Some Strange Things Goin’ On In Fayette County

We have all experienced strange oddities in our lives. Here are a few which our past Fayette County folks experienced.

What is that thing?

The June 30, 1904 issue of The La Grange Journal made note of the fact that in Ellinger “armadillos by large numbers are seen around here lately. “There have been dozens killed by parties not knowing what they were and some few were captured alive. Joseph Sedemeyer [sic.], a saloon man, has one on exhibition measuring nearly three feet from tip to tip. Some are of the opinion that crop diversification in the Irish potato line is responsible for the influx of armadillos.”

Note: The Josef Sedlmeyer Saloon was located along Main Street in the old downtown section of Ellinger. The building is no longer standing.According toTexas Parks and Wildlife, the nine-banded armadillo was first recorded in South Texas in 1849, and by the early 1900s had spread into Central Texas. There are many oldtimers in the county and across the state who can recall when we did not have to contend with the feral hog, the fire ant, the killer bee, the gecko, etc.

Did you see that fire last night?

The March 14, 1918 edition of The La Grange Journal reports that “the bright red glare in the North Thursday night was plainly visible from the hill to the North of the city, and seen by many people living in the city, and left many believing that there was a fire in the neighborhood. The glare lasted for about a half hour. It has now developed that the illumination was the aurora borealis [or Northern Lights].” It was also reported in this issue that the Temple, Texas fire department was under the assumption that a great fire was in progress, and tried to respond. Unfortunately, the department was never able to get to this “fire.” Additionally, Army officers in San Antonio also saw the glare “and the belief grew that the Army camp was on fire. Jumping into an auto the officers hiked for their camps and finally, after going out seven miles from where they started, gave up the chase.”

Note: As this event was widely reported all over, it was later determined by scientists that the cause of this “glare” or “fire” was actually a solar geomagnetic storm or solar flare.

The Earth Shook!

The January 8, 1920 edition of The La Grange Journal reported a strange incident near the Bluff area. It stated that “near the home of Henry Helmcamp at Bluff, an acre of ground has sunken several feet, due presumably to a blow-out underneath. When the report was heard by many last month it was passed up without much comment, but since visitors have gone out and looked at the spot, there has been some comment. The opinion is that gas which had been crowded too closely needed expansion, and the ground gave way.”

Smoke and Flies!

In the December 25, 1924 edition of The La Grange Journal, and subsequent editions, there was a report of a strange fire on the D. P. Croft property. According to the story, the Croft property was a large tract of land located about one and a half miles from Winchester. The story further reports that on this property was located a hill where “it is claimed lignite coal can be found in abundance,” and that “since the first day of August [1924] smoke has circled from the coal beds; reported efforts to extinguish the fire have proved futile.” The writer of the article states that “in speaking to one of our citizens who lived in La Grange from 1851 to 1870, we are informed that in the year 1856, and as late as 1860, folks going to the river often noticed pieces of lignite that weighed each from ten to one hundred pounds …we presume that it came from … the hill at the Croft farm.”

In a January 22, 1925 follow up story the reader was informed that the fire, having started in August, 1924, was still burning and the conclusion was reached that the “fire will continue for the next five years.”

In the April 23, 1925 edition of The Journal, readers were informed that the coal was still burning, and that an immense swarm of blow flies were descending into the open crevices created by the burning bed, numbers estimated in the millions. Furthermore, by October 1925, the presence of the millions of flies was affirmed by The La Grange Journal writer, as was the conclusion that the fire will continue for years to come.

Note:According to Wikipedia sources, this phenomenon is known as a coal-seam fire and is caused by self-ignition [spontaneous combustion]. Further information states that “coal-seam fire instances on the Earth date back several million years.”

In our present times, with our modern-day technology, we have easy access to scientific information and data which can help us explain these types of phenomena. The idea that a person could carry a virtual set of encyclopedias or have a newsroom of weather and other information with the flick of our finger tips would have been just as strange to our past Fayette County residents as these odd and strange occurrences were to them a century or so ago.

Sources: The La Grange Journal Springer.com TexasHillCountry.com Twelfth Census of the United States Wikipedia

Fayette County is one of the most historic counties in Texas. In this weekly feature from the County Historical Commission, a rotating group of writers looks back at local history.