September marks time for a ride about the county. Wood County is a prime “taking a ride in the country” kind of place. 

The number one attribute to being an excellent place for a drive-about is the absence of traffic. From the time that this recent drive officially began, departing Alba on CR 1600, to the time it ended, at the intersection of CR 2450 and TX 37 just north of Mineola, there were only 12 cars encountered. This was despite the fact that the route circled from Alba north around Lake Quitman then east to Shady Grove, down through Pine Mills, almost to Stanger, then through Hainesville, ending in Mineola.

It was a quiet, leisurely 81-mile transit. The morning had the first hint of fall, providing a chance to make the trip with the truck windows down.

Heading out on CR 1600, the old Quitman road, provided a great example of what the first roads connecting local communities were like. Those initial roads should hold a special place in local lore, as so much history likely took place along their paths. The route from Alba to Quitman of CR 1600 to CR 2388 to CR 2100 is likely one of these routes. 

Shortly after getting underway, a hawk was spooked out of a tree along the road and swooped down before flying off ahead of the truck. It provided a nice send-off.

The route also presented two great examples of the very personal act of naming a ranch. The Shady Acres and the Comanche Creek ranches were noted with interest. 

Once headed north on CR 1112 and on to FM 2225 the road led through some of the nicest land in the county – that stretch between Lake Fork and Lake Quitman. The gentle relief of the landscape and wide sweeping curves in the road just puts one at ease. 

Two sightings on the rural route reminded that folks are not only cattle ranching in Wood County. The Pro-Tec Laboratory on FM 2225 and the Phoenix Air Boat facility a few miles east on CR 4750 represented the two unique businesses encountered on the trip.

The route led past the immaculately-maintained Myrtle Springs Baptist Church. The country churches in the county are often the only reminders of the thriving farming communities that many locales were, not so long ago. 

They stand in contrast to the many (on this trip six) abandoned or repurposed milking barns which are dotted around the county. The dairy industry has largely departed Wood County and is trending now toward West Texas, not East Texas. That is a story for another day. 

Also encountered were several gorgeous but very bashful horses off of CR 1468. They peeked over tall grasses at us until we continued on the circuit. 

The Cartwright Community Center, still an elegant building, spoke to the deep connections people yet have to the Cartwright community. 

Crossing over TX 37, the route continued east to Shady Grove before turning south through Little Hope and on to Pine Mills. While on CR 4645 a break in the cedars lining the road allowed a photo of a recently baled hay field on a long, gently-sloping hill.

Once across TX 154, pine forests begin to envelope the road. Even the air smelled different. It is that unofficial line of demarcation between the East Texas piney woods which characterize the eastern stretches of the county, and the post oak savannah which marks the western half.

At the intersection of FM 312 and FM 49 stands the Precinct 3 County Barn. It is a reminder of the fact that Wood County is just large enough to make prepositioning of capability and material a necessity.

Our path made a dip south and crossed over the headwaters which feed West Lakes and Lake Hawkins. Turning west on CR 3880 leads through some heavily-timbered lowlands which are reminiscent of driving the Natchez Trace Parkway through Mississippi. 

Heading west from Hainesville on FM 49 a distinguished flag display was on the south side of the highway. Just west of the fire station, the U.S. flag, the Texas flag and the Church flag were prominently flying. 

Flag etiquette is a bit of a lost art. The church pennant, for instance, is the only flag which can be flown higher than the Stars and Stripes. That may occur only during church services conducted by naval chaplains aboard U.S. Navy ships while at sea.  The pennant is then lowered and the U.S. flag closed up when service is complete.

A detour north delivered us to FM 1254 for the final leg of the drive-about. Two notes of interest were the disappearance of the old Freeman Chapel, and the advertisement of a backyard gospel jubilee at a residence just down the road from the old chapel.

Freeman Chapel had been deconstructed as phase one of a community action project which should result in a large pavilion being built to service the Freeman Chapel Cemetery.  The unrelated gospel jubilee announced for Sept. 18 will be the subject of a full report in the near future.