Carmine Heritage Committee Meets, Hears History of Jake’s Eggs
The Heritage Committee of the Carmine Chamber of Commerce met Sept. 6 in the museum. The topic of discussion was “Egg Production and Sales in the Carmine Area.”
Jerry Jacob, along with his wife Barbara, wrote the history of Jake’s Eggs to present.
Jocie Braun also added to the discussion as her late husband E. P. Jacob, Jr. was a brother to Jeny. Susan Bathe, daughter of Max Bathe, represented Charlie and Max Egg Farm.
Jerry’s family (father Emil P. Jacob, Sr. and mother Laura Jacob) moved to Carmine in the 1930’s and his father built the Humpty Dumpty Grocery Store which also included a meat market. They butchered their own calves and bought hides and cream.
As the years passed, they delivered groceries and feed to farmers, mainly in the Sandtown and Greenvine areas, and would pick up eggs from the farmers to process and deliver to Houston.
His oldest brother, Kervin Jacob, started to sell eggs in 1946 in Houston. Jake’s Eggs began to grow and the first cage laying facility was built in 1956, located just south/ southwest of Carmine. This made front-page news in the Fayette County Record, saying that they started a new industry in Fayette County.
The egg sales continued to grow and three more cage laying facilities were built near the first one. They also would buy eggs from several other egg producers. During this period of time (from the late 1950’s until the 1970’s), they had 12 families build new chicken houses in which Jacob’s suppled the pullets and the feed; while the families furnished the labor. The families were Daniel Kieke, Kervin Schmidt, Perry Rudloff, Ewald Bathe, Gene Swonke, James Gross, Calvin Krebs, Leroy Goehring, Ronny Spacek, J. C. Wiederhold, Gerald Kissmann and Anton Aschenbeck.
During the 1950’s, Jerry and another brother E. P. (Junior) Jacob delivered eggs door to door to housewives in Houston. The ladies would leave the money inside the house, usually on the kitchen table.
They did this for about 30 years. Their slogan was “An egg to you, a reputation to us”.
In 1971, Jacob’s bought out Charlie and Max Egg Farm, which had five houses of laying hens with each housing 10,000 each. In the late 1980s through the early 1990s, they built four new houses that could hold 56,000 each.
They were now at 288,000 chickens. There was rotation of different ages of chickens in the houses. The younger pullets produced smaller eggs at about 20-22 weeks of age.
The older the chicken was, the larger the egg.
Chicken houses had fans that pulled in air. They also sold live turkeys and chickens.
In 2002, they were told that their chickens in Carmine had AI (Avian Influenza). Per state instructions, all the chickens needed to be destroyed and buried on their own property.
This almost forced them out of business. After this occurred, they started doing business with Cal-Maine Foods, which is the largest egg producer in the United States. Cal-Maine furnished the pullets and Jacob’s was under contract to furnish the labor and do the processing.
In 2012, with a mutual agreement with Cal-Maine and Jacob’s Store, the decision was made to no longer have laying hens on the property because of State and Federal regulations.
Currently, they deliver eggs to all the Sam’s Stores in the Houston area for Cal-Maine.
Beginning in the mid-1940s, Max H. and Annie Gerland Bathe entered into the poultry and egg business.
It originated on their home place in east Carmine. Turkeys, chickens and eggs were the items produced and sold in the area, surrounding communities and trucked to the Houston area.
In the late 1950s, the family egg business was turned over to their sons: Max, and his wife Ira Bell, and Charles, and his wife Mary Ann and thus began Charlie & Max Egg Farm. Max was in charge of egg production in Carmine, processing, packaging and distribution to the Houston area; while Charles received eggs in Houston and distributed them door-to-door and to small grocery stores.
In the early 1960s, land was purchased north of Carmine, and in 1964-65, the first of five cage laying houses was built. In 1967, the production/ processing plant was moved from the east Carmine home location to the new facility.
The new plant had a large walk-in cooler system and docks to load trucks; receiving area for the eggs to be brought in from the chicken houses and an up-to-date egg processing machine. The eggs were loaded on the machine, washed, went through a grading area, to the sizing (small, medium, large, jumbo) area to be manually packed in the appropriate carton, boxed and put in the cooler. The trucks were loaded with products and delivered to Houston.
A small distribution center was built on Charles Houston’s property, with packaged eggs being delivered from Carmine, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, to Houston and then on to various grocers there in Houston and door-todoor.
The Bathe family worked the business, which ran twenty- four/seven and holidays, and employed numerous individuals from the area.
In 1971, the business, chicken houses and processing, production and distribution building was sold to Jacob Brothers.
Fried Chicken Fundraiser
The Carmine Hall is sponsoring a fried chicken meal Fundraiser on Sunday, Sept.
24 with pick-up at the hall.
It is drive-thru only from 11 a.m.-l p.m. Call (281) 8535905, (713) 553-4122 or (979) 224-7372 for tickets which are $ 15. Tickets may also be purchased at Carmine State Bank.
Desserts will be available for a donation supporting the scholarship fund.
RT-C School News
RT-C varsity volleyball team defeated Mumford in three sets on Sept. 5. Schulenburg defeated RT-C in five exciting sets on Sept. 8.
The JV and varsity teams host Normangee on Sept. 19 with the first game at 4:30 p.m. The first district game will be on Sept. 22 when Jr.
High, JV and varsity host Fayetteville with the first game at 4 p.m. It is also Parent and Faculty Night.
Sept. 22 is an early release day. Classes will be dismissed at 12:30 p.m. It is the end of the first six-weeks grading period.
The first FFA meeting of the school year was held on Sept. 7 for grades 9-12.
The Texas A&M School of Nursing and their Mobile Health Unit will be on the Round Top-Carmine campuses every Wednesday during the school year.
You may contact them to make an appointment by calling: (979) 436-0587. Permission packets are required. They are available online at rlcisd.nel.
Carmine VFD
The Carmine Volunteer Fire Department regular meeting is Sept. 28 at 7 p.m.
A bum ban continues to be in effect for Fayette County. We continue to pray for rain.
To rent the Firemen’s Annex building, contact Jennifer Mohr at (979) 716-1377.
Carmine Night Out will be held at the CVFD building on Oct. 5. Watch for more details.
Cedar Creek Schuetzen Verein
The Cedar Creek Schuetzen Verein, also known as the Carmine Hall, will be conducting a monthly gun and gift card drawing on the third Tuesday of each month from September 2023 through August, 2024. Three tickets will be drawn each month-two for guns and one for a $500 gift card. JW’s Steakhouse is underwriting one of the $500 gift cards. Round Top Real Estate will also give one of the $500 gift cards.
They are working to raise some funds for maintenance and future major renovation of the historic dance hall. Tickets are $100 each and only 500 tickets will be sold. Winning tickets each month will be placed back in for future drawings. You must be 18 or older to win a long gun and 21 or older to win a pistol. All winners must be in compliance with Federal Firearms Regulations.
In the event all tickets are not sold, Carmine Hall reserves the right to return all monies collected. For tickets and information on guns, call (512) 431-8871 or (979) 5428312. Ledbetter Fireman’s Feast
The Ledbetter Fireman’s Feast will be held on Oct. 7 at the Ledbetter Community Center. Enjoy Bingo games from 4-6 p.m. A fried chicken dinner for dine-in or carry-out begins at 5 p.m. The live auction starts at 6:30 p.m. There will be a country store. The Round Top Hermann Son’s Lodge #151 will donate matching funds for the country store. Delicious desserts will be sold by the Ledbetter Homemakers Club.
All proceeds benefit the Ledbetter Volunteer Fire Department. MLLC Harvest Festival
The Martin Luther Lutheran Church Harvest Festival and Homecoming will be held on Sun., Oct. 15 at the Carmine Hall with Country & Western theme songs.
Confirmation classes of years ending in a 3 and 8 will be recognized. Worship service with Holy Communion begins at 9:30 a.m.
A meal of BBQ pork ribeye, sausage, baked beans, coleslaw, and German potatoes will be served as dine in or carry out from 11 a.m.12:20 p.m. A drawing will be held at 12:30 p.m.
Meal tickets and tickets for the drawing are available at the church office. Meal tickets are $15. Call the church office for tickets at (979) 278-3388
Bingo for Seniors
Bingo for Seniors (age 60 and older, plus guests) is held at the Ledbetter Community Center. Cost is $5 per card, which covers 10 plus games and prizes. Chips, snacks and drinks are available for a freewill donation.
This is a nonprofit community event for entertainment. In October it will be held on the third Sunday due to the Ledbetter Fireman’s Feast being on Oct. 7.
MLLC News
Confirmation class is Wednesday from 4:15 to 6:15 p.m.
Saturday worship with Holy Communion is at 6 p.m.
Sunday School is Sunday at 9 a.m.
Sunday worship with Holy Communion, observing the seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost is at 10 a.m. The Rev. David Tinker is the pastor.
Men in Mission meet Monday at 6 p.m.
Meals on Wheels
Senior Citizens Meals on Wheels with Combined Community Action meet every Wednesday at Martin Luther Lutheran Church Mission and Ministry Building located at 250 Augsburg Ave. in Carmine.
Come early to play dominoes and enjoy the camaraderie. Hours are 9-11:30 a.m.
Food usually arrives about 10 a.m. and is for pick-up only until 11:30 a.m. There are 5 meals in a box along with milk, dessert, and bread. Cost is a donation of $10, which makes it $2 per meal. It is for seniors age 60 and up.
To sign up, come by on any Wednesday morning to fill out the paperwork. For more information, contact Marilyn Wagner at (979) 2774134.
Visitors Center The Carmine Chamber of Commerce Visitors’ Center at the restored Train Depot now is open only on the second Friday and Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Recycling Trailer
The recycling trailer is at the Carmine Hall on Thursdays from noon until 4 p.m.
The trailer is in Ledbetter from 8:30-11 a.m., also on Thursdays, behind the Ledbetter Fireman’s Hall.
Birthdays
Birthday wishes are extended to Sierra Richard-Sept. 20; Presley Lange and Drayton Oakes-21; Kennedy Flinn and Jackie Ray-22; Roy Finke, Jr. and Raelynn Nelson- 23; Charlene Mueller and Kyle Pawlak-24; and Presley Richard and Jake Smith-25.
Have News?
If you have news for the Carmine column, email w5ten@industryinet.com, call (979) 278-3645, or mail to P.O. Box 95, Carmine, TX 78932.