The Highs of Blooming Grove
by Tim Campbell · first published 12 January 2018 · his original post
The progenitor of the High family in western Navarro County, Texas was Robert Alford High, born December 5, 1840 in Morgan County, Alabama to Henry Albert High and Elizabeth Ann Moseley. In 1851 he came with his parents and numerous siblings to Fairfield, Texas where his father farmed and had a large estate.
Robert A. High enlisted in the 7th Texas Infantry, CSA, which was organized in Fairfield. This unit played a significant role in driving the Union forces from the field at the famous battle of Chickamauga, and also fought in a number of other engagements including Missionary Ridge and Atlanta. His father Henry also enlisted in a local reserve unit in Fairfield.
When he returned from the war Robert married Matilda "Tillie" M. Hartzell, daughter of Jacob Hartzell, pioneer resident of Dresden. His parents and some siblings moved to the Waxahachie area, but Robert and Tillie High made their home in Dresden. Their son William A. HIgh was born in 1865.
William Alford High married Lillie May Spivey, daughter of Paoli Spivey and Cynthia Pevehouse, of Dresden in 1892. It was also in that year of 1892 that Will went into partnership with one of the McCormicks and they bought the business of Blum P. Davis in Blooming Grove inclusive of all of his merchandise. Local historians will remember that as one story goes Blooming Grove was named for the son of Dr. Davis "whose name was Blooming". Well this is he, but he went by "Blum".
Will and Lillie's first child, Robert Spivey High was born in 1896. By 1900 this family had acquired property on Fordyce Street in Blooming Grove and built a small home there. In 1902, another son, Will Roy High was born. By 1910, William had started a lumber business, which was located where the present day City Park is, along what was then the Cotton Belt railroad. It is not known whether this was the same business bought in 1892 or a new one. I believe the name of the lumber company was Blooming Grove Hardware and Lumber Company, because when we remodeled the High home in the 1990s I remember that the shiplap boards underneath the old wallpaper were nearly all stamped with this name.
Sometime around 1912, Will and Lillie High completed construction on their beautiful new home at the corner of Fordyce and College Streets. It contained beautiful carpentry as appropriate for a local lumber magnate. The home has a large wraparound porch in front and a "sleeping porch" upstairs on the south side. Sleeping porches were common additions to southern homes in the days before air conditioning and were surrounded with windows which could be raised in the summer and spring months to allow a breeze to blow through and cool slumbering occupants.
One day around the end of March, 1917, tragedy struck the High family. Will was at the lumber yard conducting business as usual when a commotion arose and it was discovered that a heavily loaded wagon had given way and fallen on poor Joseph Cox, who lived on Kerr Street in Blooming Grove and had a wife and 7 children. Will High saved his life, running to his aid, and lifting the wagon so that his friend could escape. While Mr. Cox survived the incident, William did not. He suffered internal injuries from lifting the wagon and on April 1, 1917 he passed away. "Miss Lillie" as she would be known among the townsfolk courageously raised her two sons there on the corner of Fordyce and College and lived there until her death in 1931. Upon his mother's death Robert Spivey High and wife Bertha returned to Blooming Grove from Abilene and moved into the High home on Fordyce along with son Bobby.
For several years the Highs used a caretaker by the name of Hiram Younger to look after the upkeep of the home and yard. Hiram lived on the west side of Blooming Grove and was somewhat of an interesting character as he would weave bones and other strange objects in his hair and could seemingly give accurate weather forecasts where many failed. In 1935 an argument of some sort occurred between Hiram and the High family, and the incident was reported to town constable Earl Griffin who promptly located Hiram and found him inebriated. An argument ensued, and Griffin apparently ended up hitting Hiram over the head with a nightstick. The blow was so severe that it killed it killed the man, and Griffin was charged with murder by Justice Ben Carroll, according to a 1935 newspaper article on the matter.
The High family sold the home in the 1960s after residing there for some 50 years or so. In 1996 the home had fallen into disrepair and had been foreclosed by a government agency. My sister and I bought the home and restored it, refinishing the beautiful wood floors, repainting, reroofing, replumbing, and rewiring the home. The home was operated as a bed and breakfast known as the "Highlander Inn" for a number of years before it was sold in 2009. At one point during this time, Bobby High and his family returned to Blooming Grove and spent a few days at their old homestead.
While we owned the home there were a number of unusual occurences that occurred, some of which are stories all their own, including the appearance of an apparition to the young daughter of a maid, a desk bell which seemingly rang by itself, a guest who reported strange bouncing lights in her room all night, an electronic eye stairwell light that was known to come on by itself in the middle of the night, a guest who reported that something tried to "swallow his finger" as he was sleeping (weird, I know), and reports of passersby seeing figures appear in the upper window of the back stairwell at night when the house was unoccupied. Nothwithstanding the above, there were many enjoyable times in the home when it was known as the HIghlander Inn, including birthday parties, family reunions, scrapbooking retreats, and the like.
The home's current owners have done a wonderful job of continuing the restoration and it continues to be one of the most beautiful old homes in Blooming Grove to this day.
Please see comments on the attached photos to this article which give a little more information and insight to those who are interested. Thanks to the High family for providing the family photographs which are attached. TC