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Waco Heritage Highlights, 1975

This amazing 28-page booklet was printed in 1975 by WACO HERITAGE PUBLICATIONS in celebration of our nation’s Bicentennial in 1976. It features the beautiful drawings of Waco artist Steve Ashley and descriptive narration by Dayton Kelley. On their introductory page, Dayton Kelley and Steve Ashley wrote:

“Whether one is interested in American history or some other type of history, it can become more meaningful if it is viewed in the light cast by those who participated in the events which affected history. The people who made our town what it is today are our finest heritage and WACO HERITAGE HIGHLIGHTS is a bicentennial tribute to those people and the events they inspired. The reader will find no attempt here to interpret the events or to evaluate the contributions of the pioneers. Rather, we have attempted to depict through the medium of illustrations, combined with brief historical text panels, some of the major events in the long and illustrious history of Waco. During 1976, almost every community in the United States will be looking more closely at its history and its heritage than it ever has before. Waco, too, will be celebrating the past in various ways and it is our hope that WACO HERITAGE HIGHLIGHTS will contribute in some measure to the pride that Waco citizens have in the heritage and history of their town.”

Indeed, it does!

The Tom Primm House

The Tom Primm House was in North Waco, on the SW corner of 19th and Park Lake Drive. During WWI, this area was part of Camp MacArthur(1917-1919), and the house became the Commanding Officer’s Headquarters. The first photo here is by Fred Gildersleeve and contributed by Mark Randolph/City of Waco. The second photo is also by Fred Gildersleeve and is is from “A Pictorial History of Waco by Roger Conger. That intersection is 19th and Park Lake. This photo is taken from beside where the H-E-B is, and looking down Park Lake Drive. North 19th was often called Bosqueville Road. Park Lake used to be called Bewley Lane, and was also referred to as “the road that leads to Walker’s Crossing”. This was about thirteen years before the OLD Lake Waco was built, so that road just led to a bridge that crossed the Bosque River. You can see the Primm house in the second photo as well. This photo is courtesy of The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Photo by Fred Gildersleeve, Courtesy Nsrk Randolph/City of Waco.
Photo by Fred Gildersleeve. Courtesy of The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Our Facebook Groups

M O R E W A C O H I S T O R Y…

Thank you for being a part of us! Posted below is a full list of the Waco, Texas pages and groups we manage, and we want to invite you to be a part of as many of them as you want! Click on any link, and it will take you there, and you can join or “like”.

And be sure to follow the “Waco Blog” at our website http://www.wacotexashistoryinpictures.com

GROUPS

“Waco, Texas History in Pictures”
Photos and memories of Waco, Texas
https://www.facebook.com/groups/440335416074300/

“Historical Bosqueville, Texas (pre-1965)”
A community with a rich history…just out North 19th and across the Bosque Bridge!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/historicalbosquevilletexas/

“The Old Lake Waco and Dam”
Photos and memories of the 1930 Waco Dam, including the transition to the present Lake Waco.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/oldlakewacodam/

“1953 Waco Tornado Memorial”
Photos, videos and newspaper articles from the week that followed the May 11, 1953 Waco tornado.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1953WacoTexasTornado/

PAGES

“Waco, Texas: That’s My Hometown”
Historic AND current pictures and events in Waco, Texas
https://www.facebook.com/wacotexashistory/

“Waco, Texas: Centennial 1849-1949”
A celebration of Waco’s First One Hundred Years!
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Waco-Texas-Centennial-1849-1949-1098824286938153/

“Waco, Texas: African American Heritage”. A historical record of the African American community in Waco, Texas.
https://www.facebook.com/Waco-Texas-African-American-Heritage-108562367569379/

“Bosqueville-China Spring, Texas: Now and Then”
Historic AND current pictures and events in Bosqueville, Texas
https://www.facebook.com/Bosqueville-Texas-Now-and-Then-791622494328166/

1930 Lake Waco Dam

1930 LAKE WACO DAM

This photo of the 1930 Lake Waco Dam was taken from the “airport” side of the lake, looking toward the Waco side. The building at the end of the road is The Brass Rail, and us at the four of the hill of Green Leaf Peninsula. People who remember driving across this bridge/dam recall how noisy it was.

This photo is from Google Images, and we have no information about the date or photographer. If you do, please post it in the comments.

The Construction of the 1930 Lake Waco Dam

The City of Waco formed the Waco Water Commission in 1912. On September 14,1926, a $3,500,000 bond election was passed to finance the building of a dam on the Bosque River. After some concerned citizens complained about the cost of the new dam, it was decided to build a smaller dam, resulting in a smaller lake for around $ 2,500,000. The Waco Water Commission, under the direction of Cecil C. Shear, Chairman, hired the engineering firm of Floyd and Lochridge as Chief Engineer, and W.E. Callahan Construction Company as the General Contractor. George W. Goethals, famous for building the Panama Canal, was hired to come to Waco to review the plans. He was impressed with the plans, and gave his approval. The cost was estimated at $2,000,000, and the estimated completion date was July of 1930.

Workmen began clearing land for the dam in December of 1928. Construction on the dam began on January 2, 1929, with T.C. Shuler serving as Resident Engineer. Over 25,000 cords of wood resulted from the clearing of 2,800 acres. Soon came the construction of a concrete plant, woodmill, camp houses and a dining hall large enough for 100 workers.

Crews worked day and night, and the Lake Waco Dam was completed in April 1930, storing over 130,000 acre feet of water, and securing 39,000 acre feet of water annually. This dam served the City of Waco until a new dam was built beginning July 5, 1958. The new dam was dedicated in 1965.

Sources: WCCC-TV’s “Water: A Resource for Life-The History of Waco’s Water” (Mark Randolph, Editor) and historical newspaper articles.

The Old Waco Dam, built in 1930. Photographer unknown. From The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Postcards!

POSTCARDS:BUILDINGS
This is the latest photo gallery added to our WEBSITE.

We are in the process of organizing our photos into the following photo galleries. In the near future, we will be adding:
POSTCARDS: STREET SCENES
POSTCARDS: BIRD’S EYE/AERIAL VIEWS
POSTCARDS: CAMP MACARTHUR
POSTCARDS: RESTAURANTS, HOTELS, MOTELS
POSTCARDS: RIVERS, LAKES, PARKS
POSTCARDS: MISCELLANEOUS

Look for more soon!

Postcard image from eBay.

The Amazing Zenora Scott

“Zenora Scott, left, worked as cook at the Waco Methodist Home for 36 years, and for over a decade she prepared meals for the hundreds of students who ate in the main dining room. When the new student center kitchen replaced the old kitchen, she moved there and continued cooking. Famed for her yeast rolls, Scott prepared them for Superintendents Johnson, Copeland, and Daniels successively, and she observed the all-white institution which had first employed her integrate first the children, then the house mothers, and finally the social workers. Of all the children whom Scott knew, she remembered Dawnyce Martin as the friendliest. ‘She would always come down from her dormitory upstairs over the dining room and visit with me. She was always a nice girl and I will never forget her.’ Photo courtesy of Methodist Home Archives.”

From the book “Centennial” (1990) by Patricia Ward Wallace.