The Clifton Record (Clifton, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 25, Ed. 1 Friday, June 23, 2006 Page: 84 of 110
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: The Clifton Record and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Nellie Pederson Civic Library.
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66
THE CLIFTON RECORD — BOSQUE COUNTY, U.S.A.
FRIDAY, JUNE 23,2006
Meridian. Texas
Top of the Hill Country
Capital of the Texas Frontier
MERIDIAN — Meridian, the county seat of
Bosque County, is the oldest surveyed town in
the county.
Lots for the town were auctioned on July 4,
1854, shortly after the county itself was orga-
nized.
A log-cabin courthouse was used by the
county until 1859, when a wooden building was
erected on one corner of the square. In 1871,
fire destroyed that version of the courthouse.
Rented rooms and tents were used to con-
duct county business until a small two-story
rock courthouse was built in 1875.
The current courthouse, built in 1886, has
been designated a Texas Historical Landmark.
The first incorporated school in the city was
built in 1898. It existed until a new rock-and-
brick school was built in the same location in
1912. After World War II, bonds were voted and
a new school was built. The structure built in
1921 was demolished to make way for the new
building.
In 1995, a new junior and senior high campus
opened. The elementary school, cramped for
space, expanded into the former high school
building.
With the courthouse anchoring a bustling
community, many Meridian businesses con-
tinue to flourish.
Bosque County Courthouse,
Meridian, Texas
The city is served by numerous churches,
with Baptist, Church of Christ, Pentecostal,
Lutheran, Methodist, Assembly of God, and in-
dependent congregations giving citizens a wide
variety of worship alternatives.
The city is also home to the annual National
Championship Barbecue Cookoff in August.
For more information about the City of Me-
ridian, contact the Meridian Chamber of Com-
merce at (254) 435-2966.
Meridian
City Government
City Hall—111 N. Main. Phone (254) 435-2381, Fax
(254) 435-2904; Monday - Friday, 8 am to noon, 1 to 5 pm
Elected Officials
• Mayor—Clark Vandergriff
• Aldermen—Damon Patterson, Barbara Bivins, Steve
Roseberry, Brent Chatfield, and Johnnie Haueriand.
Departments
• Director of Public Works—Mike Walker
• City Secretary—Tanya Ramer
• Chief of Police — Albert Biggs
• Emergency — 9-1-1 or (254) 435-2255
City Services
• Ambulance Service—North Bosque EMS 9-1-1
• Meridian Volunteer Fire Department—9-1-1
• Waste Disposal—Allied Waste Services 1(800) 8604)123
• Electric Service—First Choice Power (866) 469-2464
• Gas Service—Atmos Gas Company 1 (800) 460-3030
• Telephone Service—Southwestern Bell (800) 483-
4400
• Cable Service — Charter Communications (817)
509-2225
• Meridian Chamber of Commerce — (254) 435-2966
• Meridian Swimming Pool — (254) 435-2242
School
Meridian Independent School District —
Administration Building—(254) 435-2081, FAX
(254) 435-2025
Meridian Elementary — (254) 435-2731
Meridian Junior—(254) 435-2723
Meridian High — (254) 435-2723
Superintendent —Billy Jack Henderson
Preschool — Meridian Head Start (254) 435-2168
Board Of Trustees
Rochelle Lentschke, Marie Garland, Rubin Ftelan,
Albert Hunter, Todd Hyatt, Thad Purcell, and Nancy
Williamson.
NATIONAL
COOKOFF
19th Annual National
Championship Barbecue
Cookoff Slated Aug. 25-26
MERIDIAN — On Friday and Saturday, Aug. 25-
26, the grounds of the Bosque Bottoms in Meridian
will be filled with barbecue enthusiasts, cookers, and
fans, as the 19th annual National Championship Bar-
becue Cookoff returns to Bosque County.
The two-day event features a wide array of activi-
ties complementing the cookoff itself.
The stage will be jamming with well-known Texas-
known music talents.
The cookoff is one of the most prestigious in the
state.
It is an invitational cookoff, and cooks must have
won or placed in a qualifying regional cookoff to re-
ceive an invitation to participate.
This year’s cookoff should boast more than $17,000
in prize money, and cookers also help raise funds for
national and local charities.
Throughout the event, other offerings include a ce-
lebrity cookoff, a concert, a visit from Miss Texas, a
dance, a fish fry, an auction, an arts and crafts show,
and a car show.
Children under 12 are admitted free, and parking
is free, too.
For more information about the cookoff, contact
the cookoff office at (254) 435-6113 or by e-mail
<bbq@htcomp.net>, or visit the website
< bbq.htcomp.net >. ■ ........ • i
Bosque County Flag Replicas,
Chisholm Trail Maps Available
MERIDIAN — The Lumpkin Building, which
houses the Bosque County Collection, is waving a
new flag these days in downtown Meridian, and rep-
licas are for sale.
This flag was designed by former Bosque County
Judge Earl (Pete) Page in 1985, and was officially
designated as Bosque County’s official flag by the
Commissioners’ Court.
Judge Page’s original 76x46-inch flag, which is
currently hanging in the Election Oak Reception
Room of the Collection, is priceless, but each 3x5
foot replica costs $40. Desk size flags are on sale for
$10 each, but are going quickly because of limited
quantities.
For more information on ordering the official
Bosque County Flag, write to the Bosque County His-
torical Commission at PO. Box 534, Meridian, Texas,
76665, or call (254) 435-6182.
Also for sale at the Collection is a Chisholm Trail map,
researched and designed by Ron Carlisle, Chock Word,
and George and Adam Hallmark published by Bosque
County Historical Commission. It costs $20.
All proceeds gathered by sales of flags and maps go
Judges Word and Page
toward the Bosque County Collection in order to preserve
local history locally.
The Collection is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-12 noon;
1 p.m.-5 p.m. (except holidays) and Saturday by appoint-
ment only.
The historic Lumpkin Building, home of the Bosque
County Collection, is at 101 North Main Street in Meridian
on the northeast comer of Hwy, 22 and Hwy. 144, diago-
nally across from the Bosque County Courthouse. For
more information, call the office at 254/435-6182 or visit
<users.htcomp.net/bcc/>.
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Smith, W. Leon. The Clifton Record (Clifton, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 25, Ed. 1 Friday, June 23, 2006, newspaper, June 23, 2006; Clifton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth790015/m1/84/?q=%22~1~1~1%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Nellie Pederson Civic Library.