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Tyler, Texas
by Robert E.
Reed Jr.
New volume in Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series. |
Arcadia
Publishing has four or five series of books – all dealing with the
photographic histories of various towns and cities across the country.
History through postcards, Sports, Black history, Aviation, Universities,
and the Images of America series.
They
publish hundreds of titles each year and to date, they have completed
over 4,000 volumes. If they don’t have a book on your hometown, they
almost certainly has a nearby town or a town where you went to college,
were stationed in the military or simply were always curious about.
Each book is a uniform size and format. Usually they are around 120
pages with two photos to each page. The subjects range from the familiar
to the bizarre. Chosen by the author, they are frequently the kind
of photos that one doesn’t find in traditional history books.
Storeowners, grand openings, long-forgotten modes of transportation,
promotional photos and visiting celebrities create a local historical
smorgasbord.
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First
Black Tyler Police Officers, December 1955
Left to Right: W. Houston, Alvin Anderson, Willie Johnson Sr. and
Ira Brown
Photo Courtesy Tyler Police Department
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Texas
currently has a dozen or so titles. Since the publication of these
books depends on a local author as well as a photographic collection,
some of them overlap. For example Weslaco
has a book as well as Hidalgo County.
Temple joins
the other towns of Brackettville
/ Fort Clark Springs, Del
Rio, Waxahachie,
and Weslaco,
and the counties of Cherokee,
Hidalgo County, and Wood. San Antonio has two volumes – both by our
Conrtibuting Editor Mel Brown
(A Postcard History of San Antonio and Aviation in San Antonio).
Both San Antonio Volumes are now out of print. Copies are published
in a limited quantity so it’s a good idea to order early.
The
Tyler volume covers the city from its beginning through the 1960s.
From Camp Ford, a Confederate Prisoner of War Camp to Dorothy Lamour’s
visit to WWII’s Camp
Fannin. Also included are photos of the town trolley, a circus
parade around the town square, the Fruit Palace, the East Texas State
Fair, an aerial view of the dismantling of the former courthouse (perhaps
the only photo of its type in Texas), the East Texas Rose Fair and
Parade and the Tyler “Kid” Band – comprised entirely of children.
And then there was the somewhat embarrassing incident where the town
lake was drained by a break in the dam – leaving boats hanging from
the pier and a driving platform looking down at a spongy desert.
The author provides enough detail so that the town instantly becomes
familiar – even to those who have never visited Tyler.
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North
Spring Street, 1946
The Arcadia Theater(left) showcased the first talking pictures in
Tyler in February of 1929.
Photo Courtesy Smith County Historical Society
See Texas Theatres
| Tyler,
Texas |
View
of a circus parade circling the town square c. 1904 taken from the
roof of the Smith County Courthouse. Photo Courtesy Smith County Historical
Society
See Smith
County Courthouse | Tyler,
Texas |
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East
Side of the Smith County Courthouse c. 1876
"A clock tower rising 65 feet above the ground was also added,
though no clock was ever installed."
Photo Courtesy Smith County Historic Society
See Smith
County Courthouse | Tyler,
Texas
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In
what may be the only photo of its kind, the previous Smith County
courthouse retains its dignity even while being dismantled in front
of its replacement in 1955.
Photo Courtesy Smith County Historical Society
See Smith
County Courthouse | Tyler,
Texas |
The
Mexican Fourth Cavalry Band (Unmounted) added to the festivities of
the Second Annual Exposition of the Texas Fruit Palace. The lady in
white was popular local vocalist Minnie Jester.
Photo Courtesy Smith County Historical Society |
The
Tyler Kid Band, September 1909
"Not only did they perform locally, but they were also very popular
at Confederate veteran reunions all across the South. Due to aging,
in 1916 the group became the Tyler Municipal Band."
Photo Courtest Smith County Historical Society
See Texas Music |
"Anywhere
for a nickel" - the motto of the Tyler Tractrion Company
Streetcar above is on North Bois d'Arc Avenue, festooned with a banner
for a Presbyterian Sunday School picnic. The line operated from 1913
- 1917.
Photo Courtesy Smith County Historical Society |
Tyler's
Fire Department on the job: Elk's Club Fire, June 27, 1939
Photo Courtesy Smith County Historical Society |
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SRO
on opening night of the Neil-Simpson Drug Store #2
October 27th, 1938
Photo Courtesy Smith County Historical Society
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Jimmie's
Cafe ("The Original") c. 1950
Natty owner James W. Prickett stands between two unidentified men
that may be his sons.
Photo Courtesy Smith County Historical Society
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The
St. Louis Southwestern Railroad shops, roundhouse and turntable, 1941.
Photo Coutesy Smith County Historical Society
See Texas Railroads
| Tyler,
Texas |
This
single interurban car shuttled between Lufkin
and Tyler,
making two round trips daily. "The front third contained the
power unit, the middle contained a post office, and the back was a
passenger area." - Author Robert E. Reed Jr.
Photo Courtesy Smith County Historical Society
See Texas Railroads
| Tyler,
Texas |
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The
day the lake went dry:
A breach in the Tyler State Park's earthen dam sent the contents
of the lake into the Sabine River on September 12, 1963.
Photo Courtesy Smith County Historical Society
See Tyler,
Texas | More Vintage
Photos
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Take
advantage of a too-good-to-be-true offer.
Local historians and / or curators should consider taking Arcadia
up on their offer to publish these wonderful photographic town histories.
The books can provide a fund-raising venue for museums and many
out-of-print volumes end up selling for many times their purchase
price.
Arcadia
provides all the know-how and the turn-around time from submission
to publication is amazingly short. Visit
their site at: www.arcadiapublishing.com
See Tyler,
Texas
More Texas Books | Vintage
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