Interview with Dr. Treat
Slavery in Denton County
Image of the Courthouse that was burned down
Slavery During Civil War
Rural, not many slaves; little to 200. In the summer of 1860, the downtown Denton Square caught fire. Explosion happened in a very hot Sunday, and had the potential to burn down the whole town. There was a group of women in church service, and they controlled the fire. Letter from Father of Denton: It was the Denton ladies that saved the city of Denton. The ladies threw water in the fire but the fire was connected to another series of fires. Dallas had a fire as well. Rumors said the fires were started by slaves. The northern part of the state mostly supported seceding from the United States. Doctor Treat wrote an article explaining what really happened. He passed a law against talking about the fire in Fort Worth. This was the reason free speech was important. The only people left in the town when the Civil War was happening were old men and young boys. People around the age of 15 and over were required to fight in the war. Many native american tribes were being displaced and moved from their lands. By the time the Civil War was over, great damage was done. A lot of slaves were tortured and questioned and beaten to death. The laws were so strict in Texas that it was forbidden to teach a slave to read. The Southern route is what some slaves used to escape. There were records that slaves were escaping through Mexico. The Confederate army had officers station near there because some slaves would actually swim through the water. Today, there are still some towns that have black people that speak Spanish because of the routes that some slaves have taken.
Cattle Drive
After the Civil Waar, the cattle were literally running around. At this point, cattle would be eaten by people. This contributed to the cattle drive. The railroads made it easier to move cattle around. Most of the slaves were cowboys and were hired to herd cattle. Some were very rich because they can build a "cattle empire". This, however, didn't last very long. Economy started getting better and there was some tension when they traveled across the states. The cattle could get "Texas Fever" and it was dangerous for cowboys to be near the cattle.
Quakertown
Juneteenth, or emancipation by gunpoint; after the Civil War, the U.S wanted to free slaves. The U.S Navy showed up in Galveston and said it was free. The problem, however, is that they would not have any jobs. It was 10 years after the war that there was a lot of African Americans that migrated to Denton County. At this point, black schools were created. There was a movement in 1875 that Freedom Town turned into "Quakertown". They had Jim Crow laws so they created a separate city. They had doctors, meeting groups, grocery stores, dentists, shoe shops, etc. Quakertown's population grew until many were evicted in the 1920s. A lot of African Americans had nice homes and businesses, and they had to move to an area that was not good. They went from successful to starting over from scratch. The ones that were left behind were forced to rebuild everything. Fun fact: School was named after Frederick Douglass.
College of Industrial Arts
Really competitive. A lot of people tried to get in. The way that Denton got it was that people convinced that Denton was a really good place; it was near Quaker Town. Racism was common in this area.
Reconstruction in Texas
It was hard considering it was under dictatorship. By the time that ended, a Democrat was elected to office. Texas was able to get the economy back up. People, however, still fight and have misconceptions about the Civil War.
Purpose of the Frontier Federal Court
There were fights and disputes, especially over land and cattle. A lot of courts were set up to resolve cases like these. It was a really chaotic time. The reason Denton County Courthouse was made is because there was no city government. In all counties, the courthouses had to be located in a spot where people could travel to and from in one day's time.
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