I had surgery on March 30 and my recovery has been more complicated than anticipated. I hope to start posting again next Monday. Thank you for your patience. There are more stories to tell!
Judge and Mrs. Cooper
The Caddo Herald
November 30, 1917
Judge Cooper Dies
At his home Saturday night at 7 o’clock W. L. Cooper died after a long illness.
The funeral services were held Sunday afternoon at the Baptist church, conducted by Rev. W. H. Haste; internment in Caddo Cemetery.
Judge Cooper came to Caddo some fifteen years ago from Caddo Mills, Texas. He was a splendid type of Southern gentleman; had served during the war in the Confederate army and was a prisoner at Rock Island, Illinois when the war closed. He was for several years mayor of Caddo and was respected by all who knew him. His two sons Cicero L. and James; daughters Mrs. Mattie Lynch, Mrs. D. D. Lynch, and Mrs. J. D. Freeny, were with him at the time of his death. He is survived by his wife also.
A useful and noble life has passed to the Beyond. He was a member of the Baptist church and practiced the faith throughout his life. His neighbors and friends loved him for his upright character and exemplary life. He was devoted to his family and to his friend
The Caddo Herald
July 25, 1919
Mrs. W. L. Cooper Dies
Mrs. W. L. Cooper died in the hospital at Sherman Saturday morning at 11:40 of tetanus, or lockjaw.
Mrs. Cooper had injured her finger a few days before, but not much was thought of it until Friday when the tetanus set up. She rapidly grew worse and was taken Friday night to Sherman, where she failed to respond to treatment.
Mrs. Cooper was 78 years of age, she being the wife of Judge W. L. Cooper who died about a year ago. She was the mother of Mrs. Mattie Lynch, Mrs. J. D. Freeny, Mrs. Chick Lynch, Cicero Cooper of Durant, and A. G. Cooper of Dallas, all of whom were present at her bedside and funeral.
The funeral was held at the residence of Mrs. Lynch in Caddo, Sunday afternoon at 4 o’clock, conducted by Rev. I. W. Archer, pastor of the Baptist Church of which she had been a member since childhood. The services and interment were attended by a large number of friends of the family.
August 8, 1919
To Their Mother
In loving memory of our dear mother, Mrs. W. L. Cooper, died July 19, 1919.
We should rejoice at mamma’s going for she said her work was done, and she long to go to papa, who was waiting for her to come.
Still we can’t control our grief at the loss of one so pure and so good. She never failed a day to read his Bible and sing some words of praise to God.
Never will you be forgotten, never from my memory fade. Loving hearts will often linger around the spots where both of you were laid. I am made to think and wonder will our circle be unbroken.
Let us all be ready to meet them any day our call should come, where is joy, peace and love. A loving daughter, Mattie Lynch
In memory of my dear father, Rev. W. L. Cooper, who departed this life November 24, 1917. Days of sadness still come o’re us, Tears in silence do often flow, for memory keeps you ever near us, thought your died almost two years ago; yet sadly missed by your children. Mattie Lynch
Bass Family
Bass Family Remembers Early Days in Caddo
by Maida Williams
(reprinted from the Bryan County Star, Thursday, November 30, 1972)
Henry Bass was in business in Caddo longer than any other man- from 1900 to 1966.
Mr. and Mrs. H. K. Bass, Henry’s parents, lived here in the 1880’s. Then they moved to California where they operated a dairy. Californians were curious about the cotton seed brought from Oklahoma to feed their cows, Henry Bass recalled in an interview.
In 1900 the Bass family returned to Caddo. Henry rode in a boxcar with the furniture on the return trip.
The three Bass brothers- Amos K., Ernest, and Henry, opened a grocery store.
Henry was then sixteen and it was his job to ride horseback up and down the streets every morning taking orders. An employee would deliver the groceries in a hack during the afternoon.
In 1916 Henry Bass and Miss Ruby Potts of Colbert were married.
Mrs. Bass recalled that when she came to live in Caddo ladies in hats and gloves made formal calls and left calling cards. Generally they walked because there was no great distance between homes.
After Amos K. and Ernest moved away from Caddo, Henry operated the grocery store. He also dealt in cotton and grain.
“There was a cotton gin at Wapanucka and ten to twelve thousand bales came from there,” Bass said.
Mud in the streets of Caddo made them almost impassable at times, and Henry took it upon himself to raise money to gravel the business section. The street had to be graded, and to provide for runoff for rain, the north side of the street was made higher than the south. Each merchant was asked to contribute $50. Gravel cost $7 a wagon load. The gravel was laid on four inches deep and Henry personally raked it over the street.
Henry always worked for the good of Caddo, though people seldom knew what he did, Mrs. Bass recalled. At one time the town was about to lose its bank, and Bass helped keep it open. He assisted a number of young men to get a start here, and during hard times could be counted on to help people by extending credit for food.
Henry Bass is the sole living charter member of the Lion’s Club. He has served as chairman of the school board, chairman of the Methodist Board of Stewards, and was vice precinct and director of the First State Bank of Caddo, predecessor of the Bryan County Bank. During the times when Bass was dealing in wholesale products, he advertised he would “buy anything, sell anything”. Some wag brought in a wagon load of bois d’arc apples. Henry bought them and dumped them out.
“Caddo was a center of culture when I went there,” Mrs. Bass related. “The Music Club and Literary Club were organized early in the century. They were very active. We also had lots of parties—lovely parties, comparable to those anywhere.
Once Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Manning had a house party for girls who came up for a big dance in the New Royal Hotel. The Mannings were chaperones for the dance and we all wore formal evening dress. Out-of-town orchestras were engaged for dances- from Sherman, Denison, or Dallas.
Part of the old Royal Hotel was an opera house. We had musical comedies, home talent plays, touring players and minstrels. Mrs. Bilbo directed our home talent productions.
Carrol Franks, son of a Caddo barber, had a wonderful tenor voice. He was very popular and sang at parties, minstrels, funerals- wherever he was asked. Later he joined the “Lasses White Minstrels” and traveled all over”, Mrs. Bass reported.
When Mr. and Mrs. H. K. Bass gave up their big house on Buffalo Street, the Henry Bass family remodeled it and moved in. Mrs. Bass was an ardent gardener and created such a beautiful garden that it was listed in the State Garden Club magazine as one of the outstanding small gardens in the state. The president of the State Garden Clubs came to see it, and there were other visitors from all over.
Mr. and Mrs. Bass were fond of entertaining and their garden was the setting for lovely parties. At night they often used Japanese lanterns or floodlight to enhance the scene.
For many years Mrs. Bass was organist at the Caddo Methodist church. She directed the first candlelight Christmas cantata presented by the combined Methodist and Baptist church choirs. “The Caddo Methodist church has a rich heritage,” the organist remarked. “Way back it was the biggest church in town.”
“Our most outstanding family Christmas was when our son Joe was seven and Frances, our daughter, was eleven” Mrs. Bass said as she showed old photographs. “Joe had been praying for a pony and Frances wanted a bicycle. One Christmas morning Joe’s Shetland pony was tied to a leg of my grand piano. Joe jumped into the saddle and rode right out of the house and down the front steps.”
“Many of our young people went on to finish college- a much larger percentage than in most small towns,” Mrs. Bass said.
There was practically no crime in Caddo in the early days. There weren’t any street lights either. Later on the Bass store was robbed a time or two.
Because there was no physician in Caddo and Henry Bass was in poor health, he and his wife moved to Sherman about five years ago.
In the Bass home are many paintings, a number of them pained by Mrs. Bass. While living in Caddo, she studied with Miss Laura Buchanan, who had moved to Durant from Dallas, to be near her nieces Misses Sally and Lucy Leonard. Miss Buchanan had won a number of medals for her paintings.
Mrs. Bass is now helping to establish the “Old Settler’s Village” at Loy Lake on the edge of Denison. The home of Mr. Bass’s grandmother, who came to Sherman soon after the Civil War, has been moved to the Village to be used as a museum. Some of the family heirlooms will one day be placed in the museum at Loy Lake, Mrs. Bass remarked. Among the many treasured heirlooms and antiques in the Bass home are a table brought over on the Mayflower and 20 apothecary bottles with the W.P. Wood label. Mr. Wood, Henry Bass’s uncle, had the first drug store in Caddo. Later it became the McIntosh Drug Store.
Franks Barber Shop
The Caddo Banner
February 9, 1894
J.H. Franks, our popular tonsorial artist, is now prepared to furnish his customers with hot and cold baths. He has one of the best parlors in the territory and turns out nothing but first-class work in the latest style. People from the country should call and get their hair trimmed when in town.
The Caddo Herald
April 14, 1899
AD-J. H. Franks, Tonsorial Artist. Does all kinds of barbering in first class style. West Buffalo St. Caddo
September 6, 1901
W.P. Wood, this week bought the business lot of W. H. Masterson and J. Boydstun and he and J. H. Franks are soon to begin the erection of two brick business houses.
December 6, 1901
Local Items
J.H. Frank’s new brick is assuming proportions. It will be 25x80 feet, one story, and will be a nice one.
Caddo Banner
January 10, 1902
J.W. Mullens received the fixtures this week for his barber shop, which will remain in the stand occupied by Franks Bros. & Mullens in the Moon building.
Frank Bros. have moved their barber shop to the new brick of J. H. Franks where, when the room they have cut off is finished, they will have a really neat and well-arranged barber shop.
January 16, 1903
Messers. J. W. Mullens and W. R. Frank have moved their barber shop to the store recently vacated by ___ (can’t read)___ Two Bills Barber Shop. They invite their friends to call on them there ____polite attention and good work. The City Bakery has since moved into the building occupying the west side.
January 17, 1919
Barber J. H. Franks has his shop closed for a few days, giving him time to make some changes in the appearance of the building. The shop will be completely renovated, newly papered and painted before it is opened again for business.
Caddo Herald
June 16, 1939
Many Old Timers are Yet in Land of the Living and Doing
Jess Franks has cut many heads of hair and shaved acres of faces since 1896. He is still able to do a good job of either.
Durant Weekly News
February 27, 1942
The Jess Franks building, his old barber shop, is being overhauled by the Faudree brothers of Atoka and the post office will move in when completed.
The Caddo Herald
May 26, 1942
Post Office Fixtures Being Put in Place-
Removal by April 1
Workmen have about finished putting in the new post office fixtures in the Franks building, middle of the block, north side of Buffalo Street.
Removal will be had by the first of April.
The old fixtures have quite a history. They were put in the McCoy building thirty years ago, and a few patrons have had the same box all this time, The Herald being one.
Many a letter carrying joy or gladness or sorrow has gone through those fixtures.
The new fixtures are owned by the post office department and the old ones rented. Some $2,600 has been paid in rental for them.