Listen to the Bells

 

It was a big day in our town.
Not too hot, a bit of breeze,
and dry enough for us townsfolk,
though ranchers and farmers might say otherwise.

It looked like everyone turned out
with ladies wearing their best hats
and men in their cleanest shirts.
No surprise that the stores on Main
did some brisk business
especially at the confectionary shop 

but it was probably too crowded for some. 
Mostly it was a time to catch up
with friends and family.

Our band played some lively tunes
that had the ladies singing along.
Then there was some speeches
and more songs too,
before everyone retired to the park
where the churches had laid out a big supper.
All in all it was a grand day for everyone.

You should have been there.

 

This postcard of a large throng of townspeople milling around on a wide dirt road came from Bells, Texas, a small town 70 miles north of Dallas. According to Wikipedia, it was established in "the 1870s when the railroad was extended to that point. According to local tradition, the ringing of church bells to greet the arrival of the railroad caused the name to be selected." In a 1914 gazette for the state of Texas, Bells was listed as having three churches, Baptist, Campbellite, and Methodist; a weekly newspaper, The Bells Chime; as well as a bank; restaurant; hotel; general store; drugstore; tailor; and two grocers. There was a photographer too, the Bows Brothers, who likely took this photo, perhaps out of a second floor window at their studio. Bells' population in 1910 was just 496 residents.

The 16 musicians in the brass band are typical for a small town. The bass drum even has the town's name stenciled on the drumhead though the other letters are unclear. I think they are members of a fraternal order, possible Woodmen Of the World as the word "Camp" and maybe "W.O.W." is visible. The W.O.W. was a group that in 1890 broke away from the larger Modern Woodmen of America and then split again into two versions of the W.O.W.

There is no caption or date for this occasion in Bells, Texas but with the long shadows it looks like a late summer day to me. Perhaps there was a county fair or maybe it was Flag Day (June 14th) though there are no patriotic bunting and flags around the storefronts. But it clearly shows a spirited event that attracted a very large number of people for such a small place. Unfortunately the buildings seen here have not been preserved in 2025 to identify this precise location. 

This postcard was sent from Bells, Texas
on 19 November 1907
to Miss Ruth Goree of Whitewright, Texas.

Bells Tex  Nov 18 –
Howdy –  I thought
I would send you  
a picture of our   
 town  Come up and
   I will show you all
the attractions –     
       Give my love to all
your folks –   George

The way George wrote the name of Ruth's hometown makes it look like Millwright but there is a second faint postmark below that reads Whitewright, a town located about 7 miles south of Bells. In 1910 it was a veritable city with 1,563 residents, three times the size of Bells. In 2020 the two towns are nearly the same size with 1,725 and 1,521 respectively.

But high above the crowd in Bells that day
was one fella who had work to do.
It was important to keep
the lines of communication open.

 

I wonder when George
first used a telephone.
Did he call Ruth's number?

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday

where most folk are just standing around

waiting for something to happen.