WEDNESDAY VOLUME XXIX NUMBER 40 Section 1 8 pages
October 9, 2024 Home of the ‘Lone Star Flag’ and Justin Jones
Montgomery County’s Only Locally Owned Newspaper
Established 1995
Montgomery County News Texas
Montgomery, Texas 77356
50 Weekly PBOX Magnolia, TX 77353
“Redemption”
Weekly Gas Prices Average gasoline prices in Texas have risen 4.7 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.73/g today, according to GasBuddy's survey of 13,114 stations in Texas. Prices in Texas are 8.9 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 46.3 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel is unchanged from a week ago and stands at $3.54 per gallon. According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Texas was priced at $1.89/g yesterday while the most expensive was $3.70/g, a difference of $1.81/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $1.89/g while the highest was $3.70/g, a difference of $1.81/g. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 4.6 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.13/g today. The national average is down 11.6 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 56.2 cents per gallon lower than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country. Historical gasoline prices in Texas and the national average going back ten years: October 7, 2023: $3.19/g (U.S. Average: $3.69/g) October 7, 2022: $3.22/g (U.S. Average: $3.90/g) October 7, 2021: $2.88/g (U.S. Average: $3.24/g) October 7, 2020: $1.86/g (U.S. Average: $2.18/g) October 7, 2019: $2.31/g (U.S. Average: $2.65/g) October 7, 2018: $2.66/g (U.S. Average: $2.91/g) October 7, 2017: $2.35/g (U.S. Average: $2.48/g) October 7, 2016: $2.00/g (U.S. Average: $2.26/g) October 7, 2015: $2.05/g (U.S. Average: $2.29/g) October 7, 2014: $3.11/g (U.S. Average: $3.27/g) Neighboring areas and their current gas prices: Midland Odessa- $2.57/g, down 6.3 cents per gallon from last week's $2.64/g. San Antonio- $2.63/g, down 21.2 cents per gallon from last week's $2.85/g. Austin- $2.65/g, down 18.8 cents per gallon from last week's $2.84/g. “While the national average dipped slightly in the last week, Iran's attack on Israel has at least temporarily caused oil prices to surge to the highest level in months, which could cause the declines to cease for now and could lead to a rise in gas prices for many Americans," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. "In addition to the escalation in the Middle East, hurricane season remains active, with Hurricane Milton now heading toward a likely landfall in Florida. As a result of potential evacuations, GasBuddy's Fuel Availability tracker will remain online for areas likely to be affected by Milton. For now, motorists in most areas can expect to see more increases in gas prices primarily due to tensions in the Middle East, but I remain hopeful that a $2.99 national average remains possible this fall." SOURCE GasBuddy
Index Community........2, 3, 4, 5, 8 Commentary...................3, 4, 5 Church Directory..............5 Legals.................................6 Business Directory.............8
PRE-SRT POSTAGE PD #80 MONTG. TX
Smalls Sliders to Open in Willis by Ruben Borjas, Jr
A r t i c l e b y M a r k has won 9 out of the last 10 years, and they are the Hooker Defending Champions. The second leg of the However, last month, five tournament Texas College Station had taken H i g h S c h o o l B a s s the early lead in this race A s s o c i a t i o n H o u s t o n by winning the opening Division Season was this event at Lake Limestone. past Saturday on Toledo MISD came in second, so Bend Reservoir. At stake, was one point behind in the the continued defense of standings, and was seeking t h e T H S B A H o u s t o n a little “Redemption.” Division Crown, of which In the weeks prior to the MISD Fishing Team this tournament, the Team
was challenged to put more time on the water and look to develop patterns and confidence. By doing these things, they would have a great chance of having 3 individual teams in the top 10, which has been the formula for success for the MISD Fishing Team over the years. Toledo Bend did not disappoint, and neither did
the MISD Fishing Team, as Jacob Riley and Brenner Kirklin led them. This pair of State Qualifiers brought in the winning 5 fish stringer of 16.83 pounds, landing them in first place out of 153 individual teams from 19 Houston Area High Schools. Jacob reported that “we caught over 20 See MISD , page 2
News from the Lake Creek Settlement: The First Montgomery County Courthouse Was 'Rent to Own’
Artistic Rendering of How the First Montgomery Courthouse May Have Appeared in 1838 By Kameron Searle The land that comprises Montgomery County was originally part of Washington County. Montgomery County was created on December 14, 1837, by an act of the Congress of the Republic of Texas and signed into law by Sam Houston, the President of the Republic of Texas. In the early days of the Republic of Texas, newly created counties received no money from the cash-poor Republic of Texas to get started. Newly created counties were expected to find enough money to build essential county buildings such as courthouses and jails on their own. No taxes had yet been levied by the new county and no criminal fines had yet been assessed by the county courts. The coffers were bare. Land deeds and other records needed to be filed somewhere. The
County Commissioners Court needed to hold meetings somewhere. The County Clerk and the District Clerk needed offices somewhere. On March 1, 1838, the Montgomery County Commissioners Court selected the town of Montgomery to be the county seat of the newly created county. On that same date, the Commissioners appointed a committee to draft a plan to build “the necessary public buildings.” The Commissioners stipulated that the proposed courthouse should not cost more than $1,000. But money trickled in slowly. In the end, it was clear to everyone that cash-poor Montgomery County could not afford to have a courthouse built for several years. The town of Montgomery had been f o u n d e d b y W. W. Shepperd in July of 1837. W. W. Shepperd, owned
everything in the town of Montgomery including the store, all the houses and buildings, the cotton gin, the mill, etc. The Montgomery County Commissioners Court had no place to turn but to Shepperd. The first courthouse in Montgomery County was a house owned by W. W. Shepperd. Initially, the county intended to purchase the house that was being used as the courthouse for $800, but if the county did not purchase the house, the commissioners agreed to pay Shepperd a reasonable rent. At a meeting held on the second Monday in October of 1838, we find the following action by the Commissioners’ Court regarding the purchase of a courthouse. “Ordered that in the event the House purchased by the Commissioners on the part of the County for a Court House in the Town
of Montgomery for the sum of Eight hundred dollars shall not be paid for as per contract within one year from the date hereof, then and in that case the house shall revert to W. W. Shepperd and that he shall be entitled to reasonable rent for the same for the time it shall have been occupied as a Court House.” However, the county failed to pay Shepperd the purchase price of eight hundred dollars within the f o l l o w i n g y e a r. S o , Shepperd still owned Montgomery County’s courthouse. Shortly t h e r e a f t e r, S h e p p e r d decided to sell his remaining interest in the town of Montgomery to a land speculator named James McCown. Shepperd realized a huge profit over his original investment in the land that had become the town of Montgomery and shortly thereafter had become the county seat of M o n t g o m e r y C o u n t y. When W. W. Shepperd sold the town of Montgomery to James McCown in 1839, the courthouse was part of the bargain. The minutes of the April 7, 1840, meeting provide the following. Wm. W. Shepperd the original proprietor of the T o w n o f M o n t g o m e r y. … m a d e See Courthouse, page 2
This Ad Space Available 4 column x 1.5 inch 936-449-NEWS
They’re called ‘Smalls Sliders.’ And they really are small sliders. The company’s ‘CanVan’ has been spotted at locations in and around Willis, handing out samples of their sliders and their waffle cut seasoned fries, with queso sauce. Willis will be the location of the first ‘can dropping,’ or 'dropping a can,’ in Texas, which the company uses instead of saying ‘grand opening.’ And they are already eyeing more locations in Montgomery County. The can (restaurant) is expected to be open by October 24th, just off I-45 at 806 West Montgomery St. in Willis, across from HEB. S m a l l s i s a cheeseburger slider chain that was founded in 2019 by Brandon Landry (no relation to Tilman Fertitta’s company) and is backed by NFL quarterback Drew Brees. The Louisianabased chain has planned locations in Texas, and other states. Willis is up first, with The Woodlands and Conroe cans to be dropped in the future. The Wi l l i s l o c a t i o n w a s planned for earlier this year, but with weather delays, construction has started, and the opening date set. “People are looking for more options up there as that city continues to grow,” said David Higgins, a spokesperson for Smalls, and franchisee out of Katy. “With the recent opening of H-E-B in November 2023, it makes for a strong traffic generator.” The footprint of a can is different from all other fast food restaurants, custom built out of cargo containers with a drivethru, outdoor seating and a walk-up window. The menu is not complicated. Basically, it’s just Smalls S l i d e r s , Wa ff l e F r i e s (w/Signature Seasoning), Grilled Cheese, Smauce (their proprietary sauce), and Queso (for the fries). You can upgrade with their Biggie Smalls (DoubleMeat and Cheese), Bacon, and Smalls Way Fries (Smauce and Queso covered). Local pricing has yet to be determined, but they should be c o m p a r a b l e t o Whataburger according to company sources. You can have your sliders on toasted buttered buns with cheese, pickles and their Smauce. Bacon is always better if you wish, and you can smother it with sauce. It’s really up to you. You can get you a soft drink, or grab a milkshake with three flavors: vanilla, chocolate, or cookies and cream. Besides Montgomery County locations, other Houston area locations are in the works with
See Sliders, page 4