User talk:Eaglegrafix
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Rest Stop on US 69 in East Texas
Primary interest is in articles on Texas, Texas events, Texas history and Texans.
Eagle (talk) 22:51, 9 March 2008 (UTC)
[edit] What Makes a Person Notable?
After deleting the listing of Hardy Parkerson from the listing of Longview's "Notable People" and giving my reasons, the name was re-listed. To be fair, if Mr. Parkerson believes himself or if some one who knows him believes him to be a person who has notoriety because of his connection in Longview, I am willing to let the reader decide. I do not dispute that Mr. Parkerson is notable for various reasons. He is known for his poetic ditty's and short rhyming verses. He is also known very well in Louisiana as an attorney where he practiced for some 40 years. He has supporters and admirers who may well consider him "famous" as well as detractors who consider him "infamous". He did not go quietly into the night when he resigned the Louisiana bar and retired from the practice of law.
However, since Mr. Parkerson has lived and worked in Lake Charles, Louisiana since before he graduated from high school; and since he has not done anything significant or notable in his life that has been connected to his early years in Longview; and, since he is not recognized or known by any but a very few people in Longview, it is therefore fair to question his listing as a notable person from Longview. Unlike others "Notable People" listed in the Longview Texas article, very few references can be found regarding Mr. Parkerson's Longview roots. (this contributor found only one on the Internet after extensive search). In fact, it is Lake Charles that is referenced as Mr. Parkerson's home. By comparison, in the other's listings their place of birth as Longview Texas is mentioned in almost every reference of their name.
Mr. Parkerson was born in Longview. He lived in White Oak (not Longview) until he was 12, (according to records found on the internet). He moved to Nacogdoches, Texas and at some time moved again to Lake Charles, Louisiana where he graduated from high school. Since then there is little if any record of his interaction with "his home town." As I said before, he needs to be satisfied to be a notable person from Lake Charles and Louisiana.
Therefore, if he is to be listed, and because he is not well known, some background needs to be given so that the reader will have a better understanding of Mr. Parkerson's connection to Longview. A short bio and the circumstances which led to his resignation and all should be made available to those who read his name in the list. Otherwise he should be satisfied with his legacy in Louisiana, for he has none of note here. Eagle (talk) 05:11, 17 March 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Which Railroad Company brought the railroad to Longview?
Longview Texas was founded during the time when railroad companies were laying new track and establishing lines between points of commerce. Many times this activity created a point of commerce as was the case with Longview.
There is confusion over what railroad actually bought the firs 100 acres on which the original town of Longview was platted. Historical records differ between the Southern Pacific Railroad Company (no connection the the SP in existence today) and the Texas and Pacific Railroad. This confusion comes from the fact that both companies were front and center during the first 2 years of Longview's history.
On April 7, 1870,O.H. Methvin sold 100 acres to the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, a state chartered company that had a line from Waskom, Texas to Marshall Texas. It is the Southern Pacific Railroad Company that laid out the town of Longview which led to its incorporation. At the same time, the federally chartered Texas Pacific Railroad Company. This charter was granted on March 3, 1871 almost 11 months after the sale of the 100 acres.
On March 21, 1872 the Texas Pacific Railroad acquired the Longview-Waskom rail line. The Texas Pacific Railroad Company had been granted permission to build a transcontinental railroad from Marshall, Texas to San Diego, California. On May 2, 1872, the named was changed to Texas and Pacific Railroad Company. T&PL then constructed the Longview-Dallas section putting it into service on July 1, 1873 and the Marshall-Texarkana section on December 28, 1873.
It was the Southern Pacific Railroad Company that received the 100 acres from O.H. Methvin for one gold dollar and brought the railroad to Longview. It was the Texas and Pacific Railroad Company that bought the Southern Pacific Railroad Company with the permission of the state of Texas. It was T&PL that carried on the work westward. The source of this historic record is the Handbook of Texas Online, a project of the Texas State Historical Association and the book Traditions of the Land: The History of Gregg County (Longview, Texas: Gregg County Historical Foundation, 1989) Eagle (talk) 20:35, 26 April 2008 (UTC)
