Exhibit Room 2 Social Growth & Development Disaster and Social Development - Social life in Polk County fell mostly within the province of churches and saloons until 1848, when the Andress Hotel in Livingston combined a restaurant, saloon, grocery, livery stable, bank, post office and stage station to become the community hub. From 1858 to 1905, the local press chronicled new businesses and such disasters as the 1902 fire that destroyed much of Livingston. Rebuilding with brick from Livingston's new factory -- and enjoying the marvels of the hand-cranked telephone and electricity -- became primary activities in the new century. Schools - As Texas became a state, area pioneers forged a free education for their children, opening two schools in the 1840s that would endure as hallmarks in Texas education, the Moscow Masonic Male and Female Academy and the Livingston Academy. Other early schools were begun in Swartwout, Colita and Cold Spring. Livingson's two-story public school on Jackson Avenue added upper grades in 1906 and held ceremonies at the Livingston Opera House for the first Livingston High School class in 1908. Churches in the Pines - Before the first church buildings were erected, early pioneers attended sermons and baptisms at local campgrounds and rivers. The area's early churches were at Swartwout, Colita, Moscow, Livingston and Union Springs, usually led by circuit-riding ministers who visited a different community each Sunday. Unique in the history of Polk County's churches is the work of the Presbyterian missionaries at the Alabama-Coushatta reservation and the New House of Israel sect founded on farmlands north of Livingston in the 1890s. County Government - After Texas was annexed by the United States, Polk County was one of the first of the new counties formed by the state legislature. Springfield, later renamed Livingston, was chosen to be the county seat. In September 1846, the first Polk County Commissioners and other officials took their oaths of office in a log cabin in Livingston. On Nov. 23, 1846, James Andress was authorized to build a new courthouse with a shingle roof and plank floor. The total cost was not to exceed $396. Clubs and Organizations - In the Swartwout settlement of the Republic of Texas, Masons organized Trinity Lodge No. 14 in 1840. Since then, Polk County people have formed many civic, professional, social and leisure groups to accommodate their wide-ranging interests. Early organizations included the Darby Farmers Alliance (1880s); the Ike Turner Camp, United Confederate Veterans (1893); Ladies Cemetery Association (1908); the Polk County Medical Society (1910), the Mothers Club of America (1911), and the first Polk County Fair, organized and sponsored by the Polk County Chamber of Commerce (1912). East Texas Entertainment Through the Years - Polk County has always been an entertaining place. After the turn of the century, fans cheered the Livingston Baseball Team and joined friends in sack races along main streets. But it was theater and music that pulled at the heartstrings of most county folk, and the pines were thick with music tutors. The Livingston Opera House offered cultural programs and rural towns hosted school and family bands. For some, it was a pleasant pastime; for others, like "Moon" Mullican and Ed Gerlach, it became a career. Moments in Time - Caught by the Camera, Polk County's people, places and events of yesterday remain forever vibrant, preserving the character, charm and flavor of the past for the viewers of the present. The War Years - Veterans of the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Cherokee Wars, settled in Polk County, and Polk Countians have served in every war since. For example, more than 100 county residents served in the Texas Revolution, more than three dozen in the U. S. Mexican War, and more than 1,500 in the Civil War, which attested to the fervent belief among county residents in political freedom. Polk County soldiers also wielded the implements of war and survival in the Spanish-American War, in two world wars, in Korea and in later conflicts, risking and sometimes sacrificing their lives for duty and country. About Us | Mission Statement | Staff | Links | Exhibits | Gift Shop | Special Events | Back Information | Museum History | What's New | Volunteers | Genealogy Resources | Special Collections