It's that time of year again.

[millergrovesue]

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Get ready for back to school.

[Red Oak]

Is that where the Miller part of you screen name comes from ?

[millergrovesue]

Is that where the Miller part of you screen name comes from ?

Nope. I much prefer Shiner Bock.

We live near a "community" called Miller Grove. Miller Grove proper is nothing but 2 churches, a cemetery, and a fish fry joint. I think the post office, which was where the fish fry joint is located now, was shut down in the late 50s or early 60s.

[GFB]

Make sure junior brings along his Ipad and his 12 pack!

[ann jusko]

No, it wasn't a post office. It was Gilley's general store. There were dusty treasures in there if you cared to look for them. I got boxed 5 cent coke glasses. the box had never been opened. I shared with my sister. The cat that lived under the feed area had kittens. One of them was the most beautiful calico kitten. I wanted it and Mr. Gilley was glad to part with at least one of them. But when he got a feed sack, I was baffled. Town gal didn't understand feral cats. He had a battle on his hands but got it in the sack. She turned out to be the best cat ever. She even used the toilet. But we never could teach her to flush. There was always a domino game going on in mid morning. One morning I went in to get carrots. They didn't have any, but one of the men said "I have some at home that you're welcome to." He lived across the road. I got my carrot cake and he got half of it. He was a widower and took it in to share with the domino players. Mr. Gilley provided the paper plates and knife to cut it. That's the kind of place it was. Yep, kind of stepping back in time.
The Gilley's were an older couple and sold the store. A younger man bought it. The charm was gone. It sat empty for awhile. I don't know if the fish fry people were neighbors or not. I'll ask one of the Garret's.

[millergrovesue]

I remember Gilley's (Fae Gilley was a pip. I think her husband was deceased by the time we moved here.) and the disappointing store afterward but I thought it had been the post office also. If not, do you know where the post office was? Was it a separate building?

[millergrovesue]

I just remembered that the Gilly's house was one of 2 we looked at out here before buying the first house that was on our property. I liked all the acreage with that house but it needed too much updating, had tiny windows and a galley kitchen. That's how I met Fae I guess.

[ann jusko]

Yeah, Fay would say whatever she wanted to say. I did like her but loved Ed. We had moved by the time Ed sold the store and his health was failing.
There was no post office that I ever remember or heard anyone say anything about having a post office there. The er, uh, community was divided geographically. We were on the Point post office side and the store and rest of the community were on the Cumby post office side. We had the most awesome rural carrier ever. We had no box numbers.....just your name and Rt 2 Point. He delivered a letter to us that was addressed to Ma and Paw Kettle. I asked him how in the world he ever figured that out. His answer "I knew you lived around D.C. and had moved here from a beautiful new home in Greenville." Our friend had meant to put Ma and Paw Kettle JUSKO on the envelope. He always stopped long enough to give the kids bubble gum. He knew we couldn't get a phone so it was his way of checking to see if all was OK. He also checked on two of the old widows. Both lived alone out in the sticks. I've been able to keep up with him through his daughter. When she told me that he was not in good health, it was time for me to send a letter and let him know he was the best carrier EVER. He pulled me out of mud, stopped to tell me my horse was stuck in the grain bin in the barn, was a constable and at the fair, came to tell me my son had been in a fight. OMG! "Did you break it up?" He said "No Mike wasn't losing and ***** needed to be taught a lesson, he's a bully." When we were "missing" when Steve was on a business trip, he got out of bed and led the DPS and sheriff's deputy to our house. There was blood and they found my bloody blouse in the kitchen sink. Panic! It was so dumb...Our son had been throwing a ball up in the air and catching it..he tripped on the front steps and his forehead hit a corner of the steps. It made a flap and I could see the bone. Steve had told me he was going to Crystal City and we started talking about this new suburb of D.C. He never told me the hotel's name. "I'll call you at 10." Well, I knew with the bone exposed, he needed a neurosurgeon. I called information and a very kind operator called every hotel in Crystal City and couldn't find him. She said she'd keep trying other hotels nearby. Remember those days when you spoke to a real person? I didn't even think about calling anyone else, and we took off for Presbyterian in Dallas. Steve called and no answer. He panicked. He called our friends in Emory. They weren't going out there by themselves. Our kids were the closest to grandchildren they ever had. Everyone assured law enforcement that "Ann just wouldn't leave like that." They put an APB our for my truck. You can imagine how long it took at Presbyterian. We drove all the way home from Dallas and no one stopped us. It scared me because I could see the reflection of colored lights way before we got down the road. I thought "fire!" It was 4:30 am and there was a crowd in our yard. Yes, there were lots of tears. I swear every kid was hugged, picked up and snuggled. That's Miller Grove for you.

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We had a great mail carrier too when we first moved here. His name was Mike Campbell. When he first left us notes signed TMC I thought it was an abbreviation for The Mail Carrier. Nope, his name was Thomas Michael Campbell. How fitting. He lived in Cumby and grew the best blackberries. We were so sad when he retired. However we got Carolyn Burns as our mail carrier and she is great! Carolyn keeps talking about retiring but I hope she never does. People who care about their jobs are priceless.

Here's a writeup I did about Miller Grove for the VFD website a few years ago. That's the only reason I know there was once a post office. I got pix and info. from the historical society and online searches.
"According to the Texas Online web site Miller Grove was probably first settled sometime in the late 1840s. Among the earliest residents was the Miller family, for whom the community is named. The Presbyterian church is said to have been organized in 1848. The post office was established around 1869. J. J. Hill was the first postmaster. By 1885 Miller Grove had a steam grist and saw mill, a district school, three churches, and a population of thirty. By the early 1890s Miller Grove's population was 100. In 1905 the Miller Grove public school had an enrollment of 114. In the late 1940s the Miller Grove had two churches, three stores, a cotton gin, a feed mill, a hardwood sawmill, and a machine shop. Miller Grove's population in 1948 was estimated at 250. At that time Miller Grove School had ten teachers. In the early 1980s Miller Grove had a cemetery, a sawmill, a school, two churches, four stores, and a number of scattered houses. According to the 1990 census the population of Miller Grove was estimated at 115."