Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-24
MOUNT VERNON.
Much Can be said of the Capital OF franklin
County and Then Not Half Tell
the Good Things.


Of the St. Louis, Arkansas and Texas
railroad, is pleasantly situated Mount
Vernon, town of 1000 population and
the county seat of Franklin county
Mount Vernon has about twenty-five
business houses, doing an annual selling
trade of $500, 900. Mount Vernon is SC
situated that she has very large field
from which to draw her mercantile
trade, there being no other
large towns near and many from
Hopkins county make Mount YER
non their market town. About 5000 bales
of cotton are annually bought, and the
money received from this crop is sur
plus, as the farmers are nearly home
sustaining, outside of the cotton crop.
The town has neat end comfortable
courthouse, equipped with fire-proof
vaults, a fine jail, and nearly new. The
town has two good schools for the eduea-
ton of the young. The Baptists, Meth
odists and Christian denominations have
houses for divine worship, and it can be
said to the honor of Mount Vernon that
they all have large and attentive mem
bership, and that nearly all the business
and professional men of the town take
an interest in religious work.
Mount Vernon has surrounding it one
of the best fruit-growing sections of
Texas, and fruit-raising could be made 6
source of great wealth TO this place. A
canning factory would be q fine invest
ment, and anyone starting the enter
prise here would be able to get the hearty
cooperation of the people in the way of
paid-up stock, as well as in the SYM
pathetic talk that is usually furnished to
enter priEes of this kind. The raising of
ribbon cane is also an important indus
try and large quantities of the finest
syrup is marketed at Mount Vernon.
We know of no better place for the loca-
ton of a refinery, and the people want it
and will literally subscribe to the stock
if anyone familiar with the business will
come among them and put up suitable
enterprise of this kind.
Franklin county, of which Mount
Vernon is tho capital, was cut off of
Titus county by an act of the legislature,
and the county established In 1875. The
county is q long slim one, being thirty
two miles in length and only eleven miles
wide; lie we'll watered by various streams
the principal ones being Sulphur river,
which forms the north boundary of the
county, and White Oak creek, which
passes through the county, both of
which have numberless tributaries which
ramify the whols county making a COM
plete water system. The county has
about 5000 population of as good people
as are found in the world. Ninoty-five
per cent. of the county is tillable land,
about equally divided between prairie
on ir7b Tho VII
waxy and gray soil, equal IN pro-
while the timbored section is
of sandy nature and adapted
to the growing of nearly any crop. The
ton, corn, ribbon cane, fruit, oats and
wheat. Unimproved lands can be bought
at prices ranging from 81 to S. per acre,
while improved farms can be had from
S. to $40 an acre. The county
is comparatively free from debt,
the total being only $4,000, while taxa
ton is only 81 on the 500, which in
oludes the state, county and school tax.
The prairies afford @ fine pasturage for
stock, and the sheep, horse and cattle
industry is successfully followed. The
black walnut is found largely in Franklin
county, and large quantities of it is
annually shipped 10 be used in the furni-
ture factories OF the world. There are
also fine tracts of ash, gum, white oak,
hickory and pine, all of which are value-
BILE and q source of wealth. In tho |
portion of the county Is found |
iron ore and coal in large paying |
quantities, only waiting for capital to |
come in and develop them. Capital |
each day is seeking new fields for opera |
ton, and here we have one of the best |
openings in the state for investments. |
The iron and coal are found together |
and railroads are convenient. Each |
day the railroads are bringing the dis |
satisfied farmers from the older STATES to |
make their future homes in Texas. They |
have sold their old and wornout lands |
further East and North, and wish to set
tie on our lands that are both cheap and |
productive. Many of these people pass
through Franklin county unmindful of
the fact that they are passing by some
Of the cheapest and best lands
n Texas. Why people should prefer
to pioneer in new country when they
,an settle in IS good one much nearer,
heir starting point is something we fail
10 understand. If they will stop in
FRANKLIN county they will find just as
,ich lands, producing as much corn and
cotton to the acre, as they will to 60 on
hundreds of miles further west. These
ands are just az cheap, as any and the
new settler will have the advantages of
good churches and fine schools; will be
FASTING his lot among class of neighbors
hat are refined, intelligent and lsw-abid-
ng, and who Will receive him with the
light hand of fellowship and as
jst him to build up new
home, whlls not in q new country yet
u one that has all the advantages of the
lew country in the way of cheap lands.
)ne that has been successfully tried and
lot found wanting; one where crops are
certainty, and never cut OF by the
aok of rain or drowned out by too much
ain; one where they will not be taxed
o build new public buildings, new roads,
lew churches and schoolhouses. A
country where they can raise corn, cot
on, oats, wheat, sugar cane, fruit,
vegetables, in fact everything necessary
or successful farming. A country
Vheret, they will not have to go
through the ordeal of pioneer
rails andN failures, of iawlessness and +
lrivatIens. If you come 70 Texas, stop
q At Mt. SVernon and !, ses Franklin
ounty; and if you will do so y6aswill at
nee appreciate the fact that you are not