Needlework, Etc. 
Copy was provided by Lillie Bush Reves, originally published in the Mount Vernon Optic Herald, Oct. 11, 2007; photos were taken by Jack and Betsy Cook.

The value of pieces to a family's history is cherished only if known. Such is the story of the wooden stool that began as a wood shop project for young Darwin McGill at age 14. It has since been upholstered with fabric completely covered in cross stitch work designed and stitched by his wife, Connie McGill.

Another piece with a story was a black knitted shawl made by Virginia Dillard's Southern Russia immigrant grandmother, while in North Dakota.

The goal of the historical association is to develop an appreciation for these tangible pieces of history and to honor the skill and artistry of our mothers and grandmothers who used only plain cotton and linen fabric and a variety of colored threads. They attempted to decorate their homes and brighten their lives with the simple materials available.

Sue Soetenga, other needle workers and most of the collection's owners were on hand to greet attendees, talk about different techniques, and give history and origins of many of the pieces. The owners of the pieces displayed include Tom Wilkinson, Virginia Dillard, Libby Milton, Connie McGill, Mary Zona Case, B. F. Hicks, and Gayla Henry.

Those who came to look at the needlework were invited to check out the standing exhibits inside and on the grounds of the depot. The museum's authentic telegraphers' desk set the stage for telegraphy demonstrations in the station master's office of the depot. The room-size miniature train display was operating in the depot's south waiting room. The display, painstakingly constructed by David Long, takes the trains through caves, over hills and through towns, all constructed to scale. Available for inspection on the grounds of the depot are an assortment of horse-drawn farming equipment, an authentic 1800s log cabin, as well as a covered wagon and cane syrup press.

Next year's theme for the show will be A Homemade Holiday with lots of handmade holiday items. Anyone with a collection of holiday stitchery, knitting, crochet or the like is urged to contact Ms. Soetenga at 903-860-3979 to be included in preparations.

 Antique Quilt Comes to Museum

The quilt was created and crafted by Sarah Minerva Holloway Dozier (born November 22, 1850, in Crenshaw County, Alabama). She lived with her husband, James Absolom Wright Dozier in Franklin County during the late l800s. Jim was a county official. Together they raised a famiIy of seven children, all born in Franklin County. Minerva ultimately died in Brownwood in 1932, but she and Jim are both buried in Providence Cemetery, near Mt. Vernon.  Although uncertain, Minerva's family feels she created the velvet and satin quilt for one of her grandchildren, Madge Gibbons Blakey Jones, who, upon her death, passed the guilt on to her daughter, Donna Jean Jones Gray. The quilt spent years hanging in Donna's home in Southold, NY, on Long Island.   Donna died in December 2006 and the treasured heirloom was shipped to Houston, to her second cousin, Mary Elizabeth (Beth) McDonough Gammage. Beth has donated this true Franklin County artifact to the Franklin County Museum.

Majors-Parchman House Art Collection

Since the re-location of its headquarters to the Majors-Parchman House in Mount Vernon, the Franklin County Historical Association has amassed a substantial collection of paintings and drawings mostly by Franklin county residents of past eras. Twenty artists are presently represented, all but one from the immediate area.

The nucleus of the collection was formed with a generous gift from Mrs. Mildred Brown. This gift consisted of nine paintings and ten drawings by her mother-in-law, Etta Lominack Smith, the mother of Mrs. Brown’s first husband, Alton Smith. A more recent gift of nine paintings from Tom Wilkinson included work by former Mount Vernon and Franklin County, artists including Mary T. Brooks; her daughter-in-law, Lucia Flagg Brooks; Fannie Maxton; Lottie Malone Stringer; and Gladys Wilkinson Winkle. The late Fannie Maxton gave the oldest painting in the collection, a Nineteenth Century American folk portrait of Amanda Wright Johnson, wife of pioneer Franklin County citizen, Joshua Johnson.

On display at 701 S. Kaufman Streeet, Mount Vernon, the paintings described below may be viewed Tuesday and Thursday, 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. or by appointment (call 903-537-4760 during the given hours).

A Guide to the Paintings and the Artists

In the Entrance Hall

Fall, Winter and Summer Panel Paintings (3)

Lottie Malone (Mrs. Claude Stringer)

Oil, 1894

Estate of Agnes Wilkinson Burns

Gift of Tom Wilkinson

Charlotte Malone Stringer (1881-1971)

Born in Franldin County, the eldest daughter of George and Florence Evans Malone, "Miss Lottie" was an accomplished oil and china painter who attended the Franklin County Institute. She married Claude W. Stringer of Mount Vernon in 1905 and later moved with him to Oklahoma City. After his death she made her home in San Antonio, but she is buried beside her husband in the Mount Vernon City Cemetery.

Fall Landscape “Yard Long”

Gladys Wilkinson (Mrs. Charles Winkle)

Oil, circa 1920

Estate of Gladys Wilkinson Winkle

Gift of Tom Wilkinson

Gladys Wilkinson Winkle (1904-1997)

Born in Mount Vernon, the fourth child of R.T. and Lela Wilkinson, Gladys was an accomplished pianst and organist as well as painter in oil and watercolor. In 1923 she married Charles M. Winkle, and the couple soon moved to Pittsburg where they spent the rest of their married life. On her husband’s death, she returned to Mount Vernon, continuing to paint after she retired ftom a life-long music-teaching career. She is buried alongside her husband and children in the Mount Vernon City Cemetery.

In the Parlor

Amanda C. Wright ( Mrs. Joshua Johnson) as a Child

Anonymous Folk Portrait

Artist Unknown

Oil, 1830

Gift of Fannie Maxton

Landscapes: Sunrise & Sunset

Lucia Flagg Brooks (Mrs. Albert Brooks)

Oil, original frames, 1894

Collection of Nancy Barker Mays

Gift-Purchase of Tom Wilkinson

Lucia Flagg Brooks (1868-1946)

Born in San Antonio, Texas, "Miss Lutie" settled in Mount Vernon with her husband, Albert, in 1908, where Mr. Brooks worked for his father and later took charge of Brooks Dry Goods. Her mother-in-law, Mary T. Brooks, was also an accomplished oil painter. Albert and Lucia had ten children, including eight sons. After the death of her husband in 1934, she continued to live and paint in Mount Vernon until her death in a rail accident. She is buried in the Mount Vernon City Cemetety.

Muse or Grecian Goddess

Etta Lominack Smith

Oil, 1900

Gift of Mildred Smith Brown

Etta Lominack Smith (1879-1974)

Born in Franklin County, one of two daughters of Henry Lorninack and Sarah Davis, Etta was an accomplished pianist and artist who worked primarily in oil. She married Elmer Smith and the couple had two children, Alton and Gertrude. Her work forms the nucleus of the FCHA’s art collection, a gift of her children and Alton Smith’s wife, Mildred Smith Brown. She is buried in the Mount Vernon City Cemetey.

Floral Still Life (Roses)

Etta Lominack Smith

Oil, 1900

Gift of Mildred Smith Brown

Still Life (Fruit)

Sallie Green Hill (Mrs. Guy Hill)

Oil, 1896

Gift of Mary Brady

Sallie Green Hill (1879-1968)

The youngest daughter and tenth child of Dr. Roland and Sarah Holbrook Green, Sallie was the child of a pioneer family who was among the earliest settlers of Mount Vernon. Her brother, James Adkins Barkley Green, married Polly Taylor Thruston, widow of Edward Thruston and daughter-in-law of Col. Henry Clay Thruston. In 1899, Sallie married Guy Payne Hill, a local merchant. They had one child, Geraldine, who married S. Farrow Styles. Sallie was a graduate of Carr-Burdette College, an accomplished artist and founder of the Mount Vernon Shakespeare Club in 1902. She is buried in the Mount Vernon City Cemetery beside her husband and daughter.

Boat on a Lake

Sallie Green Hill

Oil, 1931

Gift of Jimmie Kate Terry Brown

John D. Parcbman and His Wife, Jane Scott Parchman

Photographic copies of oil portraits

Gift of Hazel Parchman Coulson

John Darden Parchman is the uncle of Joseph Marshall Parchman (born 1869 in Franklin County, Texas, and died 1960 in Mount Vernon). Joseph Marshall Parchman owned the Parchman House from 1905 until his death in 1960.

In the Volunteer Work Room

Floral Still Life "Yard Long" (Lilacs)

Etta Lominack Smith

Oil, circa 1900

Gift of Mildred Smith Brown

Brooks Pond

Lucia Flagg Brooks

Pastel, circa 1940

Estate of Gladys Wilkinson Winkle

Gift of Tom Wilkinson

House of Captain John P. Hill - Shadyside

Birdie Hill Willy or Sallie Green Hill

Pastel, circa 1900

Gift of Mary Turner Brady

Home on West Main built by Robert Jefferson Holbrook about 1860. It was located on the northeast corner of what is now the intersection of West Main and 37 Bypass. Occupied later.by Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Holbrook Hill, mother of Guy P. Hill, and later by Guy and his family, the house burned in 1918. Guy Hill built a smaller house in front of the site of this house. That house was torn down some years ago by Hill’s daughter, Geraldine Hill Styles.

Floral Still Life “Yard Long” (Yellow Roses with Lilacs)

Lucia Flagg Brooks (Mrs. Albert Brooks)

Oil, 1943

Estate of Agnes Wilkinson Burns

Gift of Tom Wilkinson

Floral Still Life “Yard Long” (Yellow Roses with Lilacs)

Mary T. Brooks

Oil, circa 1900

Estate of Gladys Wilkinson Winkle

Gift of Tom Wilkinson

Mary T. Brooks (1835-1923)

Born near Covington, Kentucky, Mary T. Powell moved with her family to Lexington, Missouri, at the age of five. There she was married to John E. Brooks in 1855. The couple moved to Texas with their two children, Alfred and Lulu, in 1859, settling in Daingerfield. In 1860 they moved to Mount Vernon where they had two more children, John E. and Sammie, and lived for the rest of their lives. Their eldest son, Alfred, married Lucia Flagg who, with her mother-in-law, became noted for their artistic talents. Mrs. Brooks is buried in the Mount Vernon City Cemetery next to her husband.

Child and Grandfather

Etta Lominack Smith

Oil, circa 1900

Gift of Mildred Smith Brown

Still Life (Yellow Roses)

Christine Hughes Hicks

Oil, 1985

Gift of B.F. Hicks from the Christine Hughes Hicks collection

Christine Hughes Hicks (1922-1991)

Born to Agnes Kirk and Virgil Hughes, Christine was a fifth-generation resident of Franklin County and a 1939 graduate of Mount Vernon High School. She studied under Irene Zercher and Waters Reaves of Mount Vernon. She was married to Frank Hicks and both are buried in the Mount Vernon City Cemetery.

Still Life (Pink and Red Roses)

Mozelle Coe Ramsay

Oil, circa 1970

Estate of Gladys Wilkinson Winkle

Gift of Tom Wilkinson

Mozelle Coe Ramsay (1913-2006)

The daughter of Tommy and Willie Barrett Coe of Winnsboro, Mozelle moved with her family to Mount Vernon where she met and married Landon Ramsay in 1934. She and Landon spent the rest of their lives in Mount Vernon raising four children. Mozeile received her early art training in oils from Mrs. Lutie Brooks. She painted in watercolor and acrylic and also painted china and had her own kiln. Until the time of her death she was still active and maintained her own studio in the home where she and the late Mr. Ramsay, who died in 1998, had lived since 1959.

Red and Pink Roses “Yard Long”

Rhema Arthur

Oil, 1978

Gift of B.F. Hicks from the Christine Hughes Hicks Collection

Rhema Odom Arthur (1900-1991)

Rhema Odom of Cumby, Texas, married Rua Arthur of Saltillo, Texas. She was an active community volunteer. She left her estate for charities, including a $50,000 bequest which allowed completion of restoration of the fire station museum for Mount Vernon. She painted as a hobby and studied with Mozelle Ramsay.

Texas Bluebonnets

Deva Hays Carroll Edwards

Oil, circa 1950

Gift of Patti Carroll Rommel

Deva Hays Carroll Edwards (1907-2002)

Dee came to Mount Vernon in 1945 from her native Henderson, Texas, to operate the telephone company for Southwestern States. She married Howard Edwards in 1959. She was active in many civic organizations. She was president of the Shakespeare Club, member of the Franklin County Historical Association and the First Baptist Church.

Lovers on Boat

Etta Lominack Smith

Oil, circa 1900

Gift of Mildred Smith Brown

Lady with Flowers

Etta Lominack Smith

Oil, circa 1900

Gift of Mildred Smith Brown

Floral Still Life (Red, Pink & Yellow Roses)

Etta Lominack Smith

Oil, circa 1900

Gift of Mildred Smith Brown

In the Bathroom

Landscape with Pond

Sallie Green Hill (Mrs. Guy Hill)

Oil, 1930s

Gift of Jimmie Kate Teny Brown

Young Lovers on a Swing

Etta Lominack Smith

Oil, circa 1900

Gift of Mildred Smith Bwwn

Child Sleeping

Artist Unknown

Print in original frame

Estate of Geraldine Hill Styles

Gift of Mary Turner Brady

This picture hung in the Robert Jefferson Holbrook home on West Main in the early part of the Twentieth Century. The home was later occupied by their daughter, Mary Elizabeth Hill, and the Guy P. Hill family.

French Memorial 1914-1919

Gift of J.L. Armstrong

This is a commemorative certificate given by the president of the French Republic to the family of Bob Merrell, a soldier from Franklin County who died in France during World War I.

In the Kitchen

Landscape (On the road to Daingerfield from Hughes Springs)

Sallie Green Hill (Mrs. Guy Hill)

Oil, circa 1900

Gift of Jimmie Kate Terry Brown

Dog Painting

Mae Hughes Masters Milam

Oil, 1927

Gift of B.F. Hicks

Mae Hughes Masters Milam (1895-1975)

Mae was the daughter of rancher/lawyer C.G. Hughes and Mary Melody Aikin Hughes. She was a fifth-generation Texan through both her father’s and mother’s lines when she was born in Franklin County in 1895. She was married first to Ira Temple Masters, graduate of the University of Texas and superintendent of schools in Mount Vernon in the 1920 s. After his death she married Hal Smith Milam, brother-in-law to the first editor of the Optic-Herald, Charles R. Devall. Mae studied art under Lucia Flagg Brooks in the 1920s and maintained a life-long interest in the arts.

House with Cotton Fields

Fannie Hall Maxton

Oil, 1983

Gift of Tom Wilkinson

Fannie Hall Maxton (1912-1996)

Born in Omaha to Teny Hall and Ida Smith, Fannie was the great-granddaughter of pioneer citizen of Franklin County, Joshua Foster Johnson, and a life-long supporter of the Franklin County Historical Association. She was married to Dean Maxton who died in 1972. She enjoyed painting as a hobby and was active in the Mount Vernon Garden Club for many years.

Floral Still Life “Yard Long”

Etta Lominack Smith

Oil, circa 1900

Gift of Mildred Smith Brown

Landscape with Sunset

Etta Lominack Smith

Oil, circa 1900

Gift of Mildred Smith Brown

House with Mountains

James Wood

Monochrome, 1935

Gift of B.F. Hicks from the Christine Hughes Hicks Collection

James Wood

According to Miss Virgie Beth Hughes, James Wood was a local Mount Vernon painter of the 1930s who "peddled" his paintings to local citizens.

Old Barn

Sarah Davenport

Oil

Gift of B.F. Hicks from the Frank Hicks Collection

Sarah Jo Campbell Davenport (1920-1994)

Sarah was born in Texas to Norman Campbell and Jewell Floyd Campbell. She married Lawrence Davenport and the couple had two children, Richard and James. Sarah and Lawrence retired to Mount Vernon and after his death she moved to a retirement home. She died in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and is buried in the Mount Vernon City Cemetery.

In the Secretary’s Office

Floral Still Life

Sallie Green Hill

Oil, circa 1900

Gift of Jimmie Kate Terry Brown

In the Enclosed Back Porch

Vase of Purple Flowers

Sallie Green Hill (Mrs. Guy Hill)

Oil, circa 1935

Estate of Geraldine Hill Styles

Gift of Mary Brady

Child with Bowl

Birdie Hill Willey (Mrs. Horace Willey)

Oil, 1895

Estate of Geraldine Hill Styles

Gift of Mary Brady

Birdie Hill Willey (1876-1963)

The youngest child of Captain John Payne Hill and Mary Elizabeth Holbrook Hill, Birdie was raised in Mount Vernon and married Horace Willey. The Willeys lived in Gilmer and later in Novice, Texas, where Horace ran a lumber yard. Birdie survived Horace by many years and spent her last days on a small farm near Novice. "Aunt Birdie," as she was known, became an excellent artist whose paintings are still mostly in the hands of caring relatives.

Floral Still Life

Sallie Green Hill (Mrs. Guy Hill)

Pastel, circa 1900

Gift of Mary Brady

Fruit Still Life

Waters Reaves

Oil, ciica 1980

Gift of Sue Bolin

Waters Reaves (1880-1982)

Born in Lebanon, Tennessee, to W.S. Lancaster and Sissy Meador, Waters had 5 children, 11 grandchildren, and 23 great-grandchildren. Coming to Mount Vernon as a small child, she married into the prominent Reaves Family and remained in Mount Vernon until her death. She taught oil painting classes in her home for over 30 years through the 1960s in a small home to the south of her daughter Evelyn Kidwell’s home on Rutherford at Miller Street. She painted this painting at the very end of her long life.

Caddo Lake

Evelyn Anderson Edwards

Oil, circa 1980

Gift of Tom Wilkinson

Evelyn Anderson Edwards (1914-1982)

Evelyn was the daughter of Clyde Anderson and Minnie Ester. She married Woodrow Harvey Edwards (son of Maud Harvey and Martin Luther Edwards). Woodrow and his brother, Howard Edwards, practiced law in Mount Vernon for over 40 years, maintaining separate offices. Both Evelyn and her sister-in-law, Deva Hays Edwards, painted. Deva’s work hangs in the Volunteer Work Room. Evelyn studied under Waters Reaves.