Adamsville to celebrate 100 years of township
Public invited to participate in variety of events

The 100-year celebration of the town of Adamsville will take place at the community center Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., hosted by the Adamsville Heritage Association.

A highlight will be a visit from the great-granddaughters of Samuel Houston Straley. They reside in Virginia Beach, Va.

Straley and his wife, Fannie, conveyed, deeded and recorded the subdivision of the Township of Adamsville in January 1908.

The event will include classic cars, vintage clothing, old farm equipment, soap-making, spinning, corn shelling, vintage photographs and more.

Merritt Romans will display rocks, gems and minerals from the northern portion of the county.

Music -- including country and western, southern gospel and rock 'n' roll -- will be provided by Alicia Straley, Reid Schaub, Cheyenne Maples, Jamee Smith, Dixie Hens, The Nelsons, The Clarys and The Townsen Mill Orchestra.

Children's activities will be offered.

Barbecue sandwiches, hot dogs, cookies, bottled water and sodas will be available.

Group members are seeking a 1908 automobile (running or not) for display, and the community center will be stocked with Adamsville memorabilia for viewing.

Memorabilia should be delivered by Friday at 5 p.m. to the community center. Owners should pick up items following the celebration.

Commemorative cookbooks and calendars and the newly published Adamsville History Book will be on sale, and proceeds will benefit the Heritage Association for beautification of the community.

Classics at the Classic will join in the festivities by displaying cars and trucks Saturday in a special area set aside by the Heritage Association. Scott Carrigan and Danny Britton have charge of the setup.

Those who wish to dress in the era of their classic auto are welcome to do so, and participants also are encouraged to set up a display from their vehicle's era that would be of interest to visitors, such as old gas signs and other items that don't require a lot of space.

The group will head to Adamsville from Storm's Drive-In Saturday around 7:30 a.m. Space is available for about two dozen cars.

Anyone interested in participating may contact Sharon Carrigan at 556-5265 or 734-5173.

The celebration will honor the Township of Adamsville, a subdivision west of U.S. Highway 281 that includes the local convenience store, the Jones Music Hall and several residences.

Adamsville extends all the way to the Lampasas River.

After Townsen Mill dissipated, a man named Adams moved the post office from there to the newly formed township.

Five retail stores and Conley Cotton Gin remained until the late 1950s or early 1960s.

Local folks note the subdivision closest to the river didn't grow due to flooding.

During the era between 1908 and the 1940s the economy boomed along Highway 33, which subsequently became U.S. 281.

A photograph, donated by Lampasas County Com- missioner Jack B. Cox, shows construction of the highway using mules and wagons.

For more information on the centennial celebration, contact Betty Rials, event chairman, at 768-3442 or Wanda Lang, Heritage Association president, at 556- 6469.