L.H. (Mug) Koethe with a young girl wearing a white dress with a bow in her hair.

Portrait of a Native American family. The man is seated and wearing a suit and hat, the woman is standing and wrapped in a traditional Indian blanket. They are both wearing moccasins.

Photograph of Comanche boy, Sherman Poco, in native dress.

Photograph of a Native American woman standing next to her papoose baby. She is wrapped in a traditional Indian blanket.

Photo collage with the 1884 Clay County Courthouse in the center surrounded by Henrietta officials and businessmen around 1890.

Andrew L. Bowers was born in 1852 in North Carolina. Upon moving to Texas, his first job was as a day laborer on an iron bridge at Columbus, TX. He was eighteen years of age. At nineteen he was promoted to foreman, with the Delaware Bridge Company. Afterward, he worked for the railroads, steadily climbing their ranks until he reached the position of Superintendent of Construction for the Northwest division, covering the area from Spring to Fort Worth. He eventually left the railroad, resigning to look after his investments. He became interested in the Salt Works of Palestine, helping to develop that important new enterprise and serving as its first president. He married Nellie O’Connell, on May 31, 1882 in Corsicana. They were the parents of five children: Irene, Mabel, Andrew Jr., Willie, and Bernard. In 1890, the need for a Building and Loan Association became acute in this section, and Mr. Bowers, along with several others, organized the Mechanics’ Building and Loan Association. This was one of the earliest organizations of the kind in the state of Texas. In 1906 he bought from Governor Thomas M. Campbell, a controlling interest in the Palestine National Bank and was made president. …

Photograph of store with seven people on porch. Photograph of the Beach Mercantile store in Van Horn, TX

Photograph of store with seven people on porch. Photograph of Beach Mercantile Co, with seven unidentified people on porch, Van Horn, TX c. 1898

Students at Beaver Creek School in 1895. First names of some students are handwritten on the photo.

Beulah- Mrs. Dick Percifields Buggy Horse. Photo circa 1890: Henrietta, Texas.

Four men and a horse standing in front of a blacksmith shop. Photo taken in 1890: Vashti, Texas.

Students posing for group photo. Photo circa 1890: Cambridge, Texas.

Students posing for picture. Photo ca. 1890: Cambridge, Texas.

Clay County Commissioner's court in 1897.

Clay County Court House. Photo taken in 1897: Henrietta, Texas.

Clay County Jail. Photo taken in 1890: Henrietta, Texas.

Cotton Gin workers posing for picture. Photo circa 1890. Henrietta, Texas.

Men and women playing games outdoors in Clay County, TX around 1890.

Man and woman in a wagon buggy pulled by horses. Photo circa 1890: Henrietta, Texas.

Dave William Smith family gathered in front of house. Picture circa 1898: Henrietta, Texas.

D.C. Patton Residence. Photo taken in 1896: Henrietta, Texas.

Deer Hunters. Photo taken in 1890: Henrietta, Texas.

The Dice sisters: Mary May, Myrtle, and Anna. Photo taken in 1894: Byers, Texas.

Bryant and Kirk Edwards. Photo taken in 1899: Henrietta, Texas.