Cooper Review (Cooper, Tex.), Vol. 134, No. 29, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 17, 2014 Page: 1 of 6
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Printed by Echo Publishing Company
Issue 134 Volume 29
Serving Delta County Since 1880
50 cents
Duncan and T-Rex debut on Fox Sports
By Kalynn McKee
Staff Writer
Local child Lane Duncan
made a special appearance
with Lone Star Garden Trac-
tor Pullers Association on an
episode of Chevy Hometown
Kids on Fox Sports Southwest
which airs on Saturday morn-
ings, and Monday and Tuesday
evenings and featured a recent
attraction to Delta County, a
tractor pull. On the show he
explains just what it is like to
participate in the tractor pull in
Hunt County.
Each tractor pulls a 7,000-
pound sled down the track.
The farther the tractor gets on
the track the harder it is to pull
as the weights on the sled slide
forward creating more resis-
tance for the tractor. At compe-
tition each tractor pulls twice,
with the total distance of the
two pulls added together, to ar-
rive at the total distance for the
event score.
Lane Duncan has recently
competed in the Delta County
Fair’s Tractor Pull where he
showcased what his little red
tractor that he calls the “Texas
T-Rex” can do. He has also
participated in several Cooper
and Enloe parades with his
tractor. According to his father,
Jeff Duncan, the tractor “was
given to him by ‘Uncle’ Larry
King and has traversed many
miles in Delta County.”
Emily Reppert interviews Lane
Duncan at recent tractor pull.
Bridges,
extension
agents
discussed
By Cindy Roller
Editor
During the Delta County
Commissioners Court on Mon-
day morning discussion over
new bridges in the County and
the future of the AgriLife Ex-
tension agents were highlight-
ing topics.
Texas Department of Trans-
portation presented a resolu-
tion of approval for a local
match fund in a Federal bridge
program. The bridge at County
Road 3220 at Big Creek and
CR 3080 at draw in Precinct 3
are the first on the docket. The
cost will be $190,320 each with
the County matching $4,377
each and Lamar County has
contributed $53,000. The reso-
lution to begin this work was
unanimously approved.
Delta County Judge Herb
Brookshire presented the salary
contribution agreement with the
Texas A&M AgriLife Exten-
sion. The County will continue
to provide funds for an agent
in the coming year (however
the statement was not specific
to the dollar amount). Delta
County recently accepted the
resignation of agriculture agent
Cody Maxwell, who moved to
Fannin to be closer to family.
The County had been sharing
agents with Franklin County
with Lindsey Yeager remaining
as the family and consumer sci-
ence agent. According to Judge
Brookshire Franklin County
has opted to have their own
fulltime agents.
“I would like to put those
funds (approximately $33,000)
towards one fulltime agent
for Delta County,” said Judge
Brookshire. “It will basically
be trading two for one.” The
agenda item passed 5-0.
See Bridges
Continued on Page 5A
After 127 years of business in Cooper,
Henslee Hardware is in its final days of busi-
ness. The iconic store has a long
history serving Delta County from the
North Side of the Square which was started
by John Franklin Henslee.
The store still has its original tin ceiling,
wooden glass display cases and even a
rotary phone. All that remains of the inventory
are a few household, plumbing and hardware
supplies.
Staff photos by Cindy Roller
By Cindy Roller
Editor
r | mie dedication to one
community is serving
it for 127 years. That is
exactly what Henslee Hard-
ware has done. It began in
1887 from meager start under
a tent by owner John Franklin
Henslee with a $500 inventory
with everything from whiskey
and nuts and bolts to caskets,
farm implements and dyna-
mite.
The iconic red building
store has remained a staple at
21 North Side of the Square in
Cooper.
The conservative business
owner began his endeavors in
Cooper because he had heard
the railroad was coming.
By definition hardware
stores sell items like power
tools, keys/locks, plumbing
supplies, cleaning products,
paint, lawn and garden, house-
ware products directly to the
consumer.
According to Cooper
Review archives, Henslee sold
many early families their first
steel plows, buggies, wagons
and steel cooking pots (Dutch
ovens). Steam tractors, used
to pull grain threshers, manu-
factured by J.I. Case were sold
in the early years. He even
recalled the burning of the
Courthouse on the Square in
1899. Throughout the years
he expanded into the funeral/
undertaking service complete
with a double hitch black Me-
riah - (Hearse).
W.T. (Pete) Kingston, who
began working for the busi-
ness in 1897, remembered the
transition to the new brick
hardware store. He said the
old frame building was moved
out onto the Square and put
the brick one in its place and
conducted business as usual.
When J.F. Henslee passed
away in 1938, his grandson
Quentin Miller inherited the
family business. The original
owner had completed 51 years
in Cooper and at the time was
the oldest merchant or busi-
ness in Delta County under
continuous operation.
Miller recalls he was one
of the first to help provide
and finance tractors for local
farmers. With the ever-chang-
ing society, the hardware store
again expanded into the ap-
pliance sales with gas ranges,
washing machines and small
appliances some to the very
same families who purchased
their first plows and buggies.
From the 1970 centen-
nial edition of the Review,
“Now 5 generations have
been through the threshold of
the Henslee Hardware in 83
years.”
“At Henslee Hardware, we
even sold toys which were
fun at Christmas,” recalls
Judy Miller Falls on her fa-
ther’s business. “We sold lots
and lots of toys. My father al-
ways provided sacks of fruit
(apples and oranges), walnuts
and cordial cherries to the
citizens on ‘red row’ (a series
of homes inherited from Mr.
Henslee) as a service to the
community.” Likely some of
the earliest charity work in
Delta County.
Miller passed away in
January of 2003 passing the
estate to his family and his
son, Frank Henslee Miller.
Until his death in April 2013
he was the store’s keeper.
He was also associated with
various businesses includ-
ing The Delta Bank, First
National Bank of Cooper,
Cooper Propane, Delta
Logistics and River River
Transport.
In his obituary he was
described as a man that
“truly loved the people
he worked with and tried
to foster an environ-
ment of cooperation for
the purpose of reflecting
See Henslee
Continued on Page 6A
Centennial Celebration
Gathered on the
front steps - (front
row from left)
Robert Cook, Emily
Glass, Kayla Price,
Mayor of Sulphur
Springs Freddie
Taylor cuts the
ribbon on the new
City Hall on the
centennial of the
original Post Office
opening along with
(middle row) Bill
Watts, J. D. Frank-
,
rjm I
lin, Valanderous Bell, Oscar Aguilar, Craig Johnson, Jim Thompson, Charles Oxford, (back
row) John Sellers, Gary Spraggins and Stephen Bonner. Staff photo by Cindy Roller
Diane Stegall completes FIC course
Submitted Report
Diane Stegall, Cooper,
Texas, a Modern Woodmen
of America representative,
has attained the Fraternal
Insurance Counselor (FIC)
designation.
The FIC title is an edu-
cational designation that
can be earned by career life
insurance representatives
associated with fraternal
insurance societies.
Representatives devote
more than one year to meet
the examination and career
development criteria set by
the Fraternal Field Managers
Association.
Founded in 1883, Mod-
ern Woodmen of America
touches lives and secures fu-
tures. The fraternal financial
services organization offers
financial products and frater-
nal member benefits to indi-
viduals and families through-
out the United States.
Stegall has an office in
Cooper and can be reached
at 903-517-2950 or Diane.
Stegall@mwarep. org.
Diane Stegall
Modern Woodmen ^
FRATERNAL FINANCIAL
LOANS
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FIRST NATIONALBANK IN COOPER
“R t=J 1395-21311
WEST SIDE SQUARE - COOPER
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□ REAL ESTATE
□ PERSONAL
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Community
Find out about the local
Vacation Bible Schools in this edition
ooperlake
Dam Report
Current Elevation 431.61
Normal Elevation 440.00
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Roller, Cindy. Cooper Review (Cooper, Tex.), Vol. 134, No. 29, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 17, 2014, newspaper, July 17, 2014; Cooper, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1006799/m1/1/: accessed June 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Delta County Public Library.