The history of Avinger, Texas

The town of Avinger, founded in 1876, was named in honor of Dr. H. J. Avinger who gave the first depot there to fled River & East Line Railroad when it came to his farm that year. He supplied the lumber from his sawmill and hired the labor to build the depot. It and Dr. Avinger’s general store across the sandy road were the first two buildings in town. Prior to that. Dr. Avinger had operated the store at his home on the old Jefferson — Daingerfield road, one-fourth mile north of Avinger. He was the first depot agent.

People from the nearby villages of Hickory Hill and Young’s Chapel soon began moving to Avinger because it was on the railroad. The Methodist church at Young’s Chapel was moved to Avinger in 1877. Dr. Avinger donated two acres of land for the church site and the front portion of Avinger cemetery where his family graves are located. His younger brother. M. D. Avinger. moved his general store from Hickory Hill to Avinger about 1877. W. E. “Bill” Duncan came from Young’s Chapel community and put in the third general store at Avinger. The first hotel was constructed by Dr. Avinger and operated by Mrs. Dud Pruitt for a while. Mrs. George Eubank had charge of it later. Crawford Bruce built the second hotel about 1879 or 1880. It was a two -story building facing the railroad and close to the depot, David A. “Captain” Hearne, and Kit Avinger, two expert carpenters, worked on the hotel during its construction. Trains passed right in front of this hotel which was the stop over place for train crews and passengers. Bruce and his family’ operated the hotel until 1886. He was noted for his fine, thoroughbred horses and big watermelons.

John R. McCain and his bride. Mattie Lee Armstrong, moved into the Bruce hotel in 1886 and ran it until 1889. Then the Samuel A. Orr family ran it until Mrs. Orr died. For many years it was known as the Orr hotel.

The Johnson Hotel was built about 1921 by Bud Johnson whose large, two-story home three miles south of Avinger was heavily damaged by the tornado April 15, 1921, A.M. Shelton came to Avinger in 1897 and opened a store. The next year his brother-in-law, D.R. Coulter, a young man of 27, came from Wolfe City, Texas and entered a general store partnership with Shelton. The Coulter - Shelton partnership was dissolved in 1905. Coulter continued operating the business and moved to a large, new, two-section building. By 1913» a large three-section brick building was constructed for the Tucker - Coulter - Mitchell Company, a modern, diversified mercantile business which operated until 192*f. During the early 1920’s Coulter became active in lumber business and did much to make Avinger a leading center for that industry. E. C. Henderson bought the Tucker - Coulter - Mitchell Company about 1924 or 1926. Prior to that Henderson had been a large sawmill operator near Avinger.

R. C. Cloninger in 1905 erected the first brick building in Avinger. It housed his drug store which had been in a wooden building across the street.

John Avinger operated the first motion picture theater in Avinger in 1913 – 14. His father Lawrence H. Avinger was a son of Dr. H. J. Avinger.

Fred Hall came to Avinger about 1900 and ran his own sawmill near the old Fred Sturdivant place northeast of town. From there the Hall family moved their mill to the Violet Hill community west of Avinger. In 1907, they moved into Avinger where Hall became engaged in the store, lumber, and gin business with A. M. Rhyne. The partnership lasted until shortly after Mr. Hall’s death August 10, 1920.

A. M. Rhyne moved into the town of Avinger about 1902. He had been living on the old Linden road about a half mile east of the present, low-rent housing project. At one time, Mr. Rhyne operated a mule driven cotton gin there on the old road farm. He became a well-known, local business man. From about 1900 until 1927 the business was transacted in a large wooden building where the post office stands (1954). Fire destroyed the old wooden building along with an adjoining warehouse in 1927, A. M. Rhyne & Company reopened in their former potato curing plant on Depot Street next to the railroad track. Their last move was to a brick, building. In June, 1940 Mr. Rhyne died. His son-in-law, A. V. Simpson, who had been managing the business for a number of years, continued to operate until 1941 when the stock and fixtures were sold to J. K. Alford Grocery and Market. In 1890, Jim Weatherall erected a little wooden, box-type building for his business south of M. D. Avinger’s store. The Weatherall building stood for about 50 years and during that time it housed many different enterprises. Some of them were Dr. Jessie Peebles office, Charles Shelton’s butcher shop, The First State Bank in 1909, printing office for Avinger’s first newspaper Cass County Echo in 1915 and a warehouse. W.I). Lassater opened the first dry goods store of size in a wooden building constructed for him by W. B. (Brag) Duncan. In 1898, Lassater sold his store to Shelton and Coulter, and returned to Greenville.

The H.C, Connors came to Avinger in January, 1909 from Daingerfield. Connor worked for D. R. Coulter &

Co. until 1913 when the Connor Hardware Co. opened for business in their section of the new brick block. Harmon Connor had come to Avinger in 1911, worked about a year, moved to Dallas then back to Avinger and operated a hardware store for about a year in part of the old frame building belonging to A. M. Rhyne & Company.

The Connor brothers, Harmon and R.C., established a steady, reliable business firm that remained in continuous operation through all the changing times.

Other business firms which remained in operation many years at Avinger were J. R. McCain General Store, Templeton Drug Company, D. R. Coulter Lumber Company, E. C. Henderson & Company Mercantile, Simpson Drug. Co., A. M. Rhyne & Company; Alsup, blacksmith; Haynes, blacksmith: McNeil Gin Company; R. H. Pool Lumber & Sawmill; Fred A. McKenzie Lumber & Manufacturing Company; Steger Lumber Co. Mill; Keasler’s Department Store; R. L. McCain & Son General Store.| (If the business list above is incomplete, we apologize.) In 1912 the voters who favored the school bonds celebrated their victory by shooting anvils. Gunpowder placed in generous amounts between two large anvils was set off with a long, lighted torch, and the noise could be heard for miles around. The first school building of record within the present town of Avinger Was & frame structure located across the street from the present Baptist church. It was moved to this location in 1895 from the old Jefferson - Clarksville road a short distance north of Dr. H. J. Avinger’s home. Some of the pupils attending the school while it was near the Avinger residence included: John Hearne, Sally Abernathy, John Rhyne, and Sarah Bonds.

A few years later, the frame, unsealed, box-type school building was torn down and school operations moved across the street to the Baptist church after the congregation had disbanded. When church services resumed, the building was used for both school and church until it became necessary to move the school again. A larger, oneroom school building with the inside walls and overhead sealed, was built near the Methodist church. This was the last wooden school building for Avinger. Among the pupils attending classes there -- George Alsup. Lottie Alsup, Myrtle Alsup, Lester Bolding, Edd Hall, Lowrie Hall, Hazel Hall. Edith Hall, Ezra Haynes. Hermie Haynes, Brunetta Coulter, James Smith, Mary Smith, Essie Webb, Ray Weel, Morrine Patillo, Velma Patman, Bunny Peek, Pat Patman, Garris Smith. Ross Smith, Nan Orr, Blain McCain, Esta McCain, Bettie McCain, Ezella McCain, Nettie McCain, Hay McCain, Fladger McCain, Cleve McClain, Rosebud Truelove, and 3,ue Webb.

Teachers in those early schools included a Mr. Sheldon. Miss Josie Taylor, Mrs. J.C.(Fannie) Archer, W.H. Beets, E. B. Cloninger, Charlie Cobb, Mr. Jarvis, Mr. Chadwick, and Mrs. Josie Starnes.

In 1912 an election favored the organization of an independent school district and State authorized bonds to construct a large, first class, permanent building. L.H. Avinger donated four acres of land in the northwest part of town for the new school. School board officials who signed the first bond issue were D. R. Coulter, president, and J. M. Mitchell, secretary. The new, four room, two story brick building cost $5,OOO. The contractors were Parrish and Knight of Daingerfield.

More new buildings have been constructed and older ones remodeled for Avinger Schools as interested citizens continue providing good facilities and teachers.