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"This 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 |
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
Subject:
Donie, Texas Chair Factory Photo Sought
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
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Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
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