DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Union Bower Community, up in Dallas County. Now, before a town ever paves its roads or puts up a welcome sign, somebody has to show up first and decide the land is worth staying for. Out along the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, that fertile soil was doing its own kind of advertising — and in the mid-nineteenth century, settlers started listening.
William and Virginia Smith came all the way down from Pennsylvania, arriving in 1879. Not long after that, Charles and Lucy Voirin — Lucy being born a Santerre — bought land right to the north of the Smiths' property. Two families, side by side, and what grew between them was something worth naming.
They called it the Union Bower Community. And they worked for it, too. Residents were cutting wood out of those riverbank thickets, loading it up alongside cotton, corn, vegetables, and fruit, and hauling all of it to market in Dallas.
That is not a gentle Sunday drive, friends. That is a community earning its keep. By 1885, area families had organized a non-denominational Sunday school — because out here, you built your faith the same way you built everything else: together, with whoever showed up.
Later, the Methodist Church sent the Reverend W. E. Hawks to do something more permanent.
The church he established was dedicated in 1907. It was called Hawks Chapel first, then Union Bower Methodist Church, and today it continues on as Oak Haven United Methodist Church. Three names, one congregation, still going.
Now here is where the story asks you to slow down a little. In 1886, the Smiths lost a daughter. And in the wake of that grief, William and Virginia did something quietly profound — they established the cemetery and opened it for the whole community to use.
That is the kind of act that turns neighbors into something more. Meanwhile, education was taking root too. As early as 1890, a man named Mark Callister Lively founded the Lively School, right at what today is Britain and Union Bower Roads.
Catholic families and Church of Christ families both held their services in that school building — which tells you something about how a small community makes do and makes room. Then in 1891, the Union Bower School opened on land donated by the Smiths — those same Smiths — and it served this community all the way until the 1960s. But 1903 brought a shift.
Irving was established along the Rock Island rail line that year, and when a rail town appears on the map, the rural communities nearby have a tendency to start losing people to it. Union Bower was no exception. The Elm Fork channel was rerouted at some point, and various industries developed in the area where farms had once stood.
By 1956, when Irving annexed Union Bower, the marker tells us plainly — little remained of the agricultural roots of the community. And yet. Decades after the Union Bower School closed its doors, the alumni were still meeting.
Still sharing memories of the close-knit farming settlement they grew up in. Some places fade from the map. But the people who came from them — they have a way of keeping the story alive long after the last furrow's been turned.
What the marker says
Attracted to the fertile land along the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, settlers first came to this area in the mid-19th century. William and Virginia Smith, of Pennsylvania, arrived in 1879. Soon thereafter, Charles and Lucy (Santerre) Voirin bought land north of the Smith's property. The families worked together to establish what became known as the Union Bower Community. Residents cut wood from the riverbank thickets and hauled the wood and their farm products, including cotton, corn, vegetables, and fruit, to market in Dallas. In 1885, area families organized a non-denominational Sunday school. Later, the Methodist Church sent the Rev. W.E. Hawks to establish a church, which was dedicated in 1907. Originally called Hawks Chapel and later named Union Bower Methodist Church, it continues today as Oak Haven United Methodist Church. After the death of their daughter in 1886, the Smiths established the cemetery for community use. As early as 1890, Mark Callister Lively founded the Lively School at today's Britain and Union Bower Roads. Area Catholic and Church of Christ families held services in the school building. The Union Bower School, established on land donated by the Smiths, opened in 1891 and served the community until the 1960s. When Irving was established along he Rock Island rail line in 1903, the area's rural communities, including Union Bower, declined in population. After the Elm Fork channel was rerouted, various industries developed in the area. By the time Irving annexed Union Bower in 1956, little remained of the agricultural roots of the community. Decades after the Union Bower School losed, alumni continue to meet and share their memories of the once close-knit farming settlement. (2005)