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Roads of the Past in the "Golden Triangle" Part V In a time when farming was the way of life for a majority of our population in our "neck of the woods", namely the "Golden Triangle" the one main road was most important. Lives were begun, lives were ended, joys, sorrows, tragedies and successes happened in many forms along one road just a few miles long. Just such a road was that of my childhood, Spring Branch Road. I never connected "my road" to the Old Plantersville Road which could possibly have been the parent road. To continue the story of a few important roads that served our ancestors and many of which are just a name or number or lost forever. This story is of my childhood road and also has the memories of James Price and some wonderful stories of Bill Griffith, the youngest surviving son of J.M. (Taylor) Griffith, who was the great grandson of Noah Griffith. Bill, his brothers Clinton and Maynard and sister Gertrude were born on one of the first Spanish Land Grants given to Noah Griffith about 1830. The Griffith Cemetery was begun near the family home and the burial site of their famous ancestor is marked by a Historical Marker. Bill loves to tell of his childhood memories of his end of the Old Plantersville Road. James and I are going to carry you over this old road to was is now Jackson Road. A very important travel route today, which branches off of F.M. 1486 about four miles south of Dobbin. We are going to deliver you to Bill Griffith who is just down the 1486 road past the turn off of Jackson Road, Bill has some wonderful memories either true-to-life or tongue-in-cheek. Read on.. Backing up to the Ansel Powell home at this point in the Old Plantersville Road, the route took a turn directly west. Although I don’t remember the families who lived along this west route during the first years of my childhood. Willard "Buster" Rumfield and his wife Juanita Winslow Rumfield lived on this road, not far from the juncture of the Plantersville Road and what was then officially, or rather community named Spring Branch road. The Rumfield family home was not far from the Piney Woods Lake an excess water overflow from Big Lake Creek nearby. This Old Plantersville road route was probably fashioned out in the past because it was one of the few possible low-water crossings on the powerful very destructive Big Lake Creek. Piney Woods Lake was not very deep but because the first railroad had, been built running along the path of Big Lake Creek roughly south to north, the railroad bed was literally made a basin, catching Lake Creek water during overflow times. It was a favorite cane pole trot-line and net fishing spot. This is where the large numbers of families living in the area had their horse-swimming races, where there was more than one drowning and the site of many gatherings of the people who worked for and operated the huge Dean Sawmill just across Lake Creek, high on the hill on the left side of Plantersville Road. This mill was owned by the Dean family of Magnolia, still alive and well in the Magnolia area. A small un-marked cemetery is on the right hand side of the road, opposite site of the sawmill. I have a strong feeling that one of my great uncles, George Goodson is buried in an unmarked grave in this long deserted and forgotten cemetery along Plantersville Road. In my search to know something about this reclusive, unmarried uncle I found witness who said George was the foreman of the cattle and hog raising section of the many Dean enterprises. In that period the "Free Range" for cattle and hogs could contain fifty miles in every direction of the Dean Sawmill on Big Lake Creek. He lived his life on his horse and was apparently a loner and one description given me by an old man who knew George called him :Lying George Goodson" I wish I could have known great uncle "Lying George". |
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©Montgomery
County News, 2004 |
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