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The formal
organization of the Community of Hew Home began when a one room school
was built in 1907-08. This school opened it’s doors February 17, 1908,
with Miss Dora Burdett as it’s first teacher. As soon as the school was
completed, the first church of the community was organize, and held it’s
services in the new school building. This church was named New Home
Baptist Church, since this area was the “New Home” of most of it’s
members. It began with 17 charter members, and was officially organized
February 16, 1908.
The school was first
unofficially called the Deuce-of-Hearts school because the area was
formerly part of the Deuce-of-Hearts Ranch. It was also spoken of as the
Minor School, since it was located on the F.R. Minor farm which was
about one fourth of a mile south of the present school location, but due
to the influence of the church, it was soon named the Hew Home School.
Some of the people living in the community at that time were the
families of P.H. Renfroe, S.L. Smith, J.H. Smith, J.I. Miller, H.R.
Minor, B.T. Summer, L.G. Depriest, Jack White, J.F. McManus, and the
Hutto family.
The first store and
post office of the community were begun about 1910 in the farm house of
Fred Thomas, which was located about 1 mile north and one mile east of
the school site. This store and post office did not exist very long,
however. The first store established on the present town site was built
in 1915, and was operated by Jim Beard. He also established a post
office, but this one was operated only a few years, also. The families
of the community were responsible for carrying the mail to this post
office from Wilson. This duty was rotated between the families, and
usually the men and boys made this delivery on horseback about twice a
week. Chester Smith carried the mail for the S.L. Smith family as a
young boy. He recalls that one of his biggest problems was trying to
carry in his mail bag a wash board ordered from a mail order house by
one of the families of the community. A third post office was set up in
1930, and was operated by J.H. Izard and John Miller, but it was closed
in 1934. After that, the mail was delivered on a rural route from the
Wilson post office. A later route was added from the Tahoka post
office.
Some of the early
merchants of the New Home Community were Jim Beard, James O’Rear, J.H.
Izard, A.J. Hillon, J.P. Fulton, and Jim Anderson. The first gin was
built by McDonald & Ely Co. in 1923. It was located at the site of the
present New Home Co-op Gin. Another gin was built in 1926 by Edwards &
Lockhart Co. The only other businesses at the time were a store and
filling station.
 In 1918, a three room
school was built, and that building was used until a brick school was
constructed in 1926 on the present school site. This building is still
part of the school’s physical plant. A gymnasium was added to this
building in 1936. The schools of the joining communities were grouped
for high school purposes in 1935, and a few years later, voted to
consolidate with the school plant at New Home. A high school building
was constructed in 1948, and a new grade school was built in 1956.
The New Home Baptist
Church remained the only church in the community for 27 years, but in
1935, the Church of Christ established a congregation in the community.
Their church was built in 1938, and a pastor’s home was added in 1946.
The New Home
Methodist Church was organized September 8, 1940 with 40 charter
members. It’s sanctuary was built in 1941, and an educational building
was added in 1948. The present membership is 85 members.
In 1957 membership of
the New Home Baptist Church is 179 with four charter members. These
members are Mr. & Mrs. S.L. Smith, J.H. Smith, and Mrs. Hattie McManus.
In 1957 businesses in
the town site are as follows, Edwards Blacksmith Shop, The Mayfield
Grocery, Davies Grocery, Bill Balch Service Station and Butane Co., The
Harston Service Station, Walter Smith Garage, New Home Laundry, New Home
Café, New Home Gin Co. and New Home Coop Gin.
The New Home School
has a Scholastic enrollment of 372 students, which include. It employees
17 teachers. The high school is an accredited high school, with 28
affiliated credits.
New
Home School
This
building replaced the one room Minor School in the teen years.
As the community adopted the name New Home (at the suggestion of L.G. Depriest)
so did the school. Only two rooms were used until 1922. A separate
building was
built for the first grade, four teachers were then employed.
The building was in use till September 1927.
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