The History of Cass County,
HENRY O’NEAL ESTABLISHES THE LINDEN TIMES IN 1858 Continuing Cass County’s history: The earliest schools were established on an “as needed” basis. When the need for a school was determined in a community, parents formed a committee and applied to the Commissioners Court for a school number and permit to establish a school. They would then provide a building and hire a teacher for a given amount per student.
With the passing of time and increase in population, these advanced to common school districts in the rural areas with two- or three-room schools, and independent school districts in the towns. In 1939. Cass County had fifty- five common school districts. By the late 1950s or early 1960s, these had all consolidated with larger independent districts and the county superintendent’s office was abolished.
All the towns and rural communities built churches. At one time it was common for a church building to accommodate two or more denominations, but as the population grew and the congregations could afford, each denomination built its own church. There are still a few rural churches, but not many. Most of those, too, have moved to town.
From the 1850s to the early 1920s, little towns and villages sprang up all over the County’ and most of them had post offices. Some of these we still know as rural communities such as Sardis, Springdale, and Huffines. Others had their names changed, or just died and vanished from the maps and almost from history’. Following are a few of the little towns that were at one time in Cass County: Alamo Mills. Alley’s Mill, Almira, Alta Vega. Axine. Bankers, Bogus Springs. Centre. Cornell, Culberson, Curtwright, Dempsey, Doss, Fant Flynn, Forest Home. Galloway, Haw’s Grove, Hermitage, Hickory Hill, Jaybart, Jones Chapel, Jumbo, Milner, Munz, and White Sulphur Springs. These early towns usually had doctor’s offices, drug stores, general mercantile stores, grocery stores, cotton gins, grist mills, livery stables, saw mills and/or shingle mills, and some had small factories and other forms of industry.
Plans were being made for the establishment of Linden and the relocation of the county seat by the mid-1840s. Fifty acres of land was acquired from Edward W. Story and in 1848 lots were laid out for the town, named for Linden, Tennessee from whence many of the early Lindenites had come. A post office was established in 1852 with Ward Taylor appointed postmaster.
Some of the first families in Linden were named Wood, Story. Graham, Ledbetter, Graves and Sutherland. John Moore operated the first mercantile store; Mitchell and Ward owned the first blacksmith shop; Richard Clauswell had the first cabinet shop which also made coffins and furniture; Dr. John B. Ligon was the first physician and built the first hotel; Dr. Josiah Phillips operated the first drug store; in 1858 Henry O’Neal established the first newspaper in Linden, The Linden Times; the first Methodist Church was established in 1853 with William Hill as pastor; the first school was established in 1854. taught by Miss Georgia Ann Harrison.
The county records were moved from Jefferson to Linden in May of 1852 where they were housed in a rented building. The first regular courthouse for Cass County was a two-story frame building erected in 1853. It served until June 5, 1860 when it was sold at public auction to Thomas ,1. Foster who moved it to the location of the present-day First Baptist Church where it was used for a Church and Masonic Hall until it was destroyed by a cyclone on May 13, 1908. The second courthouse, a new brick building, was begun in 1859 with enough of it completed to begin using by mid-1860, but it was not completed until after the Civil War. That courthouse, with later additions and modifications, still stands and is the oldest functional courthouse in Texas. The first County jail was completed in 1856.
Hughes Springs, located in the western edge of Cass County, had two beginnings associated with the mineral springs found there, Indian villages and white settlers who appreciated the vast store of natural resources in that area.
Earliest white settlers in that area are thought to have come about 1838 with Allen Cox, his family and slaves from .Alabama. Cox settled a few miles east of present Hughes Springs, but some of his activities indicated that other settlers located nearby, possibly around the mineral springs. Cox secured land, built houses, established a sawmill, and erected the first cotton gin in Cass County. It was a horse-drawn type.
The settlement around the mineral springs was called Chalybeate Springs after the Indian name of the springs. Many continued calling it that until after the second Hughes Springs was established.
In 1839, Young Stevens settled just south of Chalybeate Springs. Reece and Robert Hughes, Jr. came in March 1839. They erected a log cabin, cleared land, and planted crops which produced a bountiful harvest near an old Choctaw Indian village one mile east of Chalybeate Springs. In the fall of 1839, Reece Hughes brought his father, Robert Hughes, Sr. and other relatives and friends from Alabama to the same area. Among those who came were the Prewitts, Skinners, and Bennetts, all relatives of the Hughes family.
By 1844, W. B. Akin lived in a big log house a mile northeast of Chalybeate Springs. This was later to become the Lee Cloninger home.
In 1847, the following families were living near the old Choctaw village just east of Chalybeate: Jacob Spear, Men Urquhart, James Jackson. Mrs. Portwood. and James McKinney. Reece Hughes started the first town of Hughes Springs in 1847, which included the Chalybeate Springs settlement. Hughes had prospered and acquired much land. Fie laid out the site of the town and had begun selling lots by March of 1848, the first two lots to Sterling B. Hendricks. Other lots sold and the town progressed. Camp meetings were popular. A teacher named Patton conducted a successful boarding school. By 1850 the stage line from Jefferson to Clarksville had an overnight stop in Hughes Springs.
-to be continueders,