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NEW HOME SCHOOL TEACHERS - Mrs. Essie
Hamilton (left) and Miss Ima Draper
ride the "school bus" pulled by the Seth family horse during the 1920's.
(Photo from
Grassroots Upside Down - courtesy Joe D. Unfrcd)
PAGE 4, SECTION F, LYNN
COUNTY NEWS CENTENNIAL EDITION, THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2003
ESTABLISHED IN 1960
New Home-Lakeview Elevator Provides Services To Area Farmers
The original elevator was built in the 1960's by Anderson
Grain Company. While owned by Anderson Grain, Lloyd and Thelma Nunley
operated the facility for over 25 years. Later Lynn Carroll and Wayne
Fillingim operated this facility as well. In 1997 the elevator was
purchased by Leiand White. The New Home Lakeview Elevator & Ag Services,
Inc. was established by Leiand White to provide a convenient point of
delivery tor local producers and provide other agricultural services.
The Board of Directors consisted of Leiand
White, president; Kent Bruton, vice president; Michael White, treasurer;
and Barbara White, secretary. Since that time Barbara has retired and
Carol White has joined the group, handling the office and other duties.
The facility today
still consists of the original ground pad, two storage tanks, double pit
unloading bay, office facilities, and three fertilizer tanks also
located on the property. Grain drying fans were added in 2002 to
maintain quality seed during storage.
In 1997, the first year in operation, saw
Wheat and Grain Sorghum sales. Since that time grain sorghum has become
our main commodity-The year 2001 brought our largest grain crop in
several years due to a hail storm in late May, 2001 that eliminated all
cotton planted in this area and surrounding areas. We handled over 27
million pounds of grain sorghum that year, our largest season to date.
Since the crop in 2001 we have continued to handle rotation crop grain
sorghum planted in the area.
Lorenzo Green DePriest and his wife Sarah Elizabeth taken in the early
1900's.
In the background is their home located 1.75 mile North of New Home.
Lorenzo is responsible for the township name, New Home
J.W. EDWARDS AND SON — Taken about
1946, this photo shows the J.W. Edwards and Son
shop in New Home, now known as John Edwards Shop. Shown from left are
employees
J.R. Turner and Pop Munkcsfi, customer Claude Brown, and owner J.W.
Edwards.
NEW HOME FIRM
ESTABLISHED IN 1944
John Edwards
Started Shop Career In Father's Business
John Wallace Edwards, commonly known as J.W. was traveling from Lamesa, Texas to Slide. Texas for work at a
blacksmith shop in August 1944 when he noticed that there was a
blacksmith shop also located in New Home. The shop caught J.W.'s
attention because sometimes the business would be open and sometimes the
business would be closed.
After stopping to look at the business in
New Home. J-W. became interested in the possibility of opening his own
business. J.W. traveled back to Lamesa to gather up his wife, Ida Mae,
and their son, John, and three daughters, Evelyn, Deloris and Betty
Charlene along with a picnic lunch and the dream of starting his own
business.
A "working deal" was made with the current
owner, Mr. Renfroe, on Aug. 15. 1944. The family returned to Lamesa for
their possessions. The family camped out under a tree for awhile. And
J,W. and nine-year-old John started to water the dirt floor of the
one-room shop to prepare it for customers. The business would be called
J.W. Edwards and Son and would be specializing in blacksmithing and
welding.
In 1946 the business had grown to
where two employees were added to help J.W. and John with the work. And
the family had moved into a house nearby.
In 1948 a larger building was added
on to the east side of the original shop. In 1952 a water well drilling
and pump sitting businesses was added to the blacksmith and welding
shop. It didn't take many years for the blacksmithing business to be
casually referred to as "the shop".
In 1956, J.W. decided to
change up the services that the shop offered. The water well
drilling rig was sold, But the pump repairs and service
was kept along with the blacksmithing, welding, and machine shop.
The year 1960 brought major changes with
John Edwards purchasing one-half of the blacksmith and welding shop. And
his wife. Mary Bess, started doing the office work and bookkeeping. In
1962 John purchased one-half of the pump business.
A new sign would be hung in 1976 that said
John Edwards Shop when John bought the remaining half of the business
from his then retired father, J.W. Edwards. "The shop" grew to contain
several different shops under the one roof as well as several outer
buildings.
John and Mary Bess
have continued to run "the shop" for the past 27 years while trying to
adapt to the changing environment and economy. John is thankful lo have
had the privilege to have worked for four different generations of
people and to have witnessed the positive changes that come with working
at the same business for 58 years.
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