Milam County Historical Commission
Milam County, Texas
Milam County, Texas
McQuary Family Was Dedicated To Lilac Life
Milam History by Joy Graham
Rockdale Reporter - August 15, 2013
Editor’s note: This column continues a series on the Lilac community.
When William Stout McQuary summed up his life ventures on the April 30, 1906, he penned his closure while sitting at McQuary Farm with his wife Martha Jane.
He ended with: “Well I’m done. I tried to remember the important things in my life. Maybe one day a grandchild will care to read this account.”
A map of the 287 acres on McQuary Farms shows the division of the property upon his death in 1908.
Dorothy McQuary and her siblings continued to care about Milam County. Her sisters, Irene and Lucile, and brothers Sid and James picked up the love for Lilac community and each one remained dedicated to the raising their parents provided them with.
When you visit Friendship Methodist Church, cemetery and Old Friendship School, you’ll see the McQuary children who transferred to that school were just as faithful to that community.
The cemetery contains McQuary family members Lucile and James.
Friendship School building is fenced, to distract entry. Twelve years ago a metal roof was installed to protect the two classrooms, a larger room with a stage and a kitchen.
The building was built from concrete/gravel large blocks, a “one of a kind” construction. Gravel from a nearby quarry provided the base for each of the stone/concrete blocks.
A community meeting was held about 12 years ago with officials from the Texas Historical Commission, Milam County Commissioners Court, and Milam County Historical Commission to assess if restoration was viable.
However, the result favored new people who had moved into this area and outvoted the settlers.
The building sits fenced in with barbed wire, a metal roof and boards over the windows for protection.
Twelve stories from the WPA (Works Progress Administration) Writers’ Project, from the Great Depression Era, were written by students in Lilac’s Creative Writing Class. After the Lilac School closed, Owen Rachael Graves found these essays in the Rice Store when it closed and shared them with Ms. Callaway.
These will be shared in future “Bits of Milam County History.”
maryjoygraham@yahoo.com
.
Milam History by Joy Graham
Rockdale Reporter - August 15, 2013
Editor’s note: This column continues a series on the Lilac community.
When William Stout McQuary summed up his life ventures on the April 30, 1906, he penned his closure while sitting at McQuary Farm with his wife Martha Jane.
He ended with: “Well I’m done. I tried to remember the important things in my life. Maybe one day a grandchild will care to read this account.”
A map of the 287 acres on McQuary Farms shows the division of the property upon his death in 1908.
Dorothy McQuary and her siblings continued to care about Milam County. Her sisters, Irene and Lucile, and brothers Sid and James picked up the love for Lilac community and each one remained dedicated to the raising their parents provided them with.
When you visit Friendship Methodist Church, cemetery and Old Friendship School, you’ll see the McQuary children who transferred to that school were just as faithful to that community.
The cemetery contains McQuary family members Lucile and James.
Friendship School building is fenced, to distract entry. Twelve years ago a metal roof was installed to protect the two classrooms, a larger room with a stage and a kitchen.
The building was built from concrete/gravel large blocks, a “one of a kind” construction. Gravel from a nearby quarry provided the base for each of the stone/concrete blocks.
A community meeting was held about 12 years ago with officials from the Texas Historical Commission, Milam County Commissioners Court, and Milam County Historical Commission to assess if restoration was viable.
However, the result favored new people who had moved into this area and outvoted the settlers.
The building sits fenced in with barbed wire, a metal roof and boards over the windows for protection.
Twelve stories from the WPA (Works Progress Administration) Writers’ Project, from the Great Depression Era, were written by students in Lilac’s Creative Writing Class. After the Lilac School closed, Owen Rachael Graves found these essays in the Rice Store when it closed and shared them with Ms. Callaway.
These will be shared in future “Bits of Milam County History.”
maryjoygraham@yahoo.com
.
All credit for this article goes to
Joy Graham
and the
Rockdale Reporter
Joy Graham
and the
Rockdale Reporter