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Visitor Guide

Gonzales County Centennial Exposition

In 1935, Mrs. D.T. Person opened a new flower shop in her home on St. Louis Street. Irving Forgotston conducted the Super-Service Gulf Station, while Robertson and Seydler Funeral Home held an open house from January 11th to 13th. Bus routes for students were listed, and an athletic field was built north of the Lutheran Church on North Avenue. A Music Club was formed. On February 28, Gonzales Inquirer moved into its new home at 622 St. Paul Street (Block 34), and on April 16, Gonzales Rotary Club was formed. The Guadalupe River flooded on May 20th, crested at 27.3 feet, and again on June 17th, crested at 33.8 feet. On November 5, the Gonzales County Centennial Exposition began with a mile-long parade, a polo game between Gonzales and a San Antonio team from Fort Sam Houston, and a pageant featuring a reenactment of Texas history on a 200-foot-long stage. Attendees for the day included Governor James Allred, Attorney General William McCraw, and Congressman Kleberg. The Exposition ran until Sunday, November 10, when at 2:30 p.m., a statewide Sunday School Centennial was dedicated to the memory of Thomas J. Pilgrim, who founded the first Sunday School in Texas in San Felipe in 1829. In 1840, he moved to Gonzales and remained active in education. The National Park Service gave the CCC six months to finish Palmetto Park at Ottine.