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History
in a Pecan Shell
Known
originally as Springfield in 1839, the town was renamed after Livingston,
Tennessee, hometown of Moses Choate, the man who donated land for the townsite
when Polk County was formed in 1846.
A brief timeline of
selected Livingston events:
1902: Fire destroys much of downtown - town
is incorporated
1917: Highway 35 (59) constructed
1932: Oil discovered
10 miles S of town
1936: City limits extended
1968: Lake Livingston is
developed
Livingston population estimates:
1880: 135
1900:
1,024
1925: 900
1960: 3,300
1980: 5,000
Polk
County Courthouse
Livingston
Hotels |
Livingston Carter Lumber Engine
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, April 2004 |
| | Fain
Theater in Livingston
TE photo, 2001 |
Native DaughterTennessee
Williams' Texas Director
by Bob Bowman ("All Things Historical" column)
Without the
interest of an East Texas woman, American theater icon Tennessee Williams might
still be writing high school plays in a small town.... At the time of her death
in 1955, Margo Jones and Tennessee Williams had changed the face of theater not
only in Texas, but nationally as well. Margo was buried in her hometown cemetery
at Livingston and on April 26 the Texas Historical Commission and Polk County
Historical Commission placed a state marker on her grave. more |
Livingston
Texas ForumSubject:
Livingston Texas Election Night
Back in the early 50s' when I was quite young, I remember going to the courthouse
on election day, and watching them put the election results on a large tote board.
The reason for this was that not everyone had access to a television back then
- especially poorer people. Election day (any election - local, state, or national)
was a big thing then. It seemed everyone in the entire county was there discussing
this and that about their favorite candidate, and some would get in fairly heated
arguments. The merchants there in town loved it, as it was a time when the men
would bring their wives, and they would shop in the stores there in downtown Livingston.
During National elections, people would stay around the courthouse 'til quite
late - waiting to find out who won the election. Respectfully, Thomas R. McIntyre,
March 10, 2006
There
is one interesting fact that seldom makes the rounds when people talk of Livingston;
and that is that the first golf course for Livingston was on my grand father's
farm which was just north of Livingston, about 2 1/2 miles north on old Hwy. 35.
Such early luminaries of the city of Livingston such as Mr. Gerlac, Mr. H.B. Davis
and various and a sundry other folks would go there to play a round or two of
golf. My father A.J. McIntyre would caddy for them. This was some time in the
mid 1930s. Also if you can get some of the older generation of indians to tell
you about it, my grand father would hire them and pay them what was then a decent
wage to work on his farm. He would send my uncle Thomas to the reservation to
pick them up late on Sunday, and had a place for them to stay the week. He then
would drive them back to the reservation on Friday night. This was a time when
no one would hire an Indian, but he did! - Thomas Mcintyre, March 06, 2006
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