Exhibit Room 3

Exhibit Room 4
Early Days in Downtown Livingston

BEN LEWIS, locally designated as "Lewis the Jeweler", moved to Polk County about 1898 with other members of his family. He was a multi-talented young man who not only sold jewelry but also manufactured it for his store. He was a respected watchmaker, photographer, and gunsmith. He and Les Marshall were co-owners of the Emerald Ice Cream Parlor on Church Street, opposite the courthouse. From 1900 through 1903, he courted Rowena Green, daughter of Judge and Mrs. A. B. Green. On two occasions, 1901 and 1902, he presented her with leather-bound albums of photographs. Each book is embossed with her name and the date. Rowena later married oilman John Robert Turnbull (1904) and moved to Beaumont.
This collection of photographs represents the best of the two albums mentioned above. The scenes of Livingston show the downtown area before the devastating 1902 fire. Livingston at that time had no sidewalks except for a few boardwalks provided by some store-keepers, no electricity or public water supply, and no street signs. The locations below are based on present-day street names.
Rowena Green Turnbull gave the two albums to her niece, Ruth Peebles, in 1968. We appreciate Ms. Peebles making these photographs available for this website.
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	Ben Lewis and Downtown Livingston - This is a picture of Washington Ave. looking South. Mr. Lewis, the photorapher, is taking a picture near the intersection of what was later named Polk Street. We are most fortunate that Mr. Lewis recorded the history of our town with his excellent photography.
	Polk County Courthouse - The Polk County Courthouse in the early 1900s. Gentlemen in picture unknown. Dr. Ernest Drew's dental office can be seen on the lower left corner.
	*West Side of Washington Ave. looking North from Church St.* - Left to right: drug store; Lewis the Jeweler (dark sign & white lettering); R. A. Henry's office (two-story building) , and Beulah Manning's millinery shop (second tall structure).
	*West & East sides of Washington Ave. looking North from Church St.* - The store on the left with the samll round lamp was Lewis the Jeweler. The store on the right was Davison's. The two-story house in the distant right with columns was the Frank Manning home.
	Washington Ave. looking North near Mills St. - All the buildings on the right were general mercantile stores.
	Washington Ave. looking North from Choate's Creek - The tall building from right of center was the Polk County jail.
	Washington Ave looking South near Polk St. - The restaurant on the left with the long white sign stood near Polk St. The two-story building on the right with the white-lettered sign was R. A. Henry's office.
	Washington Ave. Traffic Jam - An ox-wagon hauling cotton on a busy day in Livingston.
	Church St. Looking West Near Cemetery- A portion of the Methodist Church can be seen on the right, at the South-East corner of the cemetery. The Parsonage was the house on the right. Brock's Livery was on the left just beyond the church.
	Church St. Westward from Houston Ave.- First tall building on the right was the Polk County Bank.
	Church St. Looking West near Courthouse- A Confederate monument is on left. The building across the tracks was a bakery owned by a black man named Viny. In the row of stores on the right was the Emerld Ice Cream Parlor.
	Church St. Looking West near Tyler- Gerlach's warehouse is on the immediate left and later became Cochran property. The bank is on the right.
	Church St. Eastward near Jackson- The business on the right of the RR crossing sign was Peters & Willis.
	Church St. Eastward from Washington- Gus Fitze's store is behind Cochran's.
	Church St. Eastward near Washington- All the buildings on the left belonged to C. H. Davison.
	Church St. Looking East Near Cemetery- E. H. Brock's Livery is shown on the left, just across East Ave. from the cemetery. The Brock home was on the South side of Church.
	Livingston Free Public School- The school was built in 1888. In 1910 it was divided and part of the structure was moved by using logs and mule teams, to the Dunbar campus. The other section became the C. F. Fain home.