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photo was taken from the railroad water tower looking west down main
street. It would have been taken about the mid 1940s as we didn't
have electricity until then." - Patsy Carter, October 2006 |
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History in
a Pecan Shell
Settlers began arriving in the 1880s with the Dewey Prairie Baptist
Church organizing about three miles west of the present town in
1886.
Donie joins a long list of towns in Texas that were named in error,
jest, revenge or after a female relative of the founder. In this
case it was an error.
The town was meant to be called Douie, which was perhaps a misspelling
of Dewey (for Dewey Prairie) but the postal authorities misread
the name and approved the name Donie in 1898. Almost everyone has
adjusted to the name by now.
In 1907 the Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway came through on the
way to Teague and Donie’s businesses moved to the tracks.
In 1909 the
Baptist church changed its name from the poetic Dewey Prairie Baptist
Church to the First Baptist Church of Donie.
The church physically moved in 1913 and by 1914 Donie had a thriving
population of 600.
The most noteworthy business and largest employer in town was the
Donie Chair Company, that built traditional seating shipped all
over Texas.
Donie’s population declined to 400 in the late 20s and after reaching
200 – it has remained at that level for the last four decades.
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Donie Texas
Forum
Donie, Texas
Chair Factory Photo Sought
Dear TE, I just ran across your [magazine] and enjoyed the page
on Donie, Texas. I am in the process of gathering material for the
Freestone Genealogy Soc.'s county history book that will be published
next year. I have been searching for a picture of the Donie Chair
Company which you mention in your article. Does anyone by chance
have a picture that they would share with us? As important as it
was to our area, I am surprised that I am unable to find a picture
of the factory when it was located in Donie. - Patsy Carter,
October 2006
To share history or photos of Donie, Texas, please contact
us.
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