Lovelady, Houston County
The Houston County Coal and Manufacturing Company was formed in 1900 for the purpose of mining lignite. Near this site, a slope mine was opened and a company town named Wooters was established. Company founders were A. H. Wooters, D. A. Nunn, G. Q. King, and Eli Elkins; John LeGory joined as a principal partner in 1906. The early years of the company were difficult, as a market had to be found for lignite, a substance between peat and bituminous coal. Lignite was sold to power plants, gins and other facilities in East Texas. In 1907 land was purchased in Leon, Limestone and Freestone Counties, and additional mines were established in Evansville in Leon county. To reflect this expansion, the company name was changed to the Houston-Leon County Coal Company. During its peak years from 1916 to 1925, the company employed about 200 people. The miners represented a diverse mixture of cultures; some were recruited as they arrived on foreign vessels in Galveston. In 1932 the company was dissolved when natural gas changed the fuel market in Texas, though stockholders maintained diverse real estate holdings in the area. The lignite rights were retained by the owners, many of whom are descendants of the original stockholders. (1996)