first across the street (refer to Block 11, Lot 1), then to a 57 acre farm on Sandy Branch, approximately 3 miles from town. Tom either retained ownership of this lot, or repurchased it when he moved back to Cross Cut after . retirement in Albany. His six sons built anew home on it and Tom and Belle lived there
until Tom's death.
We will complete our tour by continuing south on West Street to its end, and turning back east on the unnamed road at the south of town. Block 16, on the northeast comer of this intersection. was owned by John Clark. and his home sat on this land. The old house was of stucco construction and was owned in later years by Delores (Byrd) Richardson.
Directly across the road to the south was the home of Anderson Gaines. Lawrence's uncle, Joe Byrd, lived there for awhile.
The next to last home on the tour is that of Walter Prater, located just across the road and due south of the old schoolhouse. It was originally built by Dick Stone.
And finally, we have the Davis home, across Main Street and just south of the Ice House.
That concludes our tour of Cross Cut's residential section. Hopefully we have jogged some of your memories and helped those who were not fortunate enough to have lived and/or visited Cross Cut before to have a better understanding of this unique little community.