City of Edna

Edna, Did You Know?

The City of Edna hasn’t always had street lights.
In fact, it wasn’t until after World War II that the city council requested installation of six street lights by the Central Power & Light Co. That request was recorded in the minutes of the Aug. 5, 1948 council meeting.
On the evening of Sat., Oct. 9, 1948, more than 1,000 people crowded the courthouse lawn to listen to the Edna High School band play the national anthem and other songs, hear the local dignitaries speak, and to see the lights come on.
President of the Edna Chamber of Commerce, Dr. R.E. Lee, spoke as master of ceremonies, welcoming everyone. Mayor Harry Mauritz threw the switch. George Gilliam of Central Power & Light congratulated the city on its modernization efforts, and Judge Olin Culberson, a member of the Texas State Railroad Commission and local businessman, spoke about the improvements that he personally had witnessed in town since his arrival in 1921.
The evening concluded with a fiddler’s contest and street dance.
While we unfortunately do not have a photo of the crowd that evening, the photos here do show street lights in downtown Edna during the 1950s.
- Information courtesy of The Edna Herald newspaper, Oct. 14, 1948, page 1, and from the Edna City Council minutes of Aug. 5, 1948.
- Photo courtesy of Mr. Roy Ortolon, L.J. Korenek, and L.K. Miller

THANK YOU to the Edna City Council and Mayor Lance Smiga for generously paying for the city employees to enjoy steaks, potatoes, salad, tea, and dessert for lunch today!!
THANK YOU to City Public Works Director Brad Ryan and Wayne Grudzieski for grilling the steaks!
Today's lunch was the council's way of saying thank you to city employees for volunteering to make the first annual Flag City Celebration a success.

Captions: Council member Chris Jackson, Mayor Lance Smiga, and council member Amanda Friedrich attended today's "thank you" lunch.
Wayne Grudzieski, front, and Brad Ryan, rear, grilled steak and potatoes for city employees.

It was hard to go hungry this afternoon and evening at the first annual Flag City Celebration in downtown Edna.
From free hotdogs by HEB and free popcorn by the Fair Court to Dodds Barbecue, Georgia Mae's, and Shiloh's Kingdom Kids, to plenty of lemonade and beverages from Latrice's, Reverse Thirst, and Charlie's Sports Bar and Grill's beer garden, there were plenty of options for everyone.
Thank you all so much for being a part of this event!

Congratulations to the winners of the first annual Flag City Celebration Antique Car Show!
Peter Aluiso won Best of Show for his teal blue and white 1955 Chevy B el-Air.
Top 10 winners were:
1. Gene Mikulenka, red 1985 500 SL Mercedes
2. Chris Hernandez, red 1952 MG/VW
3. Willie Hernandez, red and black 1968 VW Beetle
4. Bill Walker, yellow 1950 Willy's
5. Thomas Wiley, black 1966 Pontiac GTO
6. Barret Turner, flat black 1955 Chevy Wagon
7. Barret Turner, olive green 1971 Chevy C-10
8. Pam Bartels, white 1976 Chevy Corvette
9. Dony Tise, black and grey 1984 Chevy El Camino
10. David Brogger, blue 1969 Chevy C-10

We hope to see all of you back again next year!

Edna, Did You Know?

Have you been enjoying the recent historical posts?

These posts wouldn't happen without the help of many others, beginning with Mr. Roy Ortolon, who has amassed a collection of thousands of photographs over the years, along with a wealth of knowledge about our community. Nearly all of the photographs we have posted have been from his collection, which he very graciously has shared with us.

The Texana Museum and the Jackson County Historical Commission have a wide variety of displays, donated items, memoirs, papers, photos, and books to research, including local historian I.T. Taylor's "Calvalcade of Jackson County" and local historian M.C. Shelby's bound collection of memories and articles. Museum director Marty Murray has provided great assistance to locating specific information in the collections.

The Jackson County Memorial Library's local and state collections have books such as I.T. Taylor's "Calvalcade of Jackson County," "Twin Centennial Commemorative History 1882-1982," and "A History of Edna, Texas" by Mildred Rogers 1935 available to patrons. Some may be checked out while others are designated for research in the library only.

We plan to continue to post "Edna, Did You Know" a couple of times a week.

- Photo courtesy of Mr. Roy Ortolon

Edna, Did You Know?

Have you heard that one of Edna’s local business owners also was elected to statewide office as the Texas Railroad Commissioner?

Olin Culberson, co-owner of the Culberson & Woodall dry goods store on Main Street, would be that man.

According to biographical information on the Texas State Historical Association website, Culberson was from Hill County, where he was elected as county clerk and then in 1925, county judge for two terms. While serving as county judge, Culberson and fellow Hill Countian L. Woodall decided to open a dry goods store in Edna in 1926. Woodall and his wife moved first to get the business going and Culberson joined them after the conclusion of his second term.

According to an article in the Jackson County Herald from 1937, Culberson and his family lived in Edna for “several years” after leaving Hill County. His TSHA biography entry states that he moved to Austin in 1932 to for a position with the Texas Railroad Commission “to conduct a rate investigation of the Lone Star Gas Company.” His efforts led to other investigations, which “antagonized certain gas interests” and eventually led to being discharged from the position of chief of the gas utilities division.

That didn’t deter him from running for Railroad Commissioner the following year in 1945, when he beat 18 other candidates on a crowded ballot. It would be the first of four consecutive terms as Texas Railroad Commissioner. He also served for more than 40 years as secretary for the Texas Firemen’s and Texas Fire Marshals’ Association, among other charitable organizations, according to the TSHA.

Culberson died on June 22, 1961 and is buried in Austin in the State Cemetery.

For more information regarding Culberson's career in office, please visit the TSHA website listed below. While we do not have a photo of Culberson, one is available online through the link below from the University of Texas at Arlington's Institutional Repository and Archival Hub.

- Information courtesy of newspaper clippings from the Jackson County Herald and an article on the Texas State Historical Association (https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/culberson-olin-wellborn-nichols)
- Photos courtesy of Mr. Roy Ortolon, the Texana Museum, and University of Texas at Arlington (https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/specialcollections_startelegram1950s/16151/)