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Wednesday, November 19, 2003
I've Been Thinking, Historical Account of the Montgomery Area
by Narcissa Martin Boulware
Highway 105 Yesterday, Today
An article in the Conroe Courier dated July 16, 1953 reads as follows: "According to County Judge R.H. Weatherly, Highway 105 from Conroe to Liberty County line is to be blacktopped in the near future" For some reason the Highway Commissioner refused to allow anything for topping west to the Grimes County line. However, the Commissioner allowed topping for 105 across Grimes County to the Montgomery County line.
Some of the very active help in this highway project were Mayor Leonard of Navasota, A.W. Greenwood of Navasota Chamber of Commerce, Mayor, T.E. Gentry of Conroe, W.S. Weisinger of Montgomery, T.J. Peel, Road Commissioner of Montgomery Pct.4, Lt. Gov. Allen Shivers and Attorney General Price Daniels of Liberty. In appreciation for their help the above were invited and attended the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Feb. 15, 1949. But all these things didn't come together very fast.
The Town of Montgomery did get the first community house built at the same spot where the Montgomery County, County Seat Courthouse was built. Over the years from the beginning road project under County Judge W.H. Lee who served from 1919 to 1928, then turned that office over to Perry McComb. He served from 1928 to 1932 and lost the election to R.H. Weatherly. This judge served from 1932 to 1936 and was the judge who got the glory from all those before who had worked so hard.
A Conroe Courier news item dated July 16, 1953 says "Completion of Contracts Now Underway, Will Soon Close the Gaps in Highway 105." Judge Weatherly states in 1953, Highway 105 from Conroe to the Liberty County line is to be blacktopped in the near future. Somehow the next order was to blacktop 105 from Navasota to the Montgomery County line to Dobbin. That left a gap between Dobbin and Conroe. There always seem to be problems between Montgomery, Dobbin and Highway 105, they date back many years. The day finally came when a blacktopped 105 was actually going to be and a huge ribbon-cutting event was set for 2/15/1949, a cold winter day in February. The Navasota and Conroe bands played the National Anthem, a platform had been built in the middle of the road where 105 and 149 cross for the speakers and all the important guests were to sit. Charles Harritt Jr., who had been the primary pusher and shaker for the highway for some twenty years or more and who was given the cut ribbon as a memento of the years he had served as Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce Highway Committeeman. Lt. Gov. Allen Shivers gave all the credit for the forty-one miles of blacktop to the planners, the Montgomery County group who would not give up during the seventeen years it took to win. County Judge Sam Jones of Navasota and County Judge Robert Weatherly of Conroe stretched a ribbon across the highway and Fred Wimple, Chairman of the Highway Commission took along a pair of shears and cut the ribbon. As had been planned everyone quickly left the ribbon cutting site to head for the community house to get out of the cold wind and to finish the well-planned ceremony. Governor Shivers had noted the great number of finished roads in the Texas F.M. system and told the crowd that he had been visited by a man from one of the Eastern States that had come to Texas and gone home to report that Texas had more pavement than any other place in the world and that Texas even had concrete pavement along the water streams so the fishermen could roller-skate to fish! A well-planned ceremony and barbecue dinner awaited the more than one thousand guests and officials at the new stone and concrete community house "uptown". After dinner the second ceremony began when Road Commissioner. Pct 4, T.J. Peel, representing Montgomery introduced the oldest living native of the town of Montgomery a born and raised, wonderful example of the finest representative of Montgomery could present, Martha Bowe Davis Addison, A.K.A. Miss Pat. 83 years old, who's memory still lives in the form of the house she and Mr. Addison live, is still alive and well in Montgomery. Miss Pat unveiled a plaque over the fireplace, which had (and is still there) the names of the local men who died in World War II. Arnold Smith of Conroe, a former Judge introduced Attorney General Price Daniel who spoke. A cornerstone was to be installed at the front entrance. T.J. Peel introduced his twelve-year-old daughter, Miss Bettie Peel, who read a history of Montgomery to emphasize the importance of the cornerstone. Governor Daniels cemented the stone in place.
All the above named Montgomery citizens are gone except for the beautiful young lady who read the story of Montgomery, Miss Bettie Peel and her brother Bob and sister Sarah Ann.
We must be careful for what we wish for to solve the nightmare of traffic, which was our wish, granted some fifty plus years ago. Highway 105 was a blessing at the time, but now we must wish for a change. As a reminder to the powers that be, remember the saying; "Be careful what you wish for". |
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