howeenterprise.com
Monday, August 28, 2017
Page #9
Learn about antiques and collectibles with Dr. Georgia Caraway Dickey Clay Manufacturing owned plants in 13 states including two in Texas, San Antonio and Texarkana. Products included “vitrified sanitary salt glazed sewer pipe” (noted in the September 24, 1918 “Brick and Clay Record” preserved electronically on Google Books), fire bricks used in chimneys, pavers, and other clay products.
Dr. Georgia Caraway
Walter Dickey was chairman of the the sewer pipe war service committee during World War I that met in Washington, D.C. to discuss wartime needs. This was a time when decisions were being made about how to allocate public funds between the war effort and routine public goods. Proper disposal of sewage was advocated as a way to avoid disease, and thus avoid placing demands on medical personnel who were already in short supply at home.
Some more results from the backyard at Howe Mercantile dig. I had hoped that we would find more bottles and other neat stuff in the backyard of the building last week but all that came to the surface after the rain was mud and some glass shards. Albeit they were in beautiful shades of cobalt, amber, purple, and green, they were too small to tell much of a story, although some of them did have the markings and size of old medicine bottles. One thing that did come up was the old sewer pipe. It was about an inch thick of very solid clay pottery with a lovely dark brown salt glaze. One piece had the marking “EY Tex” [Texas?] so I was curious as to what possible sewer pipe pottery company might have made this pipe. A quick check on the internet of “EY Tex” sewer pipe manufacturers came up with W. S. Dickey Clay Manufacturing Company.
W. S. Dickey motto was: “If it’s made of clay, it’s good. If it’s made by Dickey, it’s better.” So my clay pipe sewer was made by Dickey and likely shipped from one of the manufacturing plants in Texas. If that is the case, I would surmise that most of the sewer pipe in downtown, if it still exists underground, was Dickey-made too. Dr. Georgia Caraway, and her friends, opened the Howe Mercantile at 107 East Haning in April 2015. Store hours are Wednesday through Saturday noon until 8 p.m. We are excited to have Bucky’s Farm All Natural Goat Milk Soap made in Howe for sale.
Three Girl Scouts receive Silver Awards
Georgia, former director of the Denton County Museums for 14 years, has written five Denton history books and hopes her next Walter S. Dickey (1862-1931) was book will be the history of Howe. If anyone has photos that she can the founder of the clay manufacturing company that bore copy, please bring them to Howe his name. The headquarters were in Mercantile. Kansas City, Missouri and the company was established in 1885. SHOP LOCAL. We can show you Howe!
Coming Soon
Cierra Brussow, Alyssa Sharp, Janna Nitchman each were presented their Silver Awards on Sunday afternoon at Memorial Park. Their project involved beautifying Memorial Park by painting tables, trash cans, fence, and gazebo. They also built benches and bird houses, cleaned out flower beds, and added painted rocks.
