PLEASE READ BEFORE BUYING: I sell ORIGINAL items
ONLY and NOT ANY reproductions.
This sale is for ONE
advertising LETTERHEAD
from
The OFFiCE of
CLEMENTS & GOODSON,
COTTON BUYERS AND
DEALERS IN GENERAL MERCHANDISE
in
COPERAS
COVE, TEXAS
during the year
of 1888.
The letter is
addressed to
R.H. Stewart
THIS LETTER IS
HAND WRITTEN and SIGNED by
J. S. CLEMENTS.
Copper Cove Historical Notes :
In
1825, Mexico provided Stephen F. Austin with a land grant
encompassing a large area including present-day Copperas Cove. Starting in the
1830s, the first settlers came into the Five Hills region. The area
was very unstable until after the Civil War. Cattle industry was a
catalyst for settlement during the 1870s, when a feeder route of the Chisholm
Trail was cut through the region. Settlement centered around a local
general store about two miles southwest of present-day downtown. In 1878,
residents applied for a post office under the name "Cove", so chosen
for the site's sheltered location. However "Cove" was already taken
by a nearby community (now called Evant). Inspired by the taste of nearby
spring water, residents amended the name to "Copperas Cove"
(officially in 1901). The post office was established in March 1879, with
Marsden Ogletree as the town's first postmaster. The original building remains
today and is the site of the Ogletree Gap Heritage Festival.
Avenue D East of Main Street, circa 1905
Copperas Cove's
development continued when the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway
expanded into the region in 1882. Local resident Jesse M. Clements (I could not find data on
Jesse M. Clements?) lobbied
to obtain train service and provided the railroad company with the necessary
right-of-way about two miles northeast of town. (This letter was signed Jesse
S. which from my research was likely Jesse Strong Clements.) Residents
soon moved to a new set of streets laid out by the company's engineer, E.F.
Battle. The train depot at Copperas Cove served as the shipping point for
farmers and ranchers in the area between Cowhouse Creek and the Lampasas River.
Businesses thrived to provide services for area residents, including a steam
gristmill-cotton gin, three hotels, a barber shop, and an opera house. Many of
the town's early buildings remain to this day, focusing around the block of
Avenue D between Main Street and 1st Street. By 1900, the population had
reached 475, and residents voted to form their own school district. A private
bank opened in 1906, and residents elected Jouett Allin as their first mayor in
1913.
Jesse was born on Dec.
10 1858 in Cass, Texas. His father was James Strong Clements who was
married to Nancy Ann Wornel. Jesse married Annie Louisa Sharp on Nov. 4
1885 in Coryell, Texas. They were parents of 4 sons and 5
daughters. He lived in McLennan, Texas in 1869 and Copperas Cove,
Coryell, Texas for about 30 years. He passed on May 1943 in San Antonio,
Texas at the age of 84.
CONDITION: it has normal letter
folds, is in GOOD CONDITION, IT HAS SOME FILE HOLES AT THE TOP
OF THE LETTER . THE "EBAY ITEM" THING IS JUST A LOOSE PIECE OF
PAPER.
Approximate size of letterhead
is
5 1/2" X 9".
If you have any questions,
please contact me
TERMS & CONDITIONS:
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Please visit my Ebay store for related ephemera, antique documents and
paper collectibles at TexasJohnnyboy
Ephemera.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH and GOOD LUCK TO YOU.