Hi, Guess you know about the Stephenville Bankers- Cage and Crow? Upstairs over their basnk was an Italian Cage and Crow Opra House for the immigrants who mined coal in Erath County in a town much larger than Stephenville- it was Thurber , Texas. Chalk Mountain town had 2 or more blocks of stores and a post office. As people moved on, Chalk Mountain, Plainview school & Church, Oden Chapel, and Marable schools were in Chalk Mountain. Now they all go to Three Way Schools on one elementary school bus and to Hico High on another Hico bus. Jackson's Convenience Store is at the intersection of U.S. 67 from Stephenville and a State Hiway from Hico, then U.S. 67 goes on to Glen Rose. The gravel Flat Top Ranch Road goes to Walnut Springs. North on gravel goes toward Rough Creek Ranch (now an Executive training center- motel style- a retreat) and the Paluxy River bottom. This is visible on any Texas hwy map and some National maps. The only Taylor i find in Marilyn mills Ewers's book (previously posted) is Frances Skipper, wife of Wylie Taylor who resided in Moody, Texas when this book was printed (History of Texas- about 1900, published in Chicago) . Great Grandad Dr. & Rev. & pharmacist & land speculator of Gonzales, Valley Mills, and Erath County is in the same book. J.H.F. Skipper born Maury County, Tennessee 1847 , lived in 3 Texas counties and settled and became postmaster of Skipper's Gap, Texas he was self educated and held various offices. His son John was a retired Military officer when I was young. They had He had 10 kids. One of his granddaughters told me recently at a reunion that she and her mother and siblings loved to pick cotton for my dad, because he laughed and wouldn't whip us for jumping on the cotton sacks when we were little. Some cotton farmers thought it would crush and stain the cotton and cheapen the price and grade. Dad didn't pick his that green. We could see Skipper's Gap from our house,Maratheal's Gap was a mile or so farther into the mountains The 36 th Infantry and 49 th Armored Texas Natoinal Guard, WW2,drove their trucks by our place & through Skipper's Gap to Florida to Africa and Italy. We now know Gen. Patton's family spent a few million on buying new and used GMC parts from wrecking yards on U.S.67 because he knew normal ordinance couldn't find them once battles started and didn't have enough reserve stock. He trained some mechanics to strip parts fast and change motors in the dark during combat. If you want to trace this Taylor, the Waco- McLennan County is on line, but I visit it in person as time allows. Moody is in McLennan County. My kids grew up with a Kenny Taylor's kids in Milford and Bynum, Hill County, Texas, home of Hill College Col. Harold Simpson Confederate Research Center and Audie Murphy Gun Museum , an outlet mall on I-35 and antique stores. Mr. Skipper had 10 kids. Never heard of the springs you refer to but Chalk Mountain community and lookut ridge towards Glen Rose Paluxy - Brazos valleys are not between Stephenville and Hico. There are several Taylors in Waco- one teaches at McClennan Community College. Some may well be descended from this Skipper who married a Taylor 90 plus years ago. Helen Marie Taylor from out of state is a benefactor of the Waco- McLennan County area museum. She is seeking help from public or private funds. It is in a former Waco school nest to Huaco Indian Camp Spring off Waco Drive. The oak tree over the spring is estimated at 350 to 500 years old and does not win the largest tree in the County This is . Not the Texas Rangers Museum or Baylor Strecker Museum or the Dr. Pepper Museum or the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. or the Texas Collection outside the main library, dating from Baylor's charter - was it 1836 or 1845? Austin Daughters & Sons of Republic of Texas and Daughters of the Confederacy records were moved there when the state remodelled the old Land Office Building and put records in storage, but they were moved back to Austin before they got organized Take care Charles Wyly ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]