Once There Were Eagles

Recently Elgin Depot Museum helped with the dedication of a historical marker on the site of the old Washington School. Very many of the leading lights of Elgin's African-American community attended, some flying in from other regions of the country. It was a glorious affair of reunions and laughter and endless mesmerizing stories. Washington School alumni are justly proud of their alma mater. And we are proud of them. Did you know that four of the original Black students at the University of Texas were Washington School alums? They were a bit older than the second-graders shown in this picture. A parade is passing the firehouse and the New Century Clubhouse on Avenue C in Elgin. Guessing from the car it is probably the early 1950s. This picture and many others of Elgin's African American community can be seen in the museum photo collection.

A most helpful machine

Some years ago when The Elgin Bank was sold to a bigger bank the late Ray Arbuckle, husband of Elgin Historical Assn board member LaVerne Arbuckle, found this machine in the vault. It is a check cancelling machine. Many people today don't remember when you used to get your checks back in the mail every month with an indication that they had been paid. That's what this machine was for. It spelled out the word Paid and ENB and the date in little perforations. Until recently we weren't too sure how old this thing was, but I recently found an advertisement in the 1927 Elgin Courier that shows a check with an identical perforation pattern, so it is at least 90 or so years old.

The machine has served a purpose that its inventors certainly never considered. It is a way to keep small children occupied while their parents and caretakers are looking at exhibits in the Elgin Depot Museum. Especially little boys just love to pull that handle and make holes in sheet of scrap paper.