Flooding Affects Local Businesses

On February 12, the Gonzales Mexican Public Schools allowed 67 students of Assyrian descent to attend. Later on, a bridge over the Guadalupe River was constructed at Oak Forest. Gonzales was featured in Ladies Home Journal as the cleanest town in Texas. The W.H. Kokernot House was built by architect James Phelps at 723 St. James Street. On March 30, the Guadalupe River flooded and broke away about thirty-five feet of the dam. L. Michelson and Sons moved their Bottling Works and Ice Cream Factory to the southeast corner of St. Joseph and St. Vincent Streets and it later became the Coca-Cola Bottling Company. On May 22, the Guadalupe River flooded and crested at 31.8 feet. On July 3, the installation of curbing and cement walks around the East Avenue State Park was going well. The work included a cement bridge over the creek, and some citizens were having cement walks poured in front of their homes. On July 4, Jahnke Jewelry announced that they installed a “Time Sounder” which will set the correct time according to the United States Observatory at Washington. The park commissioners announced that the land on East Avenue between Tinsley Creek and Kerr Creek was state-owned park land and no livestock would be permitted to be on this land. On July 22, the Frank M. Fly House at 827 St. Joseph Street was nearing completion, and the M.J. Koch House was built at 605 St. George Street. On August 8, the State Board of Education reversed the decision of the former State Superintendent of Public Instruction and granted Assyrian children the right to attend the same public school as white children. On the same day, land on the southeast corner of Block 30 was purchased by C.E. Dilworth and Fred Kokernot to build a home for Mrs. L.M. Kokernot. On September 2, work was progressing on a new dam, and citizens were encouraged to turn off all unnecessary running water when they hear the fire bell ring, so there would be enough water pressure to put out any fire. On September 12, Mrs. S.W. Bass was listed as the teacher at the Mexican School. On September 21, the new I.O.O.F. Building was dedicated at 409 St. Francis Street. The T.R. Skinner House was built at 205 St. Andrew, and the R.C. Botts Building was completed on the east side of Block 11 at 421 St. James Street.