Interview Transcript of Kathy Carter

INTERVIEWEE: MRS. KATHY CARTER
INTERVIEWER: MRS. JAMIE RAPP

Jamie Rapp - I have information that John Moore established La Grange in 1831, is that correct?
Kathy Carter - Yes, he received his land grant May 17, 1831.

JR - Have you lived here all of your life?
KC - Since I married 25 years ago.
JR - So you married a native of La Grange?
KC - Yes
JR - Is your spouse related in anyway to the founding fathers of La Grange?
KC - No

JR - What do you think drew families to establish themselves to La Grange?
KC - We were part of Austin's "old Three Hundred" and so some of them came with that group. Some of the earliest, the Rabb family and the Castleman's, they were actually friends of Stephen F. Austin. Mr. Rabb received three leagues of land (a league is 4,428 acres). The reason why he received three leagues of land was because he was going to establish a mill, so the settlers would have a place to go for their lumber to build their houses.

JR - You have lived in La Grange for 25 years, how long has your spouse's family lived here?
KC - My husband's family came to Washington County in 1854. His grandfather was a doctor here in Fayette County. He was born in 1854. So by the 1870's the direct descendents of my husband were already in Fayette County.

JR - I have a picture of a tree that in in front of the bank, is it called the mustering tree?
KC - Muster Oak. The story is that when the guys met up to ride off to go to war, they met underneath the tree. And that has always been the tradition that soldiers will gather underneath that tree before they left, to go to whatever war or engagement they were going to.

JR - In the 25 years that you have lived her have you seen any positive changes to La Grange?
KC - Well certainly. This building was opened in 1978 and we just finished a 1.1 million dollar expansion to the library. We've also just built a new hospital and just restored our 1891 courthouse with a little over 5 million dollars.

JR - Have you seen any negative changes in La Grange?
KC - No, I love it here.

JR - What do you feel are the strong or weak points of living in La Grange?
KC - Oh the strong points are it is just a beautiful town. And I am pretty close to the big cities if I need to go to them. I guess negatively there ia bit of a distance to the bigger cities but with the new hospital and resources like that some of those things are getting closer to home and we don't have to travel that far.
JR - Would you want to lose the hometown feelihg that La Grange has though?
KC - NO!

JR - Was racism ever an issue in this town?
KC - Not any overt racism since I've lived here. But we still have our separate neighborhoods and we still have our separate cemeteries. Now they are connected, the new city cemetery and the black cemetery are on the same property. But once started over here and the other started back here, and now of course, as the years have gone past they are getting closer together. But they are still separate and they are still used that way. The African Americans that have lived here for many years choose to be together.
JR - Is there a large Hispanic population in La Grange?
KC - Yes, and it is growing day by day. In Fayette County I think we have more Hispanic population than African Americans.

JR - Do you think businesses' will relocate to La Grange?
KC - Well we've had a few.
JR - I see that you have a Wal*Mart, but you do not have a Super Wal*Mart. HOWEVER, when your current Wal*Mart came into town how did it affect your local businesses'? Because you're downtown area has the square. Did it affect the local business owners?
KC - Yes. Our Perry's closed (they were a "Five & Dime" store). Our Ben Franklin's closed. A lot of our "mom & pop" businesses closed.
JR - Was there a lot of resentment when they (Wal*Mart) opened their store in your town?
KC - Some.

JR - Are businesses' moving away from La Grange?
KC - Most that have were oil related industries that left in the late 1980's. A few came back or another company has taken them over.

JR - What do you predict for La Grange's future?
KC - We'll keep growing. Because people from Houston and Austin are coming here. They just opened the first subdivision in La Grange in many years. Sunset Ridge is less than two years old and they have only three lots left.

JR - Do kids grow up and can't wait to get out of La Grange?
KC - Yes, I have one.
JR - What is there her for them to support themselves?
KC - There isn't, that's why they go. And this is just the way the world is now. The younger people feel that there is nothing here. We don't have a lot of entertainment venues for them. We had a one screen movie house that burnt down and it has not been replaced. Most families are very into sports, so from the time the children are three or four they are into soccer, baseball, basketball and football. And if you're not into that, well that is about the only thing there is - that I know of.

JR - Farming and cattle wsa the main way that families supported themselves 60-70 years ago is that still the same today?
KC - We have small cattle operations mostly, there are a few large ones, but most are what you would call "weekend ranchers". And then we do still have some pretty big agricultural farms, but not like we use to. I don't know of anyone that raises cotton here anymore. We do still raise corn and the grass is for hay. So you see a lot of the land is either cattle or hay pastures.

JR - Are they any historic stories that I haven't mentioned that you could share with me?
KC - So many people think that the Chicken Ranch house looked just like it did in the movie. That the madam looked like Dolly Parton, and the sheriff looked like Burt Reynolds. And it is so far from the truth for all three of those things. The sheriff was 6 1/2 to 7 feet tall, very imposing, I would not have broken a law in this town for anything! The madam from the pictures that I have seen was a teeny tiny woman, and the house was just a ramshackle house that they kept adding rooms onto. It was never two-story.

JB - Regarding census numbers, is the town growing in size?
KC - The town, the population of La Grange is probably growing. The population of the county is growing slowly, be we had our highest population I believe between 1920 - 1920. After World War II especially our population dropped. Because technology and jobs were in the big cities.

JR - Is there anything else about La Grange that I haven't asked you that you would like to share with me?
KC - Historically? Well we survived the flood, we survived the up & down of the oil business. We are a community that I think when we set our minds to doing something we can be very stubborn. VERY STUBBORN. But when we set our minds to doing something, we can get it done. Because a community this size, can raise the money for this building and donate 6 million dollars toward the hospital. We are always a little stubborn when we start a project.
JR - How so?
KC - Change, especially in regards to our older population. And I would say that I am probably that way too. We want change but we are also afraid of changing. However, when we finally buy into it, we are ready to go.

** Mrs. Carter is the "unofficial" town historian. She was born and raised just north of La Grange, and relocated when she married her husband 25 years ago. Interviewing Mrs. Carter was very easy, her knowledge of the community is outstanding. She and the staff at the Heritage Museum & Archives were extremely helpful while I was acquiring the information I needed to complete my historical research of La Grange. Our interview took place in the archive section of the library and was somewhat rushed. I later realized I should have designated an entire day to speak with her and the staff about the city and history of La Grange!