Old water pump on Red Oak Creek

Near Rutherford Crossing I found what appears to be an old water pump. One of the cone shape objects is tipped over and you can see down into a hole. The cone shaped structures are circular stacked bricks with cement over them. The bricks say "Palmer" on them. On the standing cone shaped structure there is an old motor. The area around the structures are wooded but does appear to have been cleared at one time. Maybe a structure was there. My only doubt to a structure is it would be in a flood plain. Their is a tributary east of the structures that pours into Red Oak Creek.
This is the area where Hans Smith came from Arkansas with his family. They had camped on Red Oak Creek as they came to the area to claim their Peters Colony land. After hunting in the area and topping a hill and observing the black prairie land, Hans Smith told his wife they had found their new home.

Outside Bathroom Ellis County Courthouse

Picture Courtesy of Ellis County Museum.

Looking center left bottom in this picture there is the old outside bathrooms which included showers. This picture I believe is looking North West down main street. Picture probably shot from the top of the Rogers Hotel and was taken circa 1919. It is said these bathrooms were put in for folks that traveled from around the county so the stinky travelers could take a shower and clean up for court. Remember at this time no ac in cars and as you can see on main street they still rode horse drawn wagons into town.

close up of bathroom

Thanks to Shanon Simpson for the info

Racial Inequality Historical Evidence at Ellis County Courthouse

Places In The Heart: Rogers Hotel/First Farmers Bank

Roger's Hotel July 2008-The spot of pioneer Emory Roger's Cabin.
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Rogers Hotel was used as the location of the First Farmers Bank in Places In The Heart. It was filmed on the first floor/lobby and the bankers desk was near a front window. One of the camera angles from the point of view of the banker ,Albert Denby, showed the activity outside on the square at Main st and College st. You also could see the lower part of the courthouse in the background. The trees have grown since then. (I believe Brooks and Dunn filmed a segment for their upcoming special right in front of those trees.) From that low camera angle , I doubt they would have used that shot if Places In The Heart was filmed today. The trees would have covered up the courthouse. GPS location is 32 deg 23' 08.70"N 96 deg 50' 23.24"W

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---Places In The Heart:Viaduct/Railroad------

The Viaduct on highway 77 in Waxahachie was a background scene early in the movie Places In The Heart. The railroad has changed considerable. The one track stops (use to head south towards Italy) and the functioning BNSF does not go through the same pair of pillars as the movie. It goes through the two pillars north of the movies track path. The BNSF curves a little to the east then goes Southeast to Bardwell and then on to Corsicana. Trees have grown up on the southern side of the tracks and you can't really get a clear picture of the track path in the movie. The old telephone poles are gone. I have seen a telephone pole on the east side of the bridge. The other direction

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Looking at this picture you can see two tracks but the one on the right stops and has been pulled up. It ran by the train depot closest to the creek. This track would have paralleled the current walk path. The track on the left is a current functioning Burlington Northern Santa Fe track and curves to the left between the pillars which are to the left (North)of the movie pillars the tracks once went through. The single rail in between the tracks is just lying there don't think it serves a purpose
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You can see the lights to Paul Richard's Field (Jungle Park in the olden days). The trees have grown since then.




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Royce Spalding confronting Wylie in places in the heart filmed circa 1984

Interesting the more I get into the story of Places in the Heart I am finding more clues to the actual family Heritage of director Robert Benton who is related to Spaldings from Waxahachie. Maybe he showcased the Viaduct in the background because it reminded him of his relative W. A. Spalding. W. A. Spalding has turned up in many articles of research. He wrote many historical papers that are found in Library. I assume it is W. A. Spalding Sr who would have been 62 at the time Jr was only 14. It appears Sr. is the resident Engineer who officially opens the Viaduct December 12, 1931 in the below WDL article. (Note that an outsider technically the first person to drive over the viaduct)

Bridge Opening Today
from Waxahachie Daily Light December 12, 1931
The opening and closing of Waxahachie viaduct is scheduled to be turned over to traffic officially at 2:00 P.M. today. It was "off again, on again Flannigan" with the big bridge today. People rode over it a while; then they were shut off from it; then they were to travel over it again.
Division Engineer Rice had authorized resident Engineer W.A. Spalding early today to turn traffic on the bridge officially at 2:00 P.M. At this hour the City and County officials were to be the first to journey over the viaduct; but other folks beat them to it, for a maintenance man from Dallas came here and removed the gates about 11:00 A.M. from each end of the over-pass. And a stranger tourist was the first to travel over the long bridge; then the contractor closed the bridge, for the formal opening. So at 2:00 P.M. the city and county are to have a chance to make the official opening.
The bridge, nearly a quarter of a mile in length, concrete and steel, connects Elm Street with Rogers Street, passing over the Katy and T. & N.O. R.R. and Waxahachie Creek, White Way lights will illuminate the viaduct at night.

Places in the Heart:Spalding Home

Built in 1900 the Spalding's Home in Places In The Heart is located off FM 813. The actual address is 5035 FM 813 near Rockett, Texas. It can not be easily seen from the road and has a private drive. (I would caution anyone trying to park along 813. The location of the house is on a curve and no shoulders.) It is owned by the Gibbons family. Still looks like it's in similar condition as when used in the movie. I believe that other smaller movies were shot here also. When I zoomed in I could see the unique stained glass windows.


From the road you can see the white picket fence and the screened in porch. It is 2096 sq feet with native pasture around it. The GPS coordinates are 32 deg 27'28.16"N 96 deg 46'54.67"W.
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Image from the 1984 movie.I think the color difference from the current house is because I think the movie was shot in early morning or late evening and gave the house that off white color or grayish look.
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There is a beautiful field on down FM 813 towards Palmer that would have been a great spot to film the cotton picking scenes. I don't know if it was used or not..

Places In The Heart:Five Points Cotton Gin

Off of Fm 876 near what I believe is called Walker's Triangle , there is what's left of the 5 points Cotton Gin. It was the setting for two great scenes in Places in the Heart. The first is when Edna Spalding goes with Moze to buy cotton seed. The Cotton Gin owner, W. E. Simmons, tries to pull the old switch-a-roo with the seed. But Moze, who "knows about most anything there is to know about farm'n cotton", catches Mr. Simmons' trickery. The second time is when Edna comes to sale the Cotton. She goes into the the office which is still there and currently it appears someone lives there. This time Moze tries to help Edna but the owner pulls down the window shade to the office so Moze can't listen or communicate to Edna. Edna uses her wit and her knowledge of how Mr. Simmons could gain some bragging rights among the masons by having the first bale of cotton in the county. She gets her 3.75 cents per pound which was over the going rate of 3.5 cents a pound at the time.

There is machinery missing since the movie and the grass is grown up. A fella owns the triangle portion of the property where two roads form a V shape.


GPS Location is 32 deg 16' 45.13"N 96 deg 54' 01.19"W