Memory Lane



J. Bryan Wasson, wearing summer uniform
about 1955.



Memory Lane

By J Bryan Wasson

 Chapter 1

Abilene, Texas was established as a direct result of the Texas and Pacific Railroad.  Abilene was founded in March of 1881. It was named after Abilene Kansas, a major cattle market as it was hoped and believed the new Abilene would become. This hope did not exactly come true. The Abilene area became a major livestock producing area. A stockyard did come into being, not as large and as major as that in Abilene Kansas and not as large and as important as the stockyards in Fort Worth, Texas, but Abilene, Texas did develop a stockyard. Note: See my story entitled, Primary Education for a Cowboy which can be found in my “Looking Back” website: www.wassonslookingback.blogspot.com . All towns and cities need law enforcement, including this new town located on the T and P Railroad called Abilene. Law Enforcement in Abilene seen through the eyes of a former APD   Motor Officer, Sargent and Lieutenant is what these “Tales of the Abilene Police Department” are all about.

I was born in January of 1933 in Abilene, Texas. The nation had nearly dug it’s self out of the great depression. Abilene, Texas, for the most part, however, was doing well.

My memories of Abilene and family are very closely linked. My paternal grandfather was Tatum Stoveall Wasson. My paternal grandmother, Mattie Rucker Wasson and Lillian Rucker Sibley, the mother of William Rucker "Ruck" Sibley and his brother Joseph Hendrix "Pee Wee" Sibley were sisters. W.R. "Ruck" Sibley was Abilene's 4th Chief of Police.  J. H. "Pee Wee" Sibley in addition to working in the dry cleaning business and at the Hilton and Wooten Hotels was a well known area singer. He sang for 15 years with the West Texas Stamps Quartet and another 15 years with the Key City Quartet. My uncle, Billy T. "Bill" Wasson organized and also sang with the Key City Quartet. Bill Wasson was a longtime Abilene car dealer, founding Wasson Chrysler - Plymouth.

Joseph Moore Rucker and wife, Mary Jane (Henley) Rucker;
parents of Lillie Rucker Sibley and Mattie Rucker Wasson;
grandparents of Chief Ruck Siblen and his brother PeeWee" Sibley
as well as my dad and his brothers; my paternal great grandparents.

From my earliest childhood, I remember visiting in the home of "Pee Wee" Sibley and his wife Elaine. They were also frequent visitors in our home. As a child, I often heard my dad speak of "Ruck" Sibley and I may have come in contact with him, but I do not remember it. In my adult years, however,my wife Shirley and I were often guest in the home of  Chief "Ruck" Sibley and shared many meals with him and his wife. During those meals, I listened to many tales of the early Abilene Police Department.

Throughout my childhood I remember many family gatherings for the purpose of eating home made ice cream at the home of Joseph Homer ( J.H.) Rucker on his dairy farm. To my family, he was "Uncle Herman." The J. H. Rucker Dairy was well known as a part of  Abilene history from the 1930's until the dairy went out of business shortly after his death in 1957. He also served as a Taylor County Commissioner. If my memory is correct, he was serving as a County Commissioner at the time of his death, June 17, 1957. His funeral was one of the biggest in Abilene history. The Abilene Police Department borrowed an additional motorcycle for funeral escort. The borrowed motorcycle was ridden by Lt. Grover Chronister, Identification Officer for the department and a former Motor Officer.

My dad's sister, Ruby married Estel Bonine. His sister, Leota married Elijah Alexander "Leigh" Bonine. Their son, David became a Riverside, California Police Officer as a result of riding with me for a full 8 hour shift on an extremely busy midnight shift during the time I was a Lieutenant with the APD.  My  maternal grandfather was Jessie Alva Sterling. My mother, Linda Gertrude (Sterling) Wasson's sister, married Richard R. Bonine. I was therefore related to the Bonine family on both sides of my immediate family. The Bonine family was known in Abilene for construction and new home building.

My mother's brother, Robert Sterling, was a few years older than me. My mother's brother, Mack, was two or three years younger than me. During my younger years Robert and Mack were more like brothers to me than uncles. Robert lived with us while he attended Abilene High School. He was enrolled in Diversified Occupation in which he attended school for half of a day and worked for H. R. Gibson at Gibson's Products Company for half a day. At that time Gibson's Products Company was located on Walnut Street. The company later moved to the 100 block of Sycamore Street as Gibson Wholesale Company. H.R. Gibson was the founder of the chain of Gibson Discount Stores and one of the largest benefactors of Abilene Christian University. Robert spent most of his working life associated in various ways with the Gibson chain.

Mack later became an Abilene Police officer and later joined Robert in the ownership of three Gibson stores.

My Uncle, J. T. "Buss" Wasson, Relief APD Motor Officer
and City Electrician.

Jerry Wasson was the daughter of my uncle, J.T. "Bus" Wasson. She was just a few months younger than me. She was more like a sister than a cousin. As children, we spent a lot of time together. My cousin Jerry Wasson and I were contemporaries at South Junior High and at Abilene High School.

The old City Band Stand was on Walnut Street behind the Old
Federal Building on North 4th and the U.S. Post Office on Pine Street.

I  believe I was about three years old when they tore the old bandstand on Walnut Street  down, but I do remember going there with my parents to a band concert. It is a shame that it had to go away to make room for other construction including an area for parking Postal vehicles.

The Paramount Theater, Down Town, Abilene, TX

The Box Office of The Paramount at night

Saturday afternoon movies were always a big thing for me during my childhood. The north side down town theaters were the Paramount, Majestic, Queen, Texas and the Linda. The later two were on Pine Street. The Queen was located at North Second and Cypress. The Majestic was just around the corner in the middle of the 200 Block of Cypress. The Paramount was across the street in the 300 block of Cypress.  The Paramount, Majestic and Queen were part of the Interstate Theater Chain. Wally Aiken was the Manager and Frank Sheffield became the Assistant Manager. Later Sheffield became the Manager and Aiken opened a skating rink on Shelton Street. My memory is getting a little fuzzy about the south side theaters. I remember one on the south side of South First Street and another around the corner in the 100 block of Chestnut on the east side of the street. I have a vivid memory of a movie that I saw with my parents when I was about 6 years old at the theater on South First. The Movie was Green Pastures. It was a Biblical story about Moses leading the Hebrews out of Egypt to The Promised Land. This movie stuck in my mind for three reasons. First it was reported to be the first movie with an all black cast. Second was the way the characters dressed for a Biblical story. They all wore khaki shirts and trousers that reminded me of an Army uniform. I thought that strange dress for the time period portrayed and distracted me from the story. Third, I was stung by a wasp. It was extremely painful and distracted me more than the manner of dress of the characters. I have always wanted to see that movie again.

I believe the theater on Chestnut was the Palace. There was another movie theater out on Butternut, I believe about the 1800 or 1900 block. I believe it was the Metro. When I went to the movies, I often went alone and sometimes I was with my cousin Jerry or my uncle Mack and on a few times with both my uncles Robert and Mack. I remember one occasion when my mother who worked in the Alexander Building for Dr. Holt Magee phoned me and said that that one of my silver screen cowboy heroes was appearing live with his horse at the theater in the 100 block of Pine. My memory again is a bit fuzzy, but it was either Charles Starrett or Ken Maynard. He appeared on the stage in front of the screen where the horse did some tricks.  He also rode the horse down the isle inside the theater. I think he must have taken the horse out the back door and around to the front of the theater and entered through the front door. Many years later as a young Abilene Police Officer, I had the occasion to be backstage in that theater. It sure was a crowded place to get that horse in there and how he did it, but they did it.

I remember an incident that occurred when I was 11 years old, at the theater in the 200 block of Pine Street.  From the time I was in the first grade, I was the tallest kid in the class. At that time an adult ticket was required at age 12. The price of a child's ticket was 11 cents and an adult ticket was 25 cents. I was with my two uncles Robert and Mack Sterling. We walked up to the box office together and Robert said, "One adult and two children's tickets, please." The woman in the ticket booth looked at me and asked, "What about him?" I said, "I am only 11 years old." She became rather excited and shouted, "What in the Hell do they raise around here, Amazons?" I got my child's ticket.

The Queen Theater was located at North 2nd and Cypress Street.

My two favorite theaters were the Queen and the Paramount. At the Queen Theater, at 12 noon each Saturday there was a live stage show to start the afternoon. There was live entertainment which sometimes included a cowboy movie star or more often, some local talent. Banner Creamery of Abilene, Texas sponsored this program. There were always prizes that could be obtained by means of a specific number of aluminum foil milk bottle tops. The sponsors had worked out a method that did not require the counting of these milk bottle tops. A hole was punched in the center of the tops. Two or three big knots were tied in the end of a piece of string. Then the string was threaded through the holes in the bottle tops. The sponsors had predetermined based upon the length of a string of bottle tops, how many were in each string. Some kids saved the milk bottle tops for weeks or months. A few weeks were the most I could save before I decided to take in my bottle tops. 

That is why I never claimed the big prize even though it was what I wanted. The grand prize, always saved for last, was a pair of chrome plated, engraved Hopalong Cassidy cap pistols with a steer head embossed on the genuine, simulated ivory, (plastic) grips.   There was a pair of holsters attached to a matching white leather, studded, red reflector mounted belt. Looking back, I suspect the belt and holsters were made of what is known as split leather which is nothing more that an extremely thin layer of leather, bonded to a man made substance which at the time, was most likely cardboard.

The pre-movie show at the Paramount was much the same, but it always had a patriotic theme. This was during World War II. In fact it was claimed that this was the meeting of a club known as Defend US All Guards. Each club member was given a military style red, white, and blue overseas cap with the words, “Defend US All Guards” on the side. Somehow we were made to believe that we were contributing to the war effort by attending these so called meetings.

Immediately after the live stage show, there were previews, a cartoon, and a chapter of a serial. These serials often starred some of the same “cowboys” that were in the B Western “horse operas.” They always ended with the hero in such a position that there was no possible way for survival. This always brought folks back the next Saturday to find out what had happened to the hero.   The next thing on the agenda was the feature, the B Western starring one of my favorite cowboy stars.

The site of the Majestic Theater on Cypress Street  after it was closed.

The Old Federal Building on North 4th was replaced by the
new Federal Building and U.S. Post Office on Pine Street

The old Federal Building on North 4th Street became the Office of the West Texas Chamber of Commerce. It also contained a museum. My habit was to take a tour of this museum nearly every Saturday either before or after going to the movies. I don't know why I wanted to go in there and look at the same displays over and over as they were never changed. As I remember, for the most part, the displays consisted of old bones that had been dug up around the West Texas area. There might have been some old barbed wire and some old spurs or old bridle bits. My ever fading memory eludes me on the exact content of this museum, however I do remember that it was a must on my Saturday schedule nearly equal to the movies.

My cousin, Jerry and I loved to go to the West Texas Fair together. At that time the Fair was located in what was then known as Fair Park on South 7th street. Both rodeos and horse racing were held at the fair. When we were young children, the midway rides were our favorite parts of the fair. As I grew older, I became more interested in the rodeos and horse racing. The stables used for the race horses had once been used to stable National Guard Cavalry horses. These stables continue to be used by the City of Abilene Parks Department for storage of equipment.

My uncle, J. T. "Bus" Wasson often took my cousin Jerry and me out for long rides around town and out into the surrounding country side. During those rides we heard many Abilene Police Department stories. I remembering him taking us out to the site where Fort Phantom Lake was under construction. Construction on Lake Ft. Phantom started in 1937. We saw bulldozers and road graders moving dirt and I was amazed as we drove around on farm lands that my uncle said would be under water within a few years. 

We liked to go out to the Airport which at that time seemed to be a very long ride out South 11th street. I believe that L. E. Derryberry was the Airport Manager at the time. We liked to walk around and look at the airplanes and to watch them take off and land. My cousin Jerry always pointed out a specific airplane that she said belonged to Mr. Derryberry.

It may seem strange, but on those rides we always asked to drive out to "the Colony." It was originally established as an epileptic hospital and known as the Epileptic Colony, but referred to by most folks in Abilene as , "the Colony."  I feel sure that there were people with various mental disorders there other than epileptics. It later became known as Abilene State Hospital and then as the Abilene State School as I assume it still is.

The first time I remember going under the Pine Street underpass was on one of those rides with my uncle "Bus." I remember that we were going from the south side of town to the north side. I do not believe the underpass had been open very long at that time.

The Pine Street Underpass (Looking North) The red brick building prominent just north
of the underpass in the Alexander building. My mother worked on the 3rd floor of this 8 storied
building. I spent much time in this building and watched many parades from the fire escape (3rd floor)
of this building. I also watched many parades from the street with my Uncle "Bus" and cousin Jerry Wasson
from the street and remember that red Harley Davidson Police motorcycle to be the first sign of the parade to follow as it came under the underpass from south to north. The building at far right is the Wooten Hotel, tallest building in Abilene.

One of the places that I loved for him to take us was to the City Barn. During my childhood years as well as my early years as an Abilene Police Officer, The City Barn was located on Cottonwood Street. The City Barn was the headquarters of the Street Department as well as a place for maintenance of city owned cars and trucks. It was also a place for the storage of unused cars, trucks and street maintenance equipment. I enjoyed these visits immensely. One of the main reasons, I liked to go out to the City Barn was to see the matched team of black Percheron horses that were used to pull a road grader. Although the city owned a number of motor graders, tractors, etc., there was still one horse drawn road grader in the inventory of street maintenance equipment. I do not know what year the city sold these beautiful horses, but by the time I was in the 7^th grade, they were still in use.  By that time a truck pulled a flatbed trailer hauling the grader to the job site.  A pickup pulled an open top wooden slat sided trailer that transported the horses to the job site. This was not a very efficient or economical system. I am not sure if it was the same team of horses by the time, I reached my teenage years, but I believe it was. If so, these horses would have been well over 20 years old. I am not sure why the City of Abilene Continued to use a horse drawn grader for so long. I suspect that someone in city government wanted to hang on to these reminders of Abilene's past for as long as possible. I am glad that they did.

At that time all trucks owned by the city of Abilene were red. Not just the Fire Trucks, but all city owned trucks. In addition to these red trucks, by the time I was about 7 or 8 years old, the Police Department had a red Harley Davidson Servi-car (three wheeler) motorcycle. I had watched that  red three wheeled motorcycle escort many parades under the Pine Street underpass from the south side parade lineup area. I do not know the year that the city started phasing out the red trucks and switching to school bus yellow. I believe they are white at this time.

Chapter 2

During my early years at the APD, the city barn was still located in the same place that I often visited as a child. It was still the place were city vehicles were maintained. We washed our motorcycles at the city barn. I think everyone washed the motorcycles and polished them at least one time per week and more if necessary. Other than for washing, police motorcycles were maintained at the Harley Davidson shop owned by Jack Johnson and located at 924 North 11th Street. Police cars were both maintained and gassed up at the City Barn, but motorcycles were gassed up at the Central Fire Station or the Fire Station on Butternut.

Oil changes and other maintenance on police motorcycles was performed at the Harley Davidson Shop on North 11^th Street. This shop is pictured at the top of page 49 of Gunfire on South Front. The photo was taken in 1956, not 1954 as stated in the book. Jack Johnson, Harley Davidson Dealer and owner is at the far left in this picture. This was the year Abilene  celebrated  75 years as a city as stated below the photo. It was also the year that Shirley and i were married.

I do not remember the year, but later in my time at APD a new maintenance center for City vehicles was opened on Highway 80 (North 1^st) to replace the old City Barn. I no longer remember the official name of that facility but most police officers continued to refer to it as the City Barn. It was much larger and far more modern than the old City Barn. This facility was later expanded for other municipal purposes and to the best of my knowledge, it is still in use.

From the time of my childhood to the time I became an APD officer, police cars, at least the cars you saw on the street and recognized as police cars, were black. If the Chief and Detectives used plain cars of other colors, I do not know. Some of these black cars had white lettering on the doors. Some had no markings (Note car at top of page 27 in Gunfire on South Front). An example of patrol car markings by the 1950s era can be seen on page 43 of Gunfire on South Front. Chief Warren Dodson changed Patrol cars from black to white, but at first left the markings the same. Chief  Dodson later changed the door markings to a large gold replica of the Abilene Police Department Badge. He also changed the red lights from a combination red light siren mounted on the left front fender to a bubble gum type light on the tops of cars. He later had one bubble gum type rotating red light placed on each side of the roof of the cars and later introduced the first light bars to the tops of Abilene police cars.

Most APD motorcycles were also black, but there was one gray Indian three wheeler as well as the red Harley three wheeler previously mentioned. There was also a gray colored Indian Chief (80 cubic inches) solo motorcycle. By the time I became a police officer that gray Indian Chief was still in operation by the Police Department. It was very much worn out. One of the gears was completely gone, but it limped along. The city also still owned that old red Harley Davidson three wheeler but it had been transferred from the Police Department to the Parking Meter Department.

One day after I had become a police officer, I saw that old red three wheeler parked at the Harley Davidson motorcycle shop on North 11^th street.  I asked Parking Meter Department employee Pete Peterson, if I could ride it. He agreed and I took a ride out Pine Street to north 13th Street, over to Walnut Street and back to my starting point at the Harley Davidson Motorcycle Shop. I have a personal photo that shows the old red three wheeler parked at that location. It was great to ride that motorcycle that as a child, I had seen escorting parades under the Pine Street underpass.

A 1938 Harley - Davidson Servi-Car (Three Wheeled) Motorcycle.
This looks much like the motorcycle I described in this article, would
 have appeared when new. The Name Servi-Car was derived due to
these motorcycles were designed to be used by Service Stations and automobile
mechanical shops to pull; behind customers automobiles as they picked
them up for service and returned them to the place of pickup. It was
hard to find a Service Station that did not own one of these motorcycles.
Police Departments soon learned that they were excellent for parking meter control
and traffic enforcement in downtown areas.



The downtown areas of many cities were killed by malls and large discount stores, but this was not the case in Abilene. Malls and large discount stores may have contributed to the demise of the downtown central business district, but they were not the final straw that broke the camel’s back. The north side downtown area remained the hub of the city until it was killed by an act of the City Government. Many place the blame on the City Manager at the time, but no City Manager can bring about major change without the actions and blessings of the City Council. Although some saw the new paved streets and black sparkly sidewalks as an improvement, I viewed it as a disaster that ended downtown Abilene as it was in its' glory days.

The entire north side downtown area was torn up at the same time for purposes of replacement of the streets and sidewalks. The new streets were paved with concrete rather than asphalt. The new sidewalks were black concrete with attractive pebbles and some kind of glitter embedded in the surface.

During this lengthy constructions motor officers of the APD Traffic Division spent much of their time in the down town directing traffic.  Many funny stories came out of this. I will include some of these stories at a later time.

 

 

A Picture Postcard showing Abilene in 1945.

My boyhood dream was to be an Abilene Police officer, not just an Abilene Police officer, but an Abilene Police motor officer. I heard stories of the Abilene Police department from as early as I can remember from my dad, J. B. “Jake” Wasson and my uncle J. T. “Bus” Wasson.

The 16 story Wooten Hotel, Abilene's tallest opened in 1930. A red light was placed atop this building. A police officer could trip a switch  that would turn this light on from the Police Department located in the basement of the City Hall. As police walked their beats they were to look to the top of the Wooton Hotel from time to time. If the red light was on they were to go to one of the three beat phones and call in to find out the nature and location of the call they were to respond to. At night this was not a problem most of the time, but in the day time it was sometimes difficult to impossible to determine if the light was on. Sometimes, an officer walking a downtown beat was to walk to the City Hall and get in a car to respond to a call outside the downtown area. Sometimes two or more officers would respond to those calls. According to stories told to me by my dad and my uncle J.T. "Buss" Wasson and later by former Chief Ruck Sibley, The Abilene police Department had no more than three and often two cars in those early days.

The Wooten Hotel

By the time I joined the Abilene Police Department in 1954, three beat phones remained active in the downtown area and were used often. Two of these phones were on the north side of town and one on the south side of town. The switch to the red light on top of the Wooten Hotel was still operable and located in the radio room. It was not used, however.

In the late 1930s and early 40s I doubt that anyone in Abilene, Texas had ever heard of what is now called, “a Police Reserve”, but Abilene in effect had one. The early Abilene Police Department had what was called, “Relief Officers.” There were so few Officers that they worked 7 days per week. If an officer wanted a day off or went on vacation, one of the Relief Officers filled in. My uncle, J.T. “Bus” Wasson was one of those officers. He was a full time City of Abilene Electrical Department employee. He was also a commissioned police officer. If needed by the Police Department, he just “changed hats” so to speak. To the best of my knowledge and belief, all of the Relief Officers were full time city employees. I don’t believe there were more than 3 or 4 such Relief Officers. These officers were also called for special events such as parades and the West Texas Fair.

At the bottom of page 27 of Gunfire on South Front is a photo of Floyd Willis mounted on an Indian three wheeler motorcycle. in the early days before parking meters, officers rode around the downtown area marking tires with a piece of chalk at the end of a long stick. Floyd Willis was one of those officers. I believe that when parking meters came into use in Abilene, that  police officers  collected the money from the meters and maintained them until the Parking Meter Department was established. I may be wrong in this belief, however. What I do know for sure is that by the time I joined the Abilene Police Department he was in charge of the Parking Meter Department. This Department maintained the parking meters and collected the money from them. Working with him was, “Pete” Peterson a former Harley Davidson dealer. When the City of Abilene established a Traffic Department headed by a Traffic Engineer, the Parking Meter Department along with the APD Meter Maids were reluctantly absorbed by this new City Department. The Meter Maids were justly unhappy about this because they lost their Civil Service status. This resulted in less vacation days. At that time the Civil Service employees of the Police and Fire Departments received 15 working days annual vacation. All other personnel received 15 calendar days annual vacation.

It was through my uncle, "Bus" Wasson that as a child I first met Miss Maud Moulton. When I was told that she was a Police Matron, I had no idea what that meant. When it was explained to me and I learned that she searched female prisoners and took care of their special needs while they were in jail. She also went along when female prisoners were transferred to the County Jail.

Throughout my childhood my uncle "Bus" Wasson, his wife Bea and my cousin Jerry  lived on Chestnut Street. It was at that location that I sat on his APD motorcycle and dreamed of the day that I would be an Abilene Police Motor Officer. By the time I reached my teenage years, they had moved to a house on South 12th near Fair Park. Miss Maud Moulton, by then retired, lived across the street from my Uncle Bus and his wife. She operated a boarding house for elderly people in her home. By the time I was a member of APD, my Grandfather, Tatum S. Wasson lived with Miss Maud as one of her boarders. It was a very handy location. My aunt Sis and her daughter Nancy lived just around the corner from Miss Maud, but I don’t remember the name of the street. It made it very easy for family to visit back and fourth. I had a number of conversations with Miss Maud at her home concerning the APD. Miss Maud’s badge is pictured on page 245 of Gunfire on South Front.

When my uncle worked as a police officer, most of the time it was as a motor officer. I spent a lot of time at the home of my uncle "Bus" and Aunt Bea. I looked forward to him coming home for lunch because I would climb up on that Harley Davidson police motorcycle where I would sit with visions of chasing speeders until it was time for him to return to work. He rode with family friends C.A. Veteto and J.D. Woodard. J.D. Woodard is the 3rd officer from the right in the front row in the photo on page 24 as well as the center officer indicated as, “unidentified” in two photos on page 20 of Gunfire on South Front. J.D. Woodard became a Captain on the Abilene Police Force. He later served as Taylor County Deputy Sheriff, then as Constable and later Sheriff of Taylor County. J.D. Woodard became my boyhood hero. I often stood on the curb and waited for him to ride by on that police motorcycle.

During J.D. Woodard’s tenure as Taylor County Sheriff, my dad, J.B. “Jake” Wasson went to work for him as Chief Jailer. When it was announced that I was to be the new Chief of Police in Hamlin, the first person to call and congratulate me was J.D. Woodard. To be congratulated by my boyhood hero was a big thing for me. Later, I had an opportunity to hire J.D. Woodard. I considered it, but felt uncomfortable about it. In fact it scared me. He was my boyhood hero. How could I be his boss? Was it a mistake not to hire him? I will never know. How many people have the opportunity to have their boyhood hero by their side as friend and advisor as they carry out their new duties as a Brand new Chief of Police?

 Chapter 3

My personal opinion is that the first police uniforms in the United States were fashioned after U.S. Army blue uniforms. I suspect that some military veterans who became police officers wore the same uniforms they had worn in the Army. If you compare old photographs of Union Army Civil War Uniforms and Indian war uniforms with many early police uniforms, it is difficult if not impossible to distinguish the difference.

Chief John J. Clinton had been in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, where there had been even less uniformity in military dress than the Union counterparts. I suspect that when he became Abilene’s Chief of Police that he simply adopted the uniform of his previous foe, the U. S. Army.

It should be noted that if you look at photos of Civil War era U.S. Army Officers, you will find very little uniformity in the style of their uniforms with the exception of the color, dark blue. Trousers for Union enlisted men during the civil war and Indian wars were sky blue. Confederate enlisted wore what ever they could get that ranged from shades of gray to tan to a blue close to the color of current postal delivery personnel. One Confederate Officer, (I no longer remember who, but I believe it was Stonewall Jackson) prior to the war, had been the Commandant of a private Military School where he wore the same dark blue uniform of the Union Army. He continued to wear that same dark blue uniform throughout the Civil War. I suspect he was often mistaken for a Yankee. I have drifted away from the Abilene Police uniforms, but will throw in two other tidbits.

In addition to their British roots, the reason the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (known as Royal Northwest Mounted Police at the time) wore red coats was to distinguish them from the U.S. Army during the Indian wars. Canada was at peace with the Sioux and some other tribes at a time we were at war with them.

A second little tidbit is that at this time (2010), the U.S. Army is phasing in as the Class A uniform, a dark blue blouse (jacket) and sky blue trousers. With minor modifications, it is the uniform once known as Dress Blues. Everything that goes around comes around.

The early Abilene Police uniforms were traditional navy blue as worn by most police departments. During the late 1930’s and very early 40’s, the blue uniforms of the Abilene Police Department were very similar to the uniforms worn by the Abilene Police Department today. During that time a navy blue wool military style blouse was optional to be worn over the shirt. When the blouse was worn, the Sam Browne belt was worn over the blouse. It should be noted that in those days the Sam Brown Belt was worn complete with shoulder strap. By definition it is not a Sam Browne belt without the shoulder strap. Without the shoulder strap, it simply becomes a pistol or equipment belt. The shoulder strap was despised by most officers. By the time I was an Abilene Police Officer, the shoulder strap was required, but some officers disobeyed the order to wear it. Many officers, including myself reported for work wearing the shoulder strap. As soon as they were away from the Police station, the strap came off. When they returned to the station at the end of their shift, they were again wearing the shoulder strap. It was not officially discontinued by the Abilene Police Department until Warren Dodson was Chief.

An old Post Card showing the old City Hall at North 2nd and Cedar (Date Unknown).
The shrubbery and lamp post were not there when I went to work in 1954. The Police
Department was located in the basement. An entrance was located on each side of the
front stairs to a north/south hallway under the stairs. The front door into the lobby of the
Police Station was in the center of this hallway. 

During WWII, the Abilene Police Department departed from the traditional blue uniform for a short while. The APD adopted a uniform that was very easy to confuse with Texas Highway Patrol uniform of that time. The trousers were of elastique material, taupe in color. They were the exact same trousers worn by Army Officers at the time and referred to as pinks. When worn with the very dark olive green blouse, Army Officers referred to the uniform as, “pinks and greens.” There is no material more durable and thus suited for long wear under strenuous circumstances than elastique. The belt loops on the trousers was wide enough for the Sam Browne belt. The trousers had a stripe about an inch wide. I no longer remember the color of the stripe, but I believe it was a shade of blue. I also no longer remember the color of the shirts, but believe they were a color close to French blue. The epaulets on the shirts were of the same color as the trousers. The cap was taupe in color to match the trousers.

After this uniform was discontinued the APD returned to the traditional dark blue uniform. Officers were allowed to keep the taupe colored trousers. They had the stripe removed and some even had the belt loops cut down to a regular width. Some officers continued to wear these elastique trousers for civilian clothing for many years afterward. This practice was continued to the time that I  joined the APD.

When I became Chief of Police in Hamlin, I ordered a couple of pairs of those same trousers to be worn as uniform trousers. I am sure; they were sold in a garage sale by my wife many years ago after my waist increased in size. One thing is sure, they never wore out.

Some people who have only seen photographs of this uniform and the taupe uniform adopted by Warren Dodson have been confused and believe this to be the same uniform. They were two separate and distinct uniforms. The last time I visited the Abilene Police Department Museum; there was a mannequin on display dressed in the taupe motorcycle uniform that was introduced by Chief Warren Dodson. Part of this display was a copy of the photo of F.M Pruitt mounted on a motorcycle that is on page 26 of Gunfire on South Front. The displacement of light in this photograph makes the shirt and trousers appear to be the same color. The only thing correct in this display was the badge that was worn on the WWII era uniform. If you check the photo at top right on page 27, it becomes evident that the shirt and trousers are not the same color. I suspect a lighting distortion in the photo of Floyd Willis at the bottom of page 27.  If not a lighting distortion, he may have been wearing the dark navy blue uniform trousers and cap with the lighter blue shirt of the other uniform. I believe Floyd Willis (no kin to Troy Willis) was one of the Relief Officers.

This Highway Patrol looking uniform was not in use very long. I doubt that it was worn for more than two or three years before the APD returned to the traditional blue uniform.

When I joined the APD, the winter uniform was navy blue wool serge with a 1/8^th inch yellow gold stripe on the trousers. The eight point visor cap was also navy blue serge with braid that matched the stripe on the trousers. The summer trousers looked the same, but were of lighter weight material. The summer shirt was gray poplin. In about 1957 APD switched to short sleeve gray poplin summer shirts. Some officers including motor officers were allowed to continue wearing long sleeve summer shirts if they chose to do so. The summer cap was ventilated. Although they had done so in previous years, at the time I came to work at APD, motor officers were not wearing riding breeches, but they were again gradually  phased in. Motor officers were wearing the same caps as other uniformed officers when I first started riding a motorcycle, but it was not long before we were issued helmets. The helmets were white with a black band around the bottom. We drilled holes in the front of the helmets to install our cap badges.

The first patch worn by the Abilene Police Department under
Chief Walter B. "Red" McDonald.

Uniformed officers wore no shoulder patches in 1954. We received our first patches after W.B. "Red" McDonald became Chief. At first there was only a left sleeve patch, but it was not long before a round patch with the wording "Police Patrol" was added to the right sleeve. (Personal note: The Midland Police Department wore the exact same style left and right sleeve patches with the exception that the color was brown.) Motor Officers wore a rectangular black patch with wheel and wings on the right sleeve. Collar insignia was added to the uniform at the same time as patches. Patrol Officers wore  the letters "APD" on the right side of the collar and  their badge number on the left side. Motor Officers wore a wheel and wings insignia on the left side of the collar. It was the same wheel and wings insignia currently worn over the right shirt pocket by Motor Officers of the APD today.

Motorcycle wing and wheel insignia worn by Motor Officers of the Traffic Division
as a collar insignia.

At that time the Abilene Fire Department wore the exact same winter uniform as the PD with the exception of the lack of the gold colored stripe on the trousers and trim on the cap. The Fire Department cap was the traditional  Fire Dept. style visor  cap rather than the eight point style worn by the Police Department. For summer they wore a light blue poplin shirt rather than the gray worn by the PD.

The 2nd APD Patch. This patch was worn on the left sleeve
when Chief Warren Dodson changed from the blue uniform
to the taupe uniform in the early 1960s.

Chief Warren Dodson switched to the taupe uniform mentioned above in the early 60s. This uniform had a black stripe on the trouser legs and as trim around the epaulets. Motor Officers wore riding breeches with boots. With this uniform change, the visor cap became one with a round military style as opposed to the eight point type top. At that time right sleeve patches and collar insignia were abolished. Later K9 Officers and Safety Cruiser Officers were authorized specialized right sleeve patches.The Safety Cruiser patches were designed by Sgt. Billy Paul who was Assistant Training Officer. He later became Chief of Police in Graham.

During WWII, a number of Abilene Police Officers took a leave of absence in order to serve in the Armed Forces. My Uncle, J.T. "Bus" Wasson took a leave of absence to work as a civilian Security Officer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A force of horseback mounted officers was formed to Patrol the Houston ship channel. These officers wore modified U.S. Army uniforms. Their equipment included U.S. Army issued McClellan saddles. Many of these officers were Texas cowboys who much preferred to ride the stock (western) saddles that they were used to, but the U.S. Army would not permit it. Many, including my uncle, located a safe place within their patrol area to hide their own personal saddle. At the start of their shift, they would ride away from the stables on the official U. S. Army McClellan saddle and return the same way at the end of their shift. During most of their shift, however, they rode their own personal saddle. This reminded me much of the days when APD officers left the Police station wearing the required shoulder strap and returned the same way at the end of their shift. I was one of the many who broke that part of the Abilene Police Department uniform regulations. Sometimes it was necessary to put the hated shoulder strap back on while investigating traffic accidents -- you never knew when a supervisor might drop by.

During the Camp Barkley days, The sidewalks from the outside walls of the buildings to the curbs were a sea of  khaki and olive drab (OD) enlisted uniforms as well as khaki and Pinks and Greens officers uniforms for far as the eye could see. The insides of the retail stores and restaurants were much the same. Two favorite retail stores for the solders were Harry Goltz Army Store (the name was changed to Harry Goltz Mens Store after Camp Barkley closed) and a men's dry goods  store  (I no longer remember the name of this store)located on the ground floor of the Mims Building at North 3rd and Cypress. Both of these stores carried military uniforms and insignia as well as civilian clothing during the Camp Barkley period.

USO on North 2nd Street

These solders from Camp Barkley and Tye Army Air Field brought about a need for USO clubs. The first USO was constructed on North 2nd. After the war it became the YMCA. At present it is the Family Life Center for First Baptist Church. The 2nd USO to be opened was in the old Elks Club building at North 1at and Cedar. It later became the home of a U.S. Army Reserve Military Government (the forerunner of the 490th Civil Affairs Battalion) unit. It later became the City Hall Annex and housed a number of City of Abilene Departments including the Traffic Department and the Inspection Department. It also housed the S.S.B. of the Police Department.

There was a German POW camp at Camp Barkley. Many of these prisoners were allowed to work on neighboring farms for a small wage. Some times these prisoners would "escape."  The only air conditioned buildings in Abilene at the time were the theaters, some stores and restaurants.  Hot West Texas days working on farms were most often the reason for these so called "escapes." The Abilene Police Department would be notified of these "escapes." APD officers knew just where to look for these escaped German prisoners. They were most often found in the Paramount Theater and sometimes in one of the other theaters.

During  the WWII period, the Abilene Police Department drove Hudson cars. By the time I was in the 7th grade, my dad purchased one of these former black Hudson Patrol cars to become our family car. I thought it was really great to ride around in a former Patrol car. One day I decided to give this former APD Patrol car a thorough search. Under the back seat I found a steel 12 mm film canister containing a reel of film. I took this film into the house and kept it for many years, not knowing the nature of the film. It was not until I was an adult that I borrowed a 12 mm projector. My uncle Mack Sterling and I hung  bed sheet on a wall and turned on the projector. We watched the film a couple of times. I now have no idea what the content of that film was other than the fact that it was some sort of documentary. Likewise, I have no idea of what ever happened to the film.

1941 Hudson Super Six, The type car used by the APD
as Patrol Cars during the WWII time period.

Hudson Advertising Material

Advertising material, 1938 Hudson Terraplane

By the time I joined APD in 1954, my uncle, "Bus" Wasson had risen through the ranks of the electrical  department. I never asked him what his job title was, but to the best of my knowledge and belief, he was head of the electrical department for the City of Abilene. At the very least, his position was such that he had a reserved parking space at City Hall. All Department heads had reserved parking spaces at City Hall, located at North 2nd and Cedar. That fact got me into a little bit of hot water with Chief Hallmark.

Beat cars picked up most of the officers who would be their relief and who lived within their beat. Some officers preferred to drive their own cars to work and some like myself who lived outside the city limits had no choice but to drive themselves to work. There was a disadvantage to being picked up by a beat car in that it was necessary to start picking up officers at least an hour before shift change. The disadvantage of driving yourself to work was  that with the exception of the midnight shift (11:00PM to 7:00AM) finding a place to park without parking on a meter was difficult at best.

My uncle, "Bus" Wasson told me that most of the time by 3:00 PM each day he would have concluded all his business at the City Hall. He said that after that time, he would be at the Electrical Shop or in the field doing inspections or supervising electrical work. He advised me that if his parking space was empty when I came to work on the evening shift (3:00PM to 11:00PM) that I could use his parking space. 

The Parking Lot at City Hall was referred to as, "the ramp" rather than as a parking lot. The ramp was bordered by a concrete retaining wall  that protected a lower than street level sloping drive way on the south side of the City Hall that allowed police cars to park and that allowed access to the booking area and jail via a door into the basement. of the city Hall building. The ramp was bordered by the retaining wall on the north, a sidewalk on the east, an alley on the south and another alley on the west. One afternoon as I came to work and parked my car, Chief Hallmark was standing on the ramp near  the east-west alley which was also near my uncle's parking space. The Chief observed me park and get out of my car. I suspect he already knew to whom this reserved parking space was assigned and that he was most likely waiting for me. I explained to him that my uncle had given me permission to park in that space. I suspect he also already new that also.  He advised me that I should look for another place to park in the future. I did not have time to search for another place to park that afternoon and make it to briefing on time. I also suspect that a rookie parking in a reserved parking space at City Hall had not greatly endeared me to my fellow, but senior officers.  The following day I parked on a meter in the City owned lot that paralleled the T and P Railroad a little over a block away. I believe this require at least one trip to feed the meter prior to 5:00PM when meters were no longer read. It was not long after that that the First Baptist Church gave permission for officers to park on a lot belonging to the Church which was located at North 2nd and Hickory.

 Chapter 4

There are a few bits of Abilene history that no stroll down memory lane by me would be complete without mentioning. These include the John Guitar Mansion; the home delivery of ice; the creameries in Abilene during my childhood; Abilene's two bakeries; Mead's and Mrs Baird's; the Abilene Municipal Auditorium and  Thornton's Department Store.

The John Guitar home known as the Guitar Mansion

I don't know what year John Guitar built his mansion on North First Street, but it was still standing in the 1950s. It was a sight to behold with its' red clay tile roof. There was a carriage house behind the house and if I remember correctly slightly to the west of the house. It had become known as the Guitar Mansion. While I was a member of the APD, the house had stood vacant for many years and become victim to vandalism. The Guitar family made the decision to tear it down. There had been a movement by some in the community to restore the old mansion and turn it into a Museum. I wish the Guitar family had donated it to the City or some civic organization to become a museum. The Guitar family stood by its' plans to tear it down. They did, however, have what I guess you could call, "an open house" for a few days to allow the public a last opportunity to visit the mansion. I took advantage of that and saw the inside of the Guitar Mansion for the first time. The inside was more beautiful than the outside. One room had a hand painted plaster guitar in the ceiling. I believe it was an upstairs bedroom. Being a guitar player, that ornamentation in the ceiling sure was fine to look at. As best as I can remember, the red clay roof tiles were stacked up and sold. I don't remember if anything else from the house was sold.

An example of an early day Ice card that was placed
in the window to indicate to the ice delivery man the
amount of ice a specific household wanted  for that day.

Prior to the wide spread ownership of refrigerators, ice companies were necessary and the home delivery of ice was a convenience. I know that there was an ice house at North 3rd and Hickory Street. In fact it was not torn down until the 1950s. In the back of my mind, however, I seem to remember an ice house on the south side of town also. I think it was on Chestnut, but I am not  sure of this. I very well do remember home delivery of ice in Abilene. I am aware that ice was first delivered by horse drawn vehicles, but I do not personally remember this. 

During my early childhood insulated boxes were mounted on the back of pickups to transport the ice. I believe the name of the company was Abilene Ice Company. I do not remember what year my parents got their first refrigerator, but prior to that my parents had a wooden icebox. Ice was placed in the top compartment, The lower compartment was used for storage of the refrigerated food items. Ice was sold in 100 pound , 50 pound, 25 pound or 12 and one half pound blocks,  A square a card would be placed in the window  with the number of pounds desired at the top to indicate how many pounds of ice were needed for the day. The men who delivered ice wore a large heavy leather drapery type device on their backs to protect themselves from the ice as it was slung over their shoulder with ice tongs to take from their vehicle into the house where it was placed in the ice box.

Abilene had three creameries. They were Banner, Longhorn and Pangburns. During the time I was in South Junior High School, I walked to School most of the time. On occasion, I boarded a city bus across the street from where we lived on Oak Street and rode to 14th and Butternut where I got off. Just across the street from the bus stop on the on the SW corner was Banner Creamery. I walked by Banner each day on my way to school I think I memorized every inch of the outside of the plant and every aspect of the milk and ice cream trucks.

Longhorn Creamery was located on Chestnut Street. Little did I know it as a child and a teenager, but my future father-in-law, J.B. Mazy worked at Longhorn for many years. He continued his employment after Longhorn was purchased by Borden. Smokey Donaldson who played acoustic guitar in Slim Willet's band also worked at Longhorn during my teenage and early adult years. When we later lived at Potosi, we had guitar jam sessions in our home that included Smokey Donaldson. My father-in-law continued to work for Borden after it was moved to a location on Leggett Drive until he retired. Retired Abilene Police Officer, Richard Valdez was his co-worker at Borden's.

Pangburn Creamery was located on North 1st. It produced and sold only ice cream. I believe it also sold candy which was produced at another Pangburn plant. My uncle, Robert Sterling and I visited the Pangburn plant for ice cream rather often. Another fact that I was unaware of at the time was that my Wife, Shirley's grandfather, David Cathey worked at Pangburn. Shirley tells me that they often visited him at work at night and enjoyed eating ice cream.

Gandy's Creamery did not arrive on the Abilene scene until, I was a motor officer with the Abilene Police Department. Bill Jones, the manager at Gandy's became a very good friend. Bill and I met when I issued him a traffic ticket. The American Paint Quarter Horse Association was born in the offices of Gandy's Creamery with Bill Jones as the first president of the organization. I became the national director of horse shows as well as the publisher and editor of The Paint Quarter Horse Journal. The American Paint Quarter Horse Association later merged with the American Paint Stock Horse Association to become the present day American Paint Horse Association.

Another milk company came to Abilene while I was with APD. I no longer remember the name of the company,(it may have been Primrose) but Wayne Richardson, an APD motor officer resigned and went to work for that company.

Mead's Bakery owned by E.P. (Doc) Mead was Abilene's first bakery. As best as I can remember, it was first located on Pecan Street across the alley behind Thornton's Department Store. When we lived out on Oak Street, the boy next door (His last name was Thornton, but no relationship to the Department Store Ownership)  and myself would walk through the bakery on our way home from the movies and get some hot bread. I just about have forgotten where Meads Bakery moved to, but I think it was out on South First Street.

I do not remember the year that Mrs. Baird's Bakery opened in Abilene, but I believe I was in Junior High School. Organizations and groups could arrange tours of the bakery. The last thing that occurred on those tours was for each individual to be given about a half of a loaf of hot bred fresh out of the oven, split open with a knife and melted butter poured on it.  Wow! That was abbot the most mouth watering, best tasting stuff that you could flap a lip over.

The Abilene Municipal Auditorum was located on South 7th in what was then known as Fair Park. During the West Texas Fair, various shows were put on in the auditorum. The chief reason for selecting that location for the auditorum was the West Texas Fair. It was also location for the of many great shows that came to Abilene other than during the Fair.  Harley Saddler was a traveling entertainer. I remember seeing one Harley Saddler play with my parents at the auditorum.  I  also remember seeing a Harley Saddler play in a big tent while I was in South Junior High School. I believe it was set up on Chestnut Street. The play was a story of the life of Jesse James.  Harley Saddler was best known for his tent shows. Just before intermission at all Harley Saddler shows, Harley Saddler would make a presentation about this special candy that would be sold during intermission. He would start out telling of all the vitamines and minerals that it contained and how good for you this marvilous candy was. He would make this presentation about the candy in such a manner that you knew that he did not mean a word he was saying. Then employees of the show would walk up and down the isles selling boxes of salt water taffy. That may be where I first learned to enjoy salt water taffy.

Elvis Presley held a performance in the Municipal Audirorum in 1955. This was early in his career. I had no idea who he was at the time and did not attend the show.

Singer, songwriter, enertainer, radio DJ, Slim Willet 



My fondest memories of the Abilene Municipal Auditorum were of the Big State Jamboree. The first such show was known as The Hill Billy Circus. It was soon changed to "The Big State Jamboree." It was put on by KRBC disc jockey Winston Moore, AKA Slim Willet. Slim Willet was not an employee of KRBC. He purchased radio time and sold his own advertising. The Slim Willet Show was the most listened to afternoon radio program in Abilene. Slim Willet brought in many well known Grand Ole Opy acts for the popular Saturday night program which was broadcasted on KRBC.

Slim Willet wrote many songs, however his best known song was, "Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes." This song was recorded by numerous major recording artists.

The Abilene Municapal Auditorum was torn down in 1979. It was a beautiful  old building. I no longer live in Abilene, but when I visit and drive out South 7th, I miss that old building.

Thornton's Department Store was advertised as, "A city within itself." E. L. Thornton came to Abilene from Arkansas in 1919, of course that was long before my time. I was told that he started out with a fruit stand that was expanded into a grocery store. By the time I was old enough to know about Thornton's Department store it occupied all or most of the 400 block of Oak Street  on the east side of the street, most of the same block on the west side of the street as well as most of South 5th from Oak to Pecan. E.L. Thornton had opened doorways between connecting buildings. A grocery store with meat market at the back was on the corner of 5th and Oak. Next to the grocery store north was a drug store. I do not remember the exact order as you proceeded north, but there was a men's dry goods store, a women's department  and a hardware department.  Somewhere along the way a draperies department and a womens shoe department were added. Behind the meat market facing  South 5th Street was a feed store. At the corner of 5th and Pecan was a Livestock Auction that took up most, if not all of  of 5th Street from Pecan to Oak Street.

I had cousins who lived across the street from the livestock auction on the S.E. corner of Pecan. Behind the livestock auction there was a large metal barn that was used to store hay. Two friends, Herman and Clayborn McPeak, lived just behind this big barn on the west side of Pecan. myself, my cousin Leroy Gray and the McPeak brothers often had rubber gun fights in the big hay barn. We made wooden guns with wooden clothes pins as triggers. We cut up inner tubes to make large rubber bands to fire from these guns. We even created machine guns that would fire multiple rubber bands. We climbed on and hid behind bales of hay has we had our little war games. A direct hit with one of those inner tube rubber bands was downright painful.

Immediately south and adjoining this big barn was an alleyway that ran the length of the barn. It was used as an unloading and loading area for livestock. After the livestock auction was closed, I needed a place to keep my horse. I rode my bicycle to E. L.Thornton's house and asked him if I could use this fenced alleyway as a place to keep my horse. He agreed to let me keep my horse there free of charge. It was an excellent place for my horse. There was water,  the big barn blocked the north wind, my cousin lived across the street and my friends the McPeak brothers lived next door. Most of the time, my dad would drive me to feed my horse, but  in the event I was unable to get there, I could call my cousin or the McPeak brothers to feed my horse.
When the livestock auction was closed, this big barn became the furnature warehouse.

1940 Studebaker Commander



Across Oak Street at the southwest corner was the Thornton service station and automobile dealership. I do not remember the make of cars that were sold during my very early childhood, but by  the time I was about 12 years old, Thornton's was a Studebaker Dealer. The car dealership took up at least half of the 400 block of Oak on the west side of the street. At one time , I believe prior to it becoming a Studebaker dealership, I remember a number of long wheel based truck chassis with yellow hoods being lined up at the car dealership. School bus bodies were later mounted on these chaises. I do not remember when Thornton closed the Service Station and Studebaker dealership, but I believe it was just before I graduated from High School in 1950..

1951 Studebaker

One of the earliest frequent radio commercials on KRBC stated that "Thornton's, a city within itself is the place where you can purchase anything from hair pins to a city bus." This was a true statement.

Later a new  two story building with a basement, a mezine and Abilene's first escalator was constructed at the corner of 4th and Oak and joined to the other existing buildings. It had a very large window on the corner that was elaborately decorated each Christmas.  The basement contained the hardware department. A furnature department was on the meszine and the business offices were on the second floor. This building burned twice and was rebuilt. It now houses the Abilene, Taylor County Law Enforcement Center. At some point in time, E.L. Thornton's brother's Denver and Shella joined him in the operation of the department store.

When I was in Abilene High School, I worked at Thornton's. My Dad also worked there.  I started out in the Feed Store.  Thornton's Feed Store was a Neutrena dealer. It was while working in the feed store that I met Max Fletcher, a salesman for Neutrena Feeds. Max was a guitar player and later became band leader for Slim Willett. Max and Smokey Donaldson often came to our house at Potosi for jam sessions.

Shella was over the two furnature departments.  I never figgured out exactly what Denver's responsibilites were. He could  often be seen walking around the store. He walked with his head down. If you spoke to him, He would respond, "Mighty Fine" without ever looking up.

There was an Abilene Police officer that was the unofficial public relations person for the Abilene Police Department back in those days. He was sort of like a one man chamber of commerce for Abilene. His name is now among the many names that I can no longer remember. He played a guitar and sang. If a new place of business opened in Abilene, he was there, in uniform, singing and playing his guitar. While I was working at Thornton's, he came to the feed store for some big event being celebrated by Thornton's. People were packed in the place about as tight as it can get as he intertained. Those lucky enough to find a 100 pound sack of feed or a bale of hay to sit on were the only ones sitting. otherwise it was standing room only.

I later transferred to the hardware department. The hardware department carried much more than hardware. It was subdivided into other Departments including sporting goods, toys, houseware and glassware, saddlery, electrical and hardware. There was a big pipe yard in the 400 block of Pecan that was part of the Hardware Department. From time to time, I worked in every department in the store. While I was working at Thorntons, in addition to the high end furnature department on the mezanine, a second budget furniture department was opened across the alley from the main store facing South 5th Street. A department for seasonal merchandise was opened facing South 4th across the alley west from the main store. A shop for the refrigeration department faced the alley between the seasonal merchandise department and the budget furnature department along with a warehouse for appliances.

I have always been a country music fan. While I was workin at Thornton's, a record department was added. They called it, "The Record Centre." It seemed to me that they did not spell it correctly, but I guess that is the way you spell it if you want it to sound very important. Every Saterday night when I got paid, I headed to the record department where I purchased the  latest in record on the country music charts.

It was at Thornton's that I met Bill Ross, another future Abilene Police Officer. Bill drove a truck for the furniture department. I often helped him on deliveries. When the Korean War came along, Bill Ross joined the Army and I joined the Air Force. Bill's wife, Jean was the manager of the S & H green Stamp store. By the time Bill Ross came home from Korea, my future wife, Shirley was working at the S & H Green Stamp Store and Bill and Jean had  sort of taken her under their wings.

I can no longer remember the name of the manager of the hardware department, but he was a great boss. I always loved working for him. He had a son that had worked in the hardware department who had joined the Marine Corps and was serving in Korea at the time I joined the Air Force. When I told him that I was joining the Air force, he asked me to come to the office with him to get my final pay check. He said, You are going to need some extra cash." He wrote out a voucher and gave to  the cashier for what I guess he called a bonus. It was at least $200.00 on top of my regular pay check. That was a lot of money back then. I did not enter the Air Force broke.

My uncle, Mack Sterling,also another futer Abilene Police Officer went to work at Thorntons while I was in the Air Force. Mack was an electrician and refrigeration technician. He worked in the refrigeration department.  It was after I had come home from the Air Force and been on the Police Force for at least a year when a humerous incident occured. I was off duty, in civilian clothes and dropped by the refrigeration shop for a visit with Mack. While I was there, just standing and talking Shella Thornton came in. I guess he had no idea that I had ever left Thornton's employment and I did not look busy enough for him. He told me that a customer had purchased a refrigerator and for me to go out into the appliance warehouse and locate a specific make and model of refrigerator and load it for the customer. I just stood there and stared at him without saying a word. He fired me. He told me that if I could not do the job that he would find someone who would. When I told my dad about the incident, he said that when Shella fired me that I should have told him to call the office and tell them to get my check ready. I don't know why I did not think of that and sure wish I had.

Thornton's was far more than a business for Abilene and Taylor county. It was an institution. When rural people came to town, they always made a stop, often a long stop at Thornton's. Thornton's was the place for rural folks to visit and catch up on the latest news. If you wanted to see a specific person, you would most likely find them at Thorntons. I can say with certanity that I enjoyed my days working at Thornton' Department Store.

Chapter 5

The following biographical information of my dad, Taylor County Deputy Sheriff, J. B. "Jake" Wasson was previously posted on the website of The Sheriffs' Association of Texas (http://www.txsheriffs/ ) under Taylor County, Lost Lawman Memorial. The website of The Sheriffs' Association of Texas has been updated and currently does not contain biographical information of the officers  names who appear on the Lost Lawman Memorial. The Lost Lawman Memorial is located at the Offices of The Sheriffs' Association of Texas in Austin, Texas. My dad's name also appears on The Texas Peace officers Memorial on the grounds of the State Capitol.

Immediately following this biographical information is my article, "The Farm at Potosi" which was previously published in The Brayer magazine as well as being posted on my "Wasson's Looking Back" website located at http://www.wassonslookingback.blogspot.com/ . Combined, these two documents give a very brief, but accurate picture of the life of J. B. "Jake" Wasson. It is to the memory of my father that I dedicate these Tales of the Abilene Police Department.

- Biographical Information –

J. B. “Jake” Wasson

(Jessie Bryan Wasson Sr.)

J.B. “Jake Wasson was born July 26, 1907 at Abilene, Texas to Tatum Stovall and Mattie Rucker Wasson. He grew up on his father’s farm in the Noodle community.

He married Linda G. Sterling in Abilene, Taylor County, Texas December 12, 1931. They had one son, Jessie Bryan Wasson Jr. (known as Bryan).

He purchased and moved to a farm in the Potosi community, South of Abilene in 1948 where he raised cattle. He was later in partnership in the cattle business with son, Bryan Wasson.

He was a member of Potosi Baptist Church where he served as a Deacon.  He joined the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office in 1958 where he served as Chief Jailer under Sheriff J.D. Woodard. He remained with the Department after Sheriff George Maxwell was elected Sheriff. Under Sheriff George Maxwell, he served as a Jailer and had been promoted to “Relief Deputy” prior to his death. In this capacity he worked both in the jail and as a field Deputy as needed and had been assigned a County owned car.  He was a member of The Law Enforcement Officers Association of Texas and The Sheriff’s Association of Texas at the time of his line of duty death, January 12, 1968 resulting from a kick in the stomach by a prisoner.

The Farm at Potosi

Pictured above: Three generations on the Farm at Potosi; Top -L to R: (Me) J. Bryan Wasson ; My Dad, J. B. (Jake) Wasson; Below: Our oldest Daughter Donna, Wasson

By J. Bryan Wasson

The advances of the 20th century sort of overtook and overwhelmed my dad, J. B. “Jake” Wasson. He was a lover of the land with his greatest desire to live on the land.

He grew up on a farm in the Noodle community of Jones County, Texas. He was a product of the great depression and I suspect it was the major factor in his leaving the farm and moving to Abilene in Taylor County. He thought it important for a man to own some land and livestock. He never gave up his desire to return to the farm.

I was born in a house on Portland Street in Abilene on January 22, 1933.. Throughout my childhood, we moved from one rent house or apartment to another. For a short period of time we lived in Eastland, Texas. In Eastland, my dad worked in a drug store owned by a family friend who was a member of the Vletas family. The Vletas family is well known in Abilene as a maker of fine candies.

We returned to Abilene in 1938 we lived for a short time in a rented house at the north edge of Abilene on what was then Pine street. I remember well the second residence we had upon return to Abilene. It was an apartment at 142 ½ Elm Street. It was located above the O.W. Jolly Saddle Shop where I became a friend of O.W. Jolly learned much about saddles, harness, etc. I had the same love of the land as my dad. There was a vacant lot next to the saddle shop where I rode imaginary horses and harnessed imaginary teams. With these imaginary teams, I plowed the imaginary fields of my imaginary farm.

Our next residence was a rent house on E.N. 18 th street directly across the street, with a large vacant lot between, from Abilene Christian Collage. It was while living there and in the 2nd grade that my dad purchased my first horse. Our landlord owned a dairy farm just east of the college campus. Part of that farm is now occupied by the expanded campus of what has become Abilene Christian University as well as houses and business property. Our landlord owned a horse named Tony that was kept on the farm. I spent much time on that farm. My dad and I often went horseback riding with me mounted on my horse and my dad mounted on Tony.

I believe it was 1945 when my parents purchased their first home at 1502 Oak Street. It was not the farm, but close to it. It was at the south edge of Abilene. Mesquite pasture was directly across the street, east from our house. I kept my horse in that pasture. South and east of that pasture was cultivated land used for wheat farming. This area is now occupied by South Treadaway Blvd. which is primarily an industrial area.

Behind the house facing South 15th street was a detached garage. My maternal grandfather built a small barn next to the alley behind our house and garage along with a pen for a milk cow and a chicken pen. A small portion of the barn was used for a chicken house. An area between the cow lot, chicken pen and the garage was fenced for a vegetable garden. There were numerous vacant lots around us which we used for grazing for our milk cow and a Holstein bull calf that I had as a 4H project.

Especially on the south side of Abilene, the oldest part of the town, it was not unusual to find a barn behind houses and many people still maintained a milk cow and chickens.

This near farm like life at the edge of town was short lived. The city closed in around us. My dad and I both longed for the farm. My mother did not share that desire. She just sort of went along with it.

I believe it was late 1947 or early 1948 that the dream came true for both my dad and me. A farm at Potosi was located, the owners of which wanted to move to town. A trade was made and we moved to Potosi. At that time Potosi was a rural community located eleven miles south of Abilene. Our place was directly behind the Potosi Methodist Church and joined the Hancock place to our north. Two churches, Methodist and Baptist remain as next door neighbors with what was the Hancock place directly behind the Baptist church. Lytle creek runs through the pasture. In those days, it flooded about once per year. There was running water much of the time and there was a water hole that rarely went dry.

Shortly after moving in at Potosi my dad started buying calves and later on some yearling steers. Grazing was plentiful in the pasture and fields that had been left fallow for a number of years.

While living at Potosi, I attended Abilene High School. My major high school interests were Vocational Agriculture (now called Agricultural Education) and FFA, Future Farmers of America. My FFA projects were beef steers, swine and poultry. I was also on the FFA poultry judging team. I also had a horse and became a pretty good pasture roper.

I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1951. While I was in the Air Force, I frequently sent money home to purchase calves. During the time I was in the Air Force, My uncle, Homer Reeves, purchased a house in Potosi for my maternal grandparents. The back of the lot joined our property. My Grandfather J.A. Sterling put in a gate to make access between the two places easier. After I was released from active duty in the Air Force, my Dad and I became partners in some cattle.

I married Shirley Mazy in 1956. We lived in Abilene for a short while, however my dad gave us 5 acres of land and we moved to the farm at Potosi. We located a man in Priddy, Texas who had bought numerous buildings from the Government located at military Base that had been closed. From him we purchased what had been an old Orderly Room type building. We leveled the place where the house was to sit with a Fresno (designed to be horse drawn) pulled behind my dad’s 1937 Chevrolet. We dug holes for concrete footings upon which concrete blocks were placed for a foundation. The result was a pier and beam foundation built form concrete blocks. When the foundation was completed, the man from whom we had purchased the house moved it in and set it upon the foundation. Our house was located in close proximity to the home of our parents with less than 50 yards between. We paid this house off in seven years. Wow – I wish that could be done now!

Extensive remodeling was necessary to turn this military building into a house with two bed rooms, a living room, a bathroom and a kitchen. We lived in the house while construction was going on. Most of the carpenter work was done by my non carpenter dad. I was less of a carpenter than my dad, but helped as best I could. Shirley and my mother also did much of the work. None of us were carpenters, however we completed the job and it became our home. Our two daughters were born while we lived in that home. Over the years, we have lived in much better and nicer houses, but I have never been as happy as I was during the time we lived in that house.

Shirley and I did not know it at the time, but it turned out that we already had Potosi roots. After moving to Texas from Alabama, my mother as a child had lived in the Potosi area. Later she moved with her parents and siblings to Colony Hill, an area between Potosi and Abilene located on what is now FM1750.

In 1900, Shirley’s great-grandfather, John Revell built a cotton gin in the Lytle Cove area four or five miles southwest of present Potosi. It was located on what was the old Sumrall place. Later as a child, Shirley’s mother lived in the house on the Hancock place. That house was located very close to what is now the main entrance to Potosi Baptist Church.

Although five acres had been deeded to me by my dad, including part of the pasture and part of the cultivated land, there was never any distinction between my land and land owned by my parents. No fences separated my land and my parents land. The effect was one farm with two houses.

At some point my dad sold most of the land. The actual reason is unknown to me, but I believe it was due to his declining health. He kept the land on which the house, barn and outbuildings were located as well as part of the pasture. My five acres also remained.

To compensate for the land that had been sold, I leased the Hancock place which joined us to the north. I only had to open an existing gate to obtain additional grazing land for my horses.

In 1965 Shirley and I purchased a house in Abilene and moved to town. Was this a mistake? I often think it was. The house we purchased on Yorktown in Abilene was about a block away from a school. Had we remained at Potosi, it would have been necessary for the girls to ride a school bus to Wiley. When we moved to town, my dad purchased my 5 acres and the house back. My horses remained on the farm at Potosi. I continued to go to the farm at Potosi nearly every day to check on my horses. My love for the farm at Potosi never ceased. My Dad never ceased to have great love for this land.

My dad, a Taylor County Deputy Sheriff, died January 12, 1967 due to an injury that occurred in the line of duty as a result of being kicked in the abdominal area by a prisoner. In his dying moments he was thinking of the farm at Potosi. I was by his hospital bedside when he died. He looked at me and said, “I want you to promise me that you and Shirley will move back to the place at Potosi.” I agreed to his request and it was my intent and desire to keep that promise. Things changed; however, my mother remarried and sold the farm.

Abilene is swallowing up Potosi. Many of the former farms in the area are now residential subdivisions. I have a fear that has become a phobia that the land that was so dear to my dad and to me will be overrun with a housing development some day.

At the present time the land that my dad sold and part of the Hancock place is owned by my dear friend, Melvin Faircloth. The part of the Hancock place not owned by Melvin Faircloth is now owned by the Potosi Baptist Church. This gives me comfort because it is much like the land is back in the family.

During a visit with Melvin and Ginger Faircloth a few years ago, I dug up some prickly pear cactus from the pasture and transported it to Bowie where I set it out in our back yard where it joined an old cast iron hand pump and an old Georgia stock plow. The pump had been on a well located in our pasture that we used to pump water for the livestock when the creek was low. The plow had been retrieved from the farm many years ago. I guess these items represent a monument to the farm at Potosi.

Lawton Williams wrote one of my favorite songs entitled, "Mending Fences." That song describes my life in a happier time many years ago. I think it also describes the life of my dad, J.B. “Jake” Wasson. Part of the song is as follows:

“I grew up a country boy on our old family farm
Mending fences chasing cows out of daddy’s corn
My daddy lived a Christian life and his words sill apply
So I’ll keep mending fences until the day I die.”

02-27-10, JBW

Tales of the APD, J. Bryan Wasson

The Abilene Police Department

Abilene, Taylor County, Texas