WACO'S SUSPENSION BRIDGE

By Golden Keyes Parsons

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Last month I delved into a dark section of Waco, Tx, past when I searched the business of prostitution which flourished in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The buzz of that activity took place in the area around the suspension bridge over the Brazos River. 

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 Today the bridge is a popular spot for wedding photo ops, fraternity and sorority activities, and engagement pictures. Even baptisms take place in the river at the historic location, and families gather every 4th of July to watch a huge fireworks display. But the suspension bridge had a much more respectable place in history than simply being the location of the red light district in Waco or a popular spot for photographers. 

Hundreds of thousands of cattle came up the Chisholm Trail from the Rio Grande Valley on the way to West Texas or Kansas, and it was the money from the new

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cattle industry that brought Texas out of bankruptcy after the Civil War. However the crossing of the river was dangerous and time consuming. Businessmen in Waco knew they needed to come up with a solution to the dilemma, and proposed the monumental idea to build a suspension bridge across the Brazos River. Construction began in 1868 on what would become the largest suspension bridge in Texas at that time. The building materials were ferried from Galveston to Bryan, Tx, then brought overland to Waco. The twin towers, considered a modern-day miracle at the time were constructed of nearly 3 million bricks which were made locally.

The bridge collected its first toll on January 1, 1870. Five cents per head of cattle was collected from cattle drivers for the convenience of getting across the river without the danger of losing multiple heads of cattle by drowning. Two stagecoaches could pass by each other at the same time due to how wide the bridge was. The bridge quickly paid for itself, and in 1889 was turned over to McLennan County who no longer collected tolls for those using the bridge.

The place of the suspension bridge in Waco is not earth-shattering history, but it is a registered historical site and is worth stopping to see and imagine the rumble of cattle over the bridge. It is only used for foot traffic today and is a favorite spot for locals.

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A multi-published fiction author, Golden Keyes Parsons and her husband, Blaine, live in Waco, TX. Her series, Darkness to Light, (Thomas Nelson) chronicled the journey of her ancestors in 17^th century France and was a finalist for ACFW’s Debut Author of the Year in 2008. Her fourth novel, His Steadfast Love, a Civil War novel, was a National Readers Choice finalist. Parsons has also written a biblical fiction series entitled Hidden Faces, Portraits of Nameless Women in the Gospels (WhiteFire Publishing). You can contact her at www.goldenkeyesparsons.com.

THE OLDEST PROFESSION IN WACO, TX

By Golden Keyes Parsons

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As unlikely as it would have seemed even ten years ago, tourists are pouring into Waco, Tx, these days, due largely to the Fixer Upper phenomenon. As one drives by the convention center and the memorial to Vietnam veterans along the Brazos River and the historic suspension bridge, most visitors would not dream they are driving through  a former red light district. 

In the late 1800s to the 1920s prostitution flourished in this area, known as Two Street or the Reservation, as the cotton and cattle trade converged in Waco. The city was a significant stop on the famous Chisholm Trail where the Old South and the Old West met. Depots sprang up along the Brazos River for both cotton merchants and cattle drives after the Civil War. Soon the small town of Waco became an epicenter for the two key Texas economies. 

As the legitimate businesses took root and grew, so did the illegitimate business

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of prostitution. The prostitutes simply flocked to where the money was, and the money was in Waco in those days. By the 1890s, Waco's red-light district housed more than 200 prostitutes and several brothels and madams, the most famous being Mollie Adams.

Although most Waco residents today are totally unaware of the reputation of the Two Street district and the name Mollie Adams, in the early 1900s Mollie was an infamous character in Waco. She was beautiful. She was a financial success. And she was a woman of many connections in Waco, although she was shunned by proper society. Because of these connections, it was rumored that the city officials overlooked many of her indiscretions and allowed her more liberties than were given to the other madams on the Reservation.

About this time, reformers across the country were calling for improvements in workers' conditions. They wanted to clean up American cities, curb disease, and ensure that white Protestant citizens remained pure and untainted by immigrant blood. One of their biggest targets was the abolition of prostitution. In Waco this took on a couple of aspects: city officials attempted to contain the bawdy business of prostitution in a restricted zone. They also required any woman operating as a prostitute to register with the city. In 

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addition, prostitutes had to pay a fee for brothel house licenses every three months. The women also had to undergo monthly medical examinations. Similar regulations were enacted in other Texas cities, but for some reason Waco experienced the greatest longevity in both its official and unofficial policies toward prostitution, resulting in the fact that bawdy register still survives.

Ms Adams' astute business skills can be traced in Waco's bawdy register. She first appeared in the mid-1880s as merely a prostitute, but then she acquired a brothel in 1891 consisting of three rooms. She slowly expanded to seven rooms, then she moved and was evidently financially successful enough to add indoor plumbing and electricity to her establishment. The house also had two parlors, a dance hall, a bar, several bedrooms and a bell system that could summon a particular woman for a certain customer with discretion. Interestingly, the architect for Ms Adams' brothel was also the architect for First Baptist Church Waco.

I found lots more interesting facts about the oldest profession in our fair city ... far too many to include in this blog. But every time I go to that part of Waco, I think about the women who walked those streets in the early days of Waco's history. I wonder if anyone reached out to them to rescue them from this life style of devastation. 

A multi-published fiction author, Golden Keyes Parsons and her husband, Blaine, live in Waco, TX. Her series, Darkness to Light, (Thomas Nelson) chronicled the journey of her ancestors in 17^th century France and was a finalist for ACFW’s Debut Author of the Year in 2008. Her fourth novel, His Steadfast Love, a Civil War novel, was a National Readers Choice finalist. Parsons has also written a biblical fiction series entitled Hidden Faces, Portraits of Nameless Women in the Gospels (WhiteFire Publishing). You can contact her at www.goldenkeyesparsons.com.

Dr Pepper or Coke?

By Golden Keyes Parsons

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Were you aware the popular soft drink, Dr Pepper, was once known as a "Waco?" According to the Dr Pepper Museum brochure, the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group is the oldest major manufacturer of soft drink syrups in the United States. Dr Pepper was created, manufactured and sold in the Central Texas town of Waco beginning in 1885. 

A young chemist named Charles Alderton who prepared prescriptions for the citizens of Waco at Morrison's Corner Drugstore in Waco liked to dabble with the fruit syrups and carbonated water at the soda fountain. He kept a journal and after experimenting with several combinations, he hit upon a formula of 23 fruit juices and felt he had a winner. After trying it out on the store's owner who liked it, Alderton began to test it on the customers, who liked it as well. When they came to the counter, they began calling the drink a "Waco." 

Morrison is credited with naming the drink, Dr Pepper, but nobody knows the exact story of how that came to be. Several stories have circulated, but the most enduring one is that Morrison named it after the father of a girl he was once in love with. 

Soon the drink became so popular that Morrison's couldn't handle the orders any longer. Alderton was not interested in pursuing it any further and gave the formula over to a beverage chemist, Robert Lazenby. In 1891 he and Morrison formed the Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Company, which later became the Dr Pepper Company.

They took the drink to the 1904 World's Fair where over 20 million people were introduced to the drink. Hamburgers and hot dogs on a bun were also newcomers introduced at the fair, and for the first time, ice cream was served in large quantities. 

The beverage went through a series of logos and slogans. It was known as the "King of Beverages," from 1910 to 1914. "Old Doc," a typical country doctor figure with a top hat and a monocle became the trademark character in the 1930's and 40's. About that time research was released revealing people experience a dip in energy during the day at 10:30, 2:30, and 4:30, and that sugar boosted the energy dip. A contest was held for the creation of an ad to get the information out. Dr. Pepper came up with the slogan, "Drink a bite to eat at 10, 2, and 4," and then moved on to "Dr Pepper, the friendly pepper upper" in the '50s. 

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Today, one can visit the Dr Pepper Museum in downtown Waco. The museum was founded in 1988 to educate and entertain the public about our economic system through learning about the soft drink industry.  One can view the original soda fountain where the popular drink was first served and enjoy a Dr Pepper. 

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Dr Pepper is still a favorite drink in Texas and in the South, as well as Dr Pepper floats. You can hear the oft-asked question at many social and sporting events, "Would you like a Coke or a Dr Pepper?"

So what do you prefer, coke or Dr Pepper ... or perhaps another drink? Were you aware that Dr Peppers were once known as "Wacos?"

A multi-published fiction author, Golden Keyes Parsons and her husband, Blaine, live in Waco, TX. Her series, Darkness to Light, (Thomas Nelson) chronicled the journey of her ancestors in 17^th century France and was a finalist for ACFW’s Debut Author of the Year in 2008. Her fourth novel, His Steadfast Love, a Civil War novel, was a National Readers Choice finalist. Parsons has also written a biblical fiction series entitled Hidden Faces, Portraits of Nameless Women in the Gospels (WhiteFire Publishing). You can contact her at www.goldenkeyesparsons.com.

The Waco Tornado of 1953

By Golden Keyes Parsons

Waco, Texas, is the site of many interesting historical happenings, but one that locals still talk about is the F5 tornado which hit the downtown area on May 11, 1953. It is the 10th worst tornado in the nation. The irony was that an Indian legend held Waco was immune from tornadoes because of the surrounding bluffs of the Brazos River. Most of the locals believed the legend, and so were not alarmed when the weather began to deteriorate and throw the small city into eerie darkness. A geology professor at Baylor University did research on the situation after the fact and found that the opposite is true. Waco sits upon a geological formation which actually makes the town more vulnerable to deadly tornadoes.

Through the years I've heard stories from two friends about the tornado that fateful day when 114 people lost their lives, 597 were injured, 600 houses destroyed, along with 1000 other buildings, and 2000 vehicles. One was a Baylor student who went his friends to the downtown area which was where the tornado hit to pull people out of the rubble. He tells of extricating bodies of those who perished as well as the injured. 
Another friend tells about her father who was on the upper floor of the medical buildings which was hit and rode the building as it fell and emerged unhurt.

Another interesting story emerged of a dentist who was working on a patient with a radium needle used to treat mouth cancer. The dentist was injured and when he woke up in the hospital, he immediately inquired about the needle. A team of

physicists from Baylor University took a Geiger counter and went to the ruins of the building to search for the dangerous object. They did find it in the rubble of the basement and took care of the problem. 

The destruction of the 1953 tornado in Waco was one of the primary factors in developing a nationwide severe warning system. 

We now live in Waco, and in the eight years we've been here I would say that every tornado season we do have several instances of tornado watches (conditions are favorable for a tornado), and of tornado warnings as well (tornadoes have been sighted -- take cover!). I have lived through one tornado, but it was not here in Waco, but in East Texas, north of Tyler. We were running a conference center at the time, and the twister hit the dorm, jumped over our house, and moved on. The devastation to the dorm was stunning ... bunk beds and mattresses thrown into the woods, but the hymn book was still sitting on the piano. We were grateful to God nobody was hurt. Have you ever experienced a tornado first hand? I would love to hear about it. Leave a comment below!

Although a multi-published fiction author, Golden Keyes Parsons’ first published non-fiction work, Spiritual Spring Cleaning, (BoldVision Books) just released in April 2015. Her series, Darkness to Light, (Thomas Nelson) chronicled the journey of her ancestors in 17^th century France and was a finalist for ACFW’s Debut Author of the Year in 2008. Her fourth novel, His Steadfast Love, a Civil War novel, was a National Readers Choice finalist. Parsons has also written a biblical fiction series entitled Hidden Faces, Portraits of Nameless Women in the Gospels (WhiteFire Publishing). Golden lives in Waco, TX, with her husband, Blaine. www.goldenkeyesparsons.com