By PAMELA GRANT
Cove Leader-Press
Covites got a taste of Copperas Cove’s history over the weekend enjoying tours of the historical stagecoach stop and post office. They enjoyed gun shows, historically accurate (and not-so historically accurate) activities and events, and lots of family friendly fun with a historical flair.
The Copperas Cove Historical Society brought their annual free to the community Heritage Festival to Ogletree Gap Park this Saturday with the opening ceremony starting at 8:30 a.m. and the final show (the third gunfight show by Ol’ West Gunfighters) starting at 3:30. The festival itself was scheduled to end at 5 p.m.
They also held a Bluegrass & Barbecue event the night before with food served starting at 6 p.m. and a bluegrass concert by “Dueling Hearts” from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. There was a fee for the barbecue, but people were welcome to attend the concert for free.
Entrance for the Heritage Festival and most of the events and activities were free, though there were plenty of food trucks and vendors at the event.
“The barbecue was a big success,” said John Gallen, President of the Historical Society and the group’s 501c3 state agent.
Without knowing the final numbers yet, Gallen said that they sold close to the 250 plates they were hoping to sell and that more than 200 people attended the event and ate (some paid for plates as a donation but did not attend the event). One person, Catherine Blashack bought three tables to help support the Historical Society.
Money raised by both events goes towards supporting the group’s operating costs, hosting the festival each year, and fundraising.
Currently the group is working on fundraising to help fix up the historical Allin House to its former glory—in a way that keeps its history intact as much as possible.
“Our primary mission is to preserve the history of Copperas Cove and educate its citizens and keep our heritage going,” said Gallen. “It’s special because Copperas Cove was founded right here in this location. The stagecoach stop was a home. It was a post office.”
Gallen said that the Heritage Festival has been a great success so far with more new sponsors and more events and activities. They had various hands-on activities including carding wool, dying wool, making corn husk dolls, blacksmithing, making windchimes and more.
This year they added a kids’ area with fun outdoor games and a petting zoo. They had guided tours of the historic stagestop, performances by various school choirs throughout the day, and a pie eating contest.
Also returning this year were the Ol’ West Gunfighters back to perform three shows at the event.
“They are a crowd pleaser,” said Gallen.
Danny Corbett talked about the history of Cove
“What I think is neat about this festival is that it is centered right here where Copperas Cove started. This valley…is where Marsden Ogletree in 1878 built their family home which they also used as a stagecoach stop. They applied for the post office in 1879,” said Danny Corbett. He recounted how they originally tried to name the city Cove, but were rejected causing him to name it Coperas Cove (after the sulfurous taste of the water) which eventually became Copperas Cove.
“What makes us unique is that we are one of the few places that still has a stagecoach stop standing. There’s not very many of them,” said Corbett. “And the unique name. There’s no other Copperas Cove anywhere. There’s Copperas Creek and other things with the word Copperas, and obviously all kinds of places with the word Cove, but no other place with those two words together.”
He said that then 59-year-old Marsden Ogletree and his 50-year-old wife, Caroline Ogletree had eight children. Two of them stayed in Georgia and the remaining six, ranging in age from 14-28 came with them to the area. All of them stayed in the same small home.
Corbett wasn’t alone in being surprised by how many people were able to live in the small stagecoach stop.
“That whole family lived there. How they all lived in there, I don’t know,” said Alicia Wells. “It’s shocking!”
Wells said that she enjoyed this year’s festival and called it a great event for the community. Wells led a rock painting activity at the Heritage Festival.
“I thought it would be fun for the kids, and it’s easy to do,” said Wells.
For many, the Pie Eating Contest was their favorite with people competing to see who could devour the most cherry or blueberry pie in the two-minute time limit.
Gavin Stooboda won the 15+ age group and said “I love it” about the festival saying that winning was the best part of his day at the festival.
Houston Colbie Scadden (8), Stooboda’s cousin, who won the children’s 5-8 division of the pie eating contest said that the festival was “fun” and that her favorite part was also the pie eating contest.
Erin Johnson, Stooboda’s mother, attended the Heritage Festival with her fiancé and their three children along with other family members.
“We love it. The kids love it,” said Johnson. “It’s great that there’s so many hands-on activities.”
Historian Doc Powell brought several of his personal historical artifacts to show off at the event, allowing people picture opportunities, and teaching about some of the areas’ history. He showed off his arrowheads, all collected in the area, his genuine beaver belt, a box of old coffee beans, and a doctor’s buggy among other things.
Bryan Cook showed participants how to do “punch art” with tin cans showing them how to make cowbells. Cook is a history teacher at Copperas Cove Junior High School and attended the Heritage Festival with six students in the school’s Junior Historians group.
“It’s always important for any community to celebrate its history,” said Cook. “Things like this just get people together and off their screens. People and their interactions are what makes history.”
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