"When Your Mother Gets Ready to Go to Heaven, She Will Want to Go by Celeste" (Editor's Note: When Weldon Owens, columnist for "The Dallas Times Herald," invited us as guest columnist while he was on vacation, we asked Mrs. Lois Lewis is she would like to write the column. Mr. Owens said we could write about anything--boost our town or anything else. Since Mrs. Lewis is so civic minded and has contributed so much to "The Courier" we knew she could write an interesting column. To attest her ability, we read a letter she received from the president of "The Times Herald" complimenting her for her efforts. For those who did not read the article in "The Times Herald," we are publishing it in today's "Courier.") By Lois Lacy Lewis A prominent Methodist minister, who married a Celeste beauty almost fifty years ago, is reported to have said to their children, jokingly, "When your mother gets ready to go to Heaven, she will want to go by Celeste." Loyal Celestians want to and do return before such an eventful day. They come back on frequent visits or to make their homes here. Celeste, Hunt County, is undergoing growing pains, mild ones, at a relatively late date in the life of a town that flourished before the days of highways and automobiles. Signs of growth are phenomenal since the site is not on a lake or dam, no outside aid is responsible, nor is there a wealthy benefactor spending his money in his former hometown. The signs of growth might be negligible to the casual observer. Nevertheless, they are a thing of pride to the less than seven hundred inhabitants. What then is the reason that Celeste has taken upon itself to change from a drab, decadent old town of the thirties, forties, and fifties to one of improvement, life, and promise? In one brief statement, it may be attributed to the younger adults, the high school and college graduates who choose to come back home to live. Granted, some commute to nearby cities to work and bring home the proceeds to build nice homes and to support the town's businesses. These couples and their families work in the churches and in the civic, cultural, and recreational life of the town In the past decade, a recent survey shows new home building is approaching the hundred mark. Almost without exception, the older homes have undergone extensive remodeling and repairing. Many factors contribute to the change: A youngish mayor admits to thinking and planning constantly for improvement--slowly, as needs be, for obstacles are to be overcome; a bachelor banker, who works tirelessly for a better Celeste and community, following his father who was president of the thriving First National Bank for fifty years; a retired Army Major turned businessman who puts his shoulder to the wheel of any worthy project and see it through; a fine twelve-teacher school with its strength in loyal instructors of long tenure; four churches presently with energetic young men at their helm; a retired postmaster who spark-plugged a federal low-income housing development just completed. Also conducive to better Celeste are a surrounding agricultural region, turned chiefly to stock raising, with modern homes dotting the countryside; the steady growth of home-owned manufacture of infants' and children's clothing, employing local people, and the resulting growth of the local post office to second class status; old established businesses in the families of the original owners which keep abreast of the times; and a population knowing and caring about the business and welfare of their neighbors. The condition that spawned the birth of a town, the crossing of two major railways in 1887, is contributing, in part, to the rejuvenation of business despite the recent loss of the last passenger train service. A major international company in a multi-million -dollar expansion program selected the site of the railway crossing to build a $60,000.00 plant for fertilizers and insecticide distribution. Celeste was named for the daughter of an official of the Santa Fe Railway at the time of the building of that line from Paris to Dallas. Originally, local descendants of the early settlers related, the site of a thriving village, three miles further south on the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas line, was to have been the point of intersection. Land owners there, exercising their opinions and liberties, refused grants for a right of way. Consequently, another survey coincided with a settlement called Bradburn on the east of the established MK&T. The Santa Fe builders plotted a town to the west of the intersection. promoting a sale of lots, named the streets, granted excursion on the newly constructed railway, gave two lots to the first church built, and Celeste had its beginning. The sale of lots was set for April 18-21, 1887, according to an original map of the town site drawn by the promoters. This historic map is in the possession of descendants of an early pioneer settler and businessman. From the auspicious beginning the town soon grew to include other churches, a business district, four doctors, hotels, and organizations. A college organized in 1890 with dormitories for student continued for seven years when an academy was established lasting until 1912. At that time, a local education was instrumental in getting a public school established. Names of the succession of the colleges and schools, according to a researcher in 1950, were Perrin School, Gladstone College, Robinson School, Elmwood Institute, Hawthorne College, and eventually the public school. Graduates and students of these school include lawyers, doctors, college presidents and instructors, musicians of note, and among the many servicemen, one who won the highest honors for bravery in action was awarded the highest honor the government bestows. Few dwell on the past and those include the elderly who find their long established homes and Celeste a good place to live. Visitors will note the new look to the old hometown and hope with the home-towners for the elimination of a few blighted areas. The minister and "Miss Eula" do visit Celeste often. (November 26, 1965, The Celeste Courier) I will try to give names to the references: The prominent Methodist minister: Harrison Baker The Celeste beauty : Eula McGuire A youngish mayor : J. Solon Milton A bachelor banker : Albert Granberry His father : S. R. Granberry The retired Army Major : John L. James Loyal teachers with tenure : Weatherleys, Shields, Tillersons, and many others Retired Postmaster : S. M. Compton Fertilizer plant : Cyanamid Infant clothing plant : J. R. Love Pioneer family with original map : McGuires* 1950 Celeste researcher : Tom West Brave soldier : Audie Murphy *That original map may be at the bank or city hall now...but I am not certain. SSS