The Giddings News (Giddings, Tex.), Vol. 74, No. 36, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 8, 1963 Page: 2 of 16
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Page 2 — THE GIDDINGS, TEXAS, NEWS —Thursday, August 8, 1963
Step Into The Past: Fletcher Home Stands Unchanged
By Marshall Toppel
One of the oldest homes in
the town of Giddings is the
Fletcher house, standing almost
unchanged by a carpenter since
it wa built. The house is locat-
ed on the square directly north
east of the Lee County court-
house. Hardly a block from the
bustling retail stores, the house
sits there in its sedately style.
hTis house was constructed in
at their sides.
The residence remains practi-
cally as it was constructed ex-
cept for the installing of more
bathrooms, including one that
was provided when the old-
fashioned green-latticed cis-
tern house was remodeled into
a bedroom and bath because
the constant pouring of rain
through the lattice caused the
rotting of the floor.
The Giddings News
Published every Thursday by The
Giddings News Publishing Co.. P 0
Drawer 20. Giddings, Lee County.
Texas______________________■
Rates Per Year:
Lee County
Elsewhere
$2.55
$3.06
1879 by August W. Schubert,
who had recently arrived from'
Germany. In 1894, the Schu-
berts sold the property to the
Lutheran denomination to be
used as a college for the train-
As in many of the older
homes in Giddings, square nails
were used in the construction
of this house. A square nail is
simply a nail with four sides
forming a blunt point. Compar-
ing of Lutheran preachers. Dur- 1
ing these years, the Reverend
Buchschachber of Warda came
ing it with a regular nail, it
is sort of peg-like.
An attractive feature of the
building is the heavy doors to
over to the little town of Gid-th hall euoirec
hall. are OI press
dings and held Lutheran church
services in the parlor of the
house. It was during these ser-
vices that the young Bertha
Schubert and possibly others
were baptized in the Lutheran
faith. Miss Schubert later mar-
ried Mr. August Biar, mother
and are deeply panelled. Glass
transoms, above and at the
sides, let in the light. When
FLETCHER HOME— The Fletcher home, probably the old-
est preserved home in Giddings, was built in 1879 with the
intention of being a Lutheran College. It was bought by
Baylis J Fletcher of Lexington in 1900 and has been in the
Fletcher family ever since
Mrs. Ida Bloh Bloom
Publisher
Buddy Preuss
Editor
Lee County - oldest bustuees lust
tuition !•• I I shed INN8‘ Entered as
s.....nd class matter nt the Post offie
At <. .(.)• 2% t » inder I he •>• I •>
. ,|, , .. of M r I ' 1879 Member o
the Texas Press Nsriation Texas
Gulf Coast l’ress Askprlation. North
and East Texas Press Asmeiatio aud
South Texas Rr Ass......tien
Any erroneous refection nuer char
seter, standing the reputation of a i >
perant. firm - or......en tov ma*
appear in the columns of this paper
ginilly will be corrected if hr ught to
the attention of the publishers Mr de
sot hold ourselves responsible for the
views of our corresponds ta In case of
error or omition in Advertisements
the publisher de not hold them- Ive-
liable fw dainagrs ft rther than the
’ 294*/ trelvri h* them for am a
all the doors are opened, a
breeze-way is formed which Rehind The Cronos Tn American Business
lets the Gulf breeze rush DUIIIIIU Inc DCCACs II Alleldl DuslCss
of Mr. Edwin Biar who now
lives in Giddings.
In charge of the Lutheran
College was the Rev. Schaf-
kopf. The house was not only
a college. The rooms also ser-
ved as a dormitory for the
young preachers and they had
their meals in the dining room.
In the year 1900, Israel Dew-
ey, treasurer of Lee County,
through to the back porches.
An unusual bit of decoration By Reynolds Knight placed in the ground is being tion are running abot four per
is the marbleized wainscoting o x 1 ,• distributed by a Minnesota cent ahead of the like 1962 per-
TO WAX OR NOT — That’s firm ... iod, thanks to gains that ran as
no longer a question for car ,
owners who heed the advice or No charcoal is needed with a high as seven per cent in some
auto makers. Claims that wax- new rotisserie that operates ereeS uring . uis
ing is seldom if ever needed, with an infra-red electric-pow- A serious shortage in supplies
which accompanied the arrival ered heating element. The price of w idely -used red almon is
of acrylic and super-enamel fl- is about $35 expected to push the price of
nishes a few years ago, are be- that seafood up sharply; the
6 BITS O BU SIN ESS—- De- current year’s catch wa hurt by
ing abandoned. , .
, t partment store sales in the na- fishermen strike
A r Buckman, research and------;_____
development vice president for p
Business and Professional Directory
in the parlor. Realistically
|painted bluish gray “marble" is
‘is the base of the walls entirely
I around the room. The rectangu-
lar insets have recently been
painted a rose color to tie in
with the interior decoration.
The house has two fire plac-
es with colonial mantelpieces
The bed room containing one of
these fireplaces also has a very,
fascinating wall separating it Johnson s Wax, notes that "hap-
a pily, makers of car care pro-
died in office. Baylis J. Flet-
cher of Lexington was appoint-
ed county treasurer. Mr. Flet- from the hall. This wall is
cher had been representing this copy of one in an old Philadel-ducts and the car manufactur-
district (District 67) in the state phia house. It is completely ers themselves final v seem to
legislature panelled and painted white in agree that although the new au-
to finichec are arent improve-
Since the Lutheran College
had . been discontinued,
Mr.
Fletcher purchased the Schubert
home from the Lutheran con-
gregation. He moved his family
from Lexington in May of 1900
This house is of Georgian ar-
chitecture, a British type, nam-
ed for “the era of the three
King Georges," having large
central halls, and a symmetric1
front. The wide halls are flank-
ed by large rooms on either
1 color. to finishes are great improve-
The steep stairs in a down- ments, they still need cleaning
stairs room has been rebuilt on and waxing or polishing
a long porch. It now rises at a The 1963 owner manuals of
much smaller angle for easier the car companies generally
ascending. In keeping with its suggest use of waxes or polish-
period the entire house is fur- es, he said.
nished in the Late Victorian
side. These halls have double
doors at both ends. The rear
part of the house forms an L
shape.
There are now ten rooms.
style, except for two down-
stairs bedrooms which contain
early American, furnishings,
which of course, were also used
frequently by the Victorians.
A white fence of Colonial
THINGS TO COME — For
the home gardener fertilizer in
the form of sticks that give off
nitrogen, phosphorus and pot-
ash for a month after they’re
design on the two sides next to
the streets gives privacy to the
Living in the Fletcher home
presently are Miss Eleanor
Fletcher, a retired Gidding
sihee the large, old-style kit-
chen was divided into a dining
room and kitchen. The whole
grounds. Flower beds are bor- High School teacher, and Roy
dered by low walls, the rocks Fletcher, retired from teaching
having been hauled from the at Arkanas A and M College.
quarry east of town Another article will follow in
Another attractive feature is the next few weeks pertaining
the old well (really an under- to the furniture, the many
ground brick cistern) in the paintings, and the interior de-
yard. The water drains from coration of this interesting
the roof-top into the cistern home. We want to commend the
Until Giddings got its water Fletchers for preserving a re-
system this well was used for membrance of the past in ex-
daily purposes. Its vine-cover- cellent condition; also for giv-
ed arbor has the original iron | ing us the history of the house
pulley and a chain leading to to pass on to the citizens of Gid-
panes and have green shutters an old oaken bucket
structure is
strengthened a-
gainst tropical disturbances by
long 4x8 slaning braces which
start at the first floor level and
come together, in an upstairs
closet at the juncture of the L
The windows, regularly placed
around the house, have small
NOTICE
We are headquarters for.
Recapping. Vulcanizing
and General Tire Repairs
Fred E. Miertschin
Goodyear Tire Shop
Phone 968-3110. La Grange
Central Forwarding
Co., Inc. Moving
and Storage
t For Information Call ...
| JERRY THROCKMORTON
Phone 527J - Giddings
Painting — Paper Hanging
Floor Sanding
Alfred Krause
Phone 182W
712 N. Leon - Giddings
Robert Nitsche
PAINTING
PAINT SPRAYING
PAPER HANGING
. FLOOR SANDING
Dr. James L. Ashley
— OPTOMETRIST
LA GRANGE, TEX.
Eyes Examined - Glasses Fitted
Contact Lenses - Adjustments
Repairs
Over Citizens State Bank
Every Tuesday in Giddings
M. G. Kurio
American National
Life Insurance
Fire, Catunity, Polio
NOT ARY PUBLIC
Phone 173 - Giddings, Tex.
Phone 341W
FOR
Unger Plumbing &
Sheet Metal
dings.
WHATEVER YOUR DRUG NEEDS
YOU’LL FIND THEM AT THE BLUE BONNET
OUR SERVICE IS COMPLETE
Vitamins
Cold Tablets
Oral Vaccines
Nose Drops
Inhalants -
Chest Rubs
Vaporizers
Cough Drops
And Medicated
Throat Discs
Your Doctor's
Prescription
1 is in safe hands here!
Every prescription is
double-checked to protect
your health.
— Prompt Service —
BLUE BONNET PHARMACY
PHONE 200
GIDDINGS, TEXAS
Phone 108
Giddings
C. W. Kasper, Jr.
AID ASSOCIATION FOR
LUTHERANS
LIFE - MORTAGAGE
EDUCATION ANNUITIES
Box 124, Winchester, Texas
Giddings 760 Plum CH-3168
Bill Brademan
LIFE - ACCIDENT - HEALTH
HOSPITALIZATION
Write or Call
Phone 31J
Box 151
Giddings, Texas
John S. Simmang
ATTORNEY AT LAW
Practice in All Courts
Phones: Ofc. 36, Res. 120
Giddings, Texas
SEPTIC TANK SERVIC E
Clean sewer and general
repair work
See or call
GEORGE DROSCHE
Phone 591 - Giddings
Dr. D. R. Taylor
OPTOMETRIST
Eyes examined. Glasses Fitted,
Frames Repaired or Replaced
while you wait — Lenses Du-
plicated. Contact Lens Fitted
Office Hours:
8:30 to 5:30 Monday thru
Sat, except Thursday, 8:30
to 12:00. .
Office Phone Home Phone
353 S36J
Call for night appointments
Old Masonic Bldg.,
LA GRANGE, TEXAS
M. F. KIEKE
ATTORNEY-AT-LAW
Giddings, Texas
FOR YOUR PLUMBING.
HEATING, OR AIR-
CONDITIONING
— See or Call —
____Modern----
Plumbing Shop
Phone 435 — Giddings, Tex.
Hays Perry
John Knox
INSURANCE
Fire, Tornado, Casualty
The Giddings News
See us for a complete line
of office supplies and
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Preuss, L. M., III. The Giddings News (Giddings, Tex.), Vol. 74, No. 36, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 8, 1963, newspaper, August 8, 1963; Giddings, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1634108/m1/2/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Giddings Public Library and Cultural Center.