Paradise History

Wise County

The following was supplied to me by Lillian Farmer, US Post Master in Paradise Texas. Note: I will provide more information as I receive it. My apologies to anyone that I have not identified as sources of data as I am only working with the information that I have. The data are photocopies taken from a book or books located at the Wise County museum.

What "Paradise Lost" in 1893 when the Rock Island Railroad by-passed the community six miles south of Bridgeport, "Paradise Regained" in the late 1950's when oil and gas activity sprang up in Wise county.

Before 1893, the area know as Paradise was called Paradise Prairie, Old Town, Old Paradise, New Town and Eldorado. The community, by whatever name it was called, was located one mile southwest of the present town site.. It was on a square surrounded by dry goods stores, two lumber yards, a State and national bank, barber shop, drug store, two saloons, a blacksmith shop, cotton gin, an icehouse, ice cream parlor, a rooming house, telephone office, livery stable, wood yard, movie house, stockyard and four doctors.

A stagecoach, which crossed Paradise on its run from Gainesville to Weatherford, carried mail and passengers in and out of the area. The PARADISE ECHO was later to become the current WISE COUNTY MESSENGER, the counties leading newspaper.

Near the turn of the century, cotton fields, long infested with boll weevils, gave way to cattle ranges; blacksmith shops were replaced with filling stations and horseback transportation by the Model A Ford. Row crop fields were transplanted into hay fields and dairying became a leading industry. The old town of Paradise followed the railroad to a New Paradise located at it's present location.

A long depression and a war forced many Paradise residents to seek employment in manufacturing and defense plants in Fort Worth. Soon explorations in the area provided what had become suspected- oil was under those cotton fields and cattle pastures. The industry began to bolster Paradise's economy and the town, although it did not grow size wise to any great extent, became the home for many persons seeking quiet and peace from the city's hustle and bustle.

Since Paradise doesn't have any famous restaurants, or even a cafe hidden in the woods, some might find it surprising that so many in the area stop in Paradise for lunch. But those surprised by the fact have never tasted the BBQ prepared each day at Ray's Grocery, owned and operated by Hubert Ray of Bridgeport. "Ray cooks up the best tastin' bar-b-que this side of the Pecos," said one of Ray's regulars.

Anything you want to know about Paradise "just talk to Miss Anna" would be the answer folks in the small town would give. Miss Anna Potts has lived all of her life in Paradise. Her parents owned the first hotel in town. "the Atkins House" they fed and gave lodging to the crew of men who built the railroad. The day the railroad was completed and the first train pulled in was "such a joyous day," Miss Anna said. "The train pulled in with bells ringing and horns blowing." Paradise began to grow on then. "We even had a horse-drawn hearse to carry our loved ones to the cemetery." Much of Paradise was destroyed by fires because there was no fire fighting equipment. "We only had a bucket brigade from a windmill that furnished the water supply."

Just five miles from Paradise is Cottondale, the areas oldest settlement. It was platted by B.F. Banks. In this little town there was once a man who drove a fancy 16-cylinder Cadillac some times, but other times he was seen around the country in a Model A Ford. All the people around thought of him being very friendly and honest. His closest friend was one of the most thought-of men in the town of Cottondale. These two men became very famous. Their names were "Machine gun Kelly and Boss Shannon." In the cemetery just a few feet separating their graves lie both men- killed by the police as bank robbers. Machine Gun Kelly got his name because he could write his name on a billboard with a machine gun.  As I later found out , this was not all completely true as this article had indicated.  George died while in the pen and Boss Shannon died in the Bridgeport Hospital in 1956.  I have visited both grave sites - George's larger stone was missing as everyone kept trying to steal a piece of history. In it's place is just a small monument  located in the Kelley and Shannon area.  These are two pictures that I took in Jan/2003.   I visited the Urshcel kidnap site as well as Boss's  old house.  The house where Boss entertained and kept Urshcel was over a 100 years old and has now disentigrated.  It is  the site of new 5 acre homes.  Shannon's wooden house has now been bricked over and occupied.  These are all within a mile of the Garrett Creek Ranch.

In the Paradise cemetery is buried DR. M.W. Matthew's who treated General Sam Houston's wounds after the Battle of San Jacinto. He was an Army Surgeon in the Texas Republic and took part in the Mexican Boundary War of 1846. He also served in the Civil War on the Union' side.

The first post office in Paradise was moved from the little town of Draco in 1889. The present postmaster is on one of our contributors Floyd R. Fuqua.(This article was prepared in the 1980s) The 1981 school superintendent is Dr. Bobby Bain. Dr D.C. Sipes of Sublexation Ranch on Route 1, Paradise, has some burros that had been born in the Grand Canyon. The burros were so numerous there and caused an erosion problem that the government gave them to people who had room to properly take care of them.

"A little town is where few people can get away lying about the year they were born. Too many other people remember."

" A little town is where, when you get the wrong number, you can talk for fifteen minutes anyhow."

Contributor Floyd R. Fuqua Postmaster.