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History in
a Pecan Shell
In the beginning
was cane and it throve. The sugar-bearing variety was introduced
and then came the plantations, although nothing on the scale of
the Louisiana estates. Then came a blight and the Civil War and
each threw a wet blanket on Iago's early days. It didn't bother
too many people since there weren't many people living there to
begin with.
The land was pretty much abandoned until the railroad came through
about the turn of the century. Clarence D. Kemp had started a store
in the 1880s and opened a post office there that ran from 1891 to
1900. He sold stamps and groceries to the few people who still lived
in the area.
In 1911 Kemp sold some land to G.C. Mick who surveyed the land and
laid out a town plat. A school came about in 1902 because who (besides
Louisiana) wants a bunch of ignorant children running around a sugar
cane field? The 20s were Iago's salad days (they diversified from
sugar cane) with a blacksmith, drugstore, barber and several groceries
and mercantile stores making an appearance.
We didn't mention churches in the last paragraph because there was
just one. It might have been called the First Federated Church of
Iago, for it was used by four different religious groups who would
take turns using the building. They drilled an oil well in the churchyard,
which must've really annoyed the sermon-givers, but the money was
welcome and paid off the church.
© John
Troesser
We would enjoy hearing from any readers who have stories of syrup
making, cane-raising, oil drilling, snakebites or any other stories
relevant to growing up in Iago. Please contact
us.
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