Utilities in Mineola

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about utilities in Mineola, Wood County. Now settle in, because this is one of those stories where the unglamorous stuff, the pipes and the wires and the ice, turns out to be the whole foundation of a place. Before any of it, somebody in Mineola wanted a bath.

New residents, desiring better living conditions, started looking for water, electric, and gas providers. The first water service was owned by a man named A.W. Front, and friend, this operation was exactly as humble as it sounds.

A one-horse wagon, rolling daily to customers, delivering water. And if you needed a little more than a jug, Front also ran a bathhouse for the community. That's where Mineola's water story begins.

One horse, one wagon, one tub. Then in 1886, the town drilled an artesian well right in the center of things to serve the downtown area. That same year, an ice factory opened.

Water and ice, same year. Mineola was moving. Come October of 1903, R.M.

Stafford and Dr. A.L. Patten took over furnishing water for the town, and they kept at it until 1915 when the Mineola Ice and Water Company was established and took the reins.

Now telephone service, that's where the story gets a little wry. Service began in 1896, owned by a Mr. Garrett.

The Garrett family worked the phones during the day. At night, a fellow named E.A. Reeves handled things.

The whole operation went by the name The Globe, which is a grand title for what it actually was. One phone. One single phone.

And when a message came in, they didn't patch you through, they sent a runner. Somebody's legs were the network. In 1897, H.P.

Davis established the Mineola Telephone Company and operated it until 1902, when Southwestern Bell purchased it. From one-phone runners to Southwestern Bell in six years. That's a journey.

Electric power arrived in 1897 as well, courtesy of the Tilley Brothers Electric Company. They set up the first electric plant, sharing facilities with the R.J. Smith Chair Factory, and they were contracted to install arc lights on the streets of Mineola.

The town was starting to glow. Gas took a little longer. Mineola has enjoyed the advantages of natural gas since 1927.

Then in 1930, Latex Gas Company began operating in Mineola under the United Gas Company name. Latex later consolidated with United Gas Corporation. To build out that infrastructure, the Magnolia Pipeline Company set up a worker camp west of Mineola and laid a large gas line running east to west.

Several weeks after that, lines were laid to customers' homes. Water by wagon. A phone with runners.

One shared electric plant. A worker camp in a field. That's how a city gets its foundation, one unglamorous piece at a time.

And Mineola built theirs solid.

What the marker says

Desiring better living conditions, new residents began to look for water, electric and gas providers. The first water service, owned by A.W. Front, delivered water daily to customers in a one-horse wagon in addition to providing a bathhouse for the community. In 1886, an artesian well was constructed in the center of town to provide water for the downtown area. An ice factory also opened that year. In October 1903, R.M. Stafford and Dr. A.L. Patten began to furnish water for Mineola until 1915 when the Mineola Ice & Water Company was established. Telephone service in Mineola began in 1896 and was owned by Mr. Garrett. The service operated during the day by the Garrett family and at night by E.A. Reeves. The service, named "The Globe," was a one-phone operation with runners who delivered the messages. In 1897, the Mineola Telephone Company was established by H.P. Davis who operated the service until 1902 when it was purchased by Southwestern Bell. The city has enjoyed the advantages of natural gas since 1927. United gas company began in Mineola in 1930 by Latex Gas Company who later consolidated with United Gas Corporation. To build the infrastructure, a camp was set up west of Mineola for workers who laid a large gas line east to west by the Magnolia Pipeline Company. Several weeks later, lines were laid to customers" homes. The first electric plant, established in 1897 by the Tilley Brothers Electric Company, shared facilities with the R.J. Smith Chair Factory and was contracted to install arc lights on the streets of Mineola. As the foundation of a city, infrastructure and utility services assisted in the development of Mineola.