Georgia Caraway

$1 and as much as $25 with most pieces in the $6 to $10 range. Another pottery located in Eastland is the House of Webster Ceramics House of Webster is still producing pottery for The House of Webster, food distributors from Rogers, Arkansas. Roy and Evelyn Webster started their business in 1934 selling tame and rare wild fruit products from the Great White River Country of Arkansas packed in old Mason fruit jars Pottery in the shape of a shock of wheat, ceramic cream can, brown jug, bushel basket, stoneware churn, red raspberry, red apple, burlap sack, coffee mill, black pot bellied stove, fire hydrant, thimble, wishing well, schoolhouse, wheel hub, telephone and a log cabin were all made to hold a variety of jams, jelly, honey, apple butter and syrup The House of Webster Ceramic plant makes about 200,000 pieces per year for the exclusive use of HofW Foods The logo or mark on the bottom of the pieces is a log cabin with a banner that reads “House of Webster” and under that the words “Ceramics, Eastland, Texas ” Some of the food products are still packed in “new” Mason jars

Perhaps the most popular ceramic piece produced by the company was the replica of the famous horny toad, “Old Rip ” This is where the two Eastland potteries’ stories come together I called the House of Webster plant and talked with Jimmy, the plant manager He told me that Geri Horton made the first Rip and for more than 20 years Rip was given away as a souvenir to visitors and school children that toured the plant. But alas, the real Rip and the ceramic Rip are no more According to a flyer written by the company, the story goes that when the Eastland Courthouse was built in 1897, Earnest Wood, a justice of the peace, placed a West Texas horned toad in the cornerstone Old Rip, along with a Bible and several other objects of interest, remained in the cornerstone until 1928 On February 28th of that year, a wrecking crew began to demolish the 31-year-old courthouse to make way for a new one Three thousand people were on hand to witness the opening of the cornerstone After Judge Ed S Pritchard removed the Bible and the other objects, Eugene Day, a local oilman thrust his hand into the cavity of the cornerstone and lifted out the dust-covered toad,

“Old Rip ” As Day held up the little toad by his hind leg to show to the crowd, Rip’s other leg twitched Old Rip was alive the crowd cheered and Old Rip awoke from a 31-year slumber Old Rip was exhibited in various parts of the country including a visit to President Coolidge in Washington Old Rip died of pneumonia in January 19, 1929 His body was embalmed and can be seen today in his plush-lined casket in the lobby of the Eastland County Courthouse Old Rip finally earned his name Little buddy Rest in Peace

Dr Georgia Caraway, former director of the Denton County Museums for 14 years, and her friends opened the Howe Mercantile at 107 East Haning Store hours are Thursday through Saturday noon until 8 p m She has written five Denton history books Her latest, North Texas State Fair and Rodeo, will be available at Howe Mercantile in August She hopes her next book will be the history of Howe

SHOP LOCAL. We can show you Howe!