Polk County News - Breakout

Write a comment

User Rating: 5 / 5

The Homecoming Game is Friday, Sept 22, 7:30 pm kickoff. Livingston vs. Madisonville Lion Stadium Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $7 adults and $5 children Cash only, no bills over $20 The Homecoming Court will be introduced during halftime, and the King and Queen will be announced. Left to right: Bailey Goodson, Kylie Bland, Annabel Rasberry, Estefania Saucedo, Cole Gann, Justice Fryar, Johnathan McNeal, Jayden Vickery, Jayden Randolph, Ytzel Davalos, Arissa Cuesta and Luisa Perez-Montes. courtesy photo

1 Comment

User Rating: 5 / 5

From Enterprise Staff

The nomination process for the Polk County Enterprise’s 2023 Best of Polk County Reader’s Choice Awards will end on Sept. 30. The nomination period began Sept. 1 and since that time, over 42,000 nominations have been received.

The annual awards process provides an opportunity to recognize local businesses, professionals and non-profits.

This fourth year of the annual contest has seen changes. All nominations and voting are being conducted online and no paper ballots are being accepted. To participate, go to the website easttexasnews.com and click on the Contests tab. To register only involves using an email address.

If a specific category is not listed, please email the information to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If a person or business does not belong in the category in which it has been nominated, it will be weeded out before going into the voting phase.

The 2023 Best of Polk County Readers’ Choice Awards is occurring in three distinct phases this year. The first phase is the nomination process and individuals may nominate their favorite local businesses up to once a day per email address. The month-long nomination process will determine the finalists who will be eligible for Best of Polk County.

The top eight nominees in each category will enter the second phase which will run from Oct. 1-31. During this phase voters will have the opportunity to select their favorite among the top eight in each category and will be allowed to vote up to once a day per email address.

The third phase is the culmination of the annual readers’ choice awards when the winners of each category are recognized in a special section that will be included in the Dec. 3 issue of the Polk County Enterprise.

Write a comment

Construction underway in 1948

(Editor’s note: This is the fifth of a multi-part series compiled by local historian Gary Davis detailing the history of First Methodist Church of Livingston, which will celebrate its 175th anniversary with a celebration on Oct. 22 that will include a combined worship service at 10:30 a.m., a luncheon at noon and a concert that evening.)

By Gary Davis

The Livingston churches combined again in August 1912 for a 17-day protracted revival in the district courtroom of the courthouse. Dubbed “Everybody’s Revival,” there was an 8:30 a.m. service each day and all businesses in town closed so that everyone could attend. The Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians put their “shoulder to the wheel” and worked side by side in the salvation of souls. The first 10 days of the revival started out slow but toward the end, the meeting “broke loose” and there were 51 conversions to the local churches. The Livingston Baptists received 41, the Presbyterians three and the Methodists five. In addition, there were fully this many more who were already members who expressed a desire to come into the active work of their church.

The following year, in September 1913, the churches organized another two-week revival at the courthouse. This time there were 18 additions to the Methodists, nine to the Presbyterians and one to the Baptists.

On Sunday night, Nov. 9, 1913, the church was filled to utmost capacity when Reverend Kennedy presented the church to the PE, Reverend J.W. Mills, for dedication. Reverend Mills, as usual, was at his best and one of the most powerful gospel sermons ever preached in the city was delivered by him. The church was beautifully decorated with flowers and ferns and every detail was ideal.

The Enterprise of Dec. 4, 1913, reported that Kennedy had been reassigned and that the new Livingston preacher would be the Reverend J.F. Kidd, from the Marshall District. As reported in the Dec. 11, 1913, Enterprise, “Kidd was a man of striking appearance and had an attractive personality. While he is comparatively young in his work, he is a hard student and is regarded by PE Mills as one of the coming preachers of this district.”

By March 16, 1916, Rev J.O. Coppege had arrived from Centerville to assume the pulpit. Coppege had a short stay, however, as the Timpson Times of Nov. 30, 1916, reported that the Reverend B.C. Anderson was taking up his work in Livingston.

On Nov. 6, 1921, the Houston Post reported that the Methodist quarterly conference was held at the Livingston church and the Reverend J.E. Buttrill was asked to return for another year. The Reverend E.L. Ingram, PE of the Timpson District, complimented the locals by stating that the Livingston church had shown greater progress and better reports than any other church in the district.

On Sept. 15, 1921, it was announced in the Enterprise that six Sunday School rooms had been added to the church. They had been needed for some time as the Sunday School had grown to such an extent that the building would not accommodate the classes in a satisfactory manner. The construction was done primarily by Reverend Butrill.

The 1922 conference sent to Livingston from the Nacogdoches District, Reverend J.C. Huddleston and in 1923, the Reverend W.J. Richards. Reverend Frank Platt arrived in 1924, and in 1925, I.T. Andrews was the PC for the next four years. While the Andrews occupied the parsonage, Mrs. I.T. (Lillian) Andrews’ sister, Ormie Coon, came to Livingston to live with them and to teach. Her first students included Ernest Reuter Jr., J.C. Hooks and Jerome Thomason. Miss Coon became Mrs. H.B. Davis Jr. in 1929.

In another joint assembly of the four local churches, on Friday, April 15, 1924, the Houston Post reported that the annual Sunday School picnic was held on Long Kane [sic] Creek. All businesses in town closed for the day and the schools declared a holiday.  Free transportation to the picnic grounds was arranged and committees were formed to perfect the plans.

The Nov. 10, 1929, issue of the Beaumont Enterprise reported that Reverend I.T. Andrews was being sent to Conroe and was replaced by the Reverend J.T. Moore, who came from Jacksonville.

The Reverend C.E. Peeples, who came to Livingston in November 1933 was honored by his selection to the presidency of Lon Morris College in June 1935. The Enterprise of June 20, 1935, reported that Reverend Peeples and family would be leaving immediately for Jacksonville, Texas for him to assume his new charge.

In 1939 the ME Church, South merged with the Methodist Protestant Church to become the Methodist Church. The use of the term PE was eliminated, and District Superintendent or DS began to be used.

On Jan. 25, 1939, in a deed recorded in volume 115, page 57, C.L. Cochran deeded to James E. Hill, Jr., H.D. Alston, A.B. Garvey, L.N. Haynes and W.B. Cayton, trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South at Livingston, Texas, a tract that was located to the north and east of the church property. This gave the church a lot that was 214-feet deep by 96-feet wide and extended from Church Street (known as State Hwy. 45 at this time) to Polk Street. (In 1965, the church acquired an additional 6-foot strip along the west boundary from A.W. and Adelle Peebles).

For a revival in 1943, from August 22-29, services were held twice daily, at 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. The Reverend Ray Loden from the First Methodist of Liberty conducted the services. The pastor of the church at this time was Nolan Vance.

In 1948 the wooden church building was razed and a new, brick building with seating for 300 was put up in its place. At the beginning of the project the PC was Ben Anderson and when completed in 1949, the pastor was L.R. Condrey.

The building committee was comprised of Otto Hawkins, as chairman, B.A. Glover, S. Frank Fain, James M. Windham, Wyman Windham, Sr., V.H. Pritchard and Dr. T.L. Gardner. The church trustees were H.D. Alston, Leo H. Davis, L.N. Haynes, Fred Smith and James M. Windham.

On April 16, 1949, the same group of trustees executed a document to incorporate as “The Methodist Church of Livingston, Texas.”

On July 10, 1949, the opening service was held to much excitement from the congregation. Reverend Peebles returned from Lon Morris to deliver the message. The beautifully printed bulletin acknowledged many individuals and specifically thanked the ladies who served alongside the Lions and Rotary Clubs in their efforts to assist with the building fund.

The Houston Post ran a nice photo of the new, beautiful $60,000 brick Methodist Church and announced its formal opening and a revival that was to be held daily during the following week.

The church dedication ceremony was held on Dec. 9, 1951, during the pastorage of E.J. Berkelbach. The Act of Dedication was performed by Otto Hawkins Sr. Bishop A. Frank Smith asked Hawkins, “By what name shall this church henceforth be known?” Hawkins responded, “It will be called the First Methodist Church.”

Write a comment

By Brian Besch
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Goodrich City Council accepted a new tax rate and holiday festivities were set at the September regular meeting Thursday evening. 

The family of Alderman Richard Booth will hold a celebration of life 2 p.m. on Sept. 23 at the Lake Livingston State Park Activity Center. Booth died recently under hospice care in Arkansas after a stroke a few months ago.

A new tax rate was proposed in August and accepted Thursday. The new rate will raise more 
taxes for maintenance and operations by 27.17% over last year’s tax rate. A home valued at $100,000 can expect to pay approximately $14.90 more than the year prior. 

The 2023-24 budget was unavailable for the September meeting, however, City Secretary Felicia Garrett said she expects it to be prepared for October.

“Without the accountant keeping up with our monthly like we had, I’m having to go all the way back to the 2022 fiscal year and do everything by hand,” Garrett said.

The item was tabled until October’s regular meeting.

Festivities for Halloween will be Oct. 28, 5-7 p.m. in front of city hall. It will be a trunk-or-treat styled giveaway, where those attending will remain in their vehicles and drive through. City businesses, just as the year before, are invited to participate along with the city council.

Vehicles will not be allowed entrance from Loop 393, in order to keep a traffic flow and all safe. Instead, they will enter the city hall parking lot from Bond Street.

Lighting of the town Christmas tree will occur Monday, Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. Flags will be placed outside the weekend before Thanksgiving. The marching band from Houston that has become a Goodrich tradition will again kick off the parade down Loop 393 during the Christmas celebration.

City council will also enter a float in the Livingston parade.