Local historian, Lavyn Sisco, will "take on" the persona of Myra Jane
Tuggle Wilson, on August 20th, and tell about the many contributions
that Wilson made to Hopkins County.

 

Myra Wilson's Legacy to Be
Recreated on August 20th

 

by: Bobby McDonald

 

  
A young Myra Tuggle, left, and a photo taken in later years, as she married and became known at Myra Wilson.

 

If you're like many residents in Hopkins County, you've attended a funeral at the Myra Wilson Chapel in Sulphur Springs City Cemetery, but probably have wondered who "Myra Wilson" was. Well, wonder no more! Local historian and member of the Hopkins County Genealogical Society, Lavyn Sisco, will be telling you all of the information that you could possibly want to know about Mrs. Myra Tuggle Wilson, on August 20th, at a joint meeting of the Hopkins County Genealogical Society and the Hopkins County Historical Society. The meeting, naturally, will be hosted in the Myra Wilson Chapel at Sulphur Springs City Cemetery and will begin at 7:00 p.m.

"We're excited about Lavyn coming back and recreating history in her eloquent manner," expressed John Sellers, a member of both the groups. "Lavyn always does a wonderful and interesting program and makes certain that all of the historical data is correct. And, Mrs. Myra Wilson certainly was an interesting woman that left a true legacy in Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County!"

 

 

Mrs. Myra Jane Tuggle Wilson was born in 1860, in the Tuggle Springs Community of Red River County, named after her grandfather, Andrew Jackson Tuggle. Myra was only three years old, when her father, John W. Tuggle, was killed while fighting in the battle of Vicksburg, with the 29th Texas Cavalry. The widow Tuggle, Myra's mother, later married William North, and the family first moved to Jefferson, Texas, and then to Hopkins County in 1869.

 

Lavyn Sisco stands at the entrance to Myra Wilson Chapel, at Sulphur Springs
City Cemetery, as she prepares from recreating the life of the noted community servant.

 

Myra was educated in Sulphur Springs schools and it was in 1879, that she met George Henry Wilson, and the two were married in January 1881, in the First Baptist Church of Sulphur Springs.

George was a building contractor and built a number of buildings in Sulphur Springs and the state of Texas, including First Baptist Church Sulphur Springs, The Old City Hall in Sulphur Springs, the Courthouse in Llano, Texas, and the Administration Building at Sam Houston State University, in Huntsville, Texas.

George and Myra had seven children, but only two sons survived infancy, Albert Aubrey "Allie" Wilson and George Henry "GiGi" Wilson, Jr.  Myra still has descendents living in Hopkins County, today, active in the community.

 

 

However, Myra Wilson had another passion, that of the Sulphur Springs City Cemetery, that needed loads of care. The Ladies Cemetery Society of Sulphur Springs had been formed in 1887 and three years after its formation, in 1890, Myra became president of the society. She hardly knew that her passion would drive her to serve in that capacity for the next 43 years. Myra, through her leadership and guidance, and with the help of many other volunteers, brought the town's cemetery from what was described as "a briar patch of stones and burial plots," to what we know as one of beauty.

 

Lavyn Sisco, dressed as Mrs. Myra Wilson would have looked, as she
prepared to go to a Cemetery Board Meeting, was visiting the Sulphur
Springs City Cemetery to capture some of the "aura" of Myra Wilson's
passion at the local cemetery.

 

And, it was in 1923, that banker Phil H. Foscure, who was president of First National Bank, loaned the Cemetery Society $10,000.00 to build the chapel in Sulphur Springs City Cemetery, so that funerals could be held in a covered place. And, members of the society and community, chose to honor Myra with the building being named "Myra Wilson Chapel."

Myra continued to work toward the beautification of the local cemetery, for the remainder of her days here on this earth. She passed away on December 27, 1941, and her funeral was conducted in the chapel that bore her name.

Additionally, Myra and George Wilson's home, that was built in 1910, by George and according to his wife's specifications, later would be purchased by the Hopkins County Historical Society, for their museum.

Make plans to join members of the Hopkins County Genealogical Society and Hopkins County Historical Society, at Myra Wilson Chapel, to learn all about this community-minded lady, who left a legacy for others to follow, as she went about creating a lasting footprint in this community.

 

The beautiful Myra Wilson Chapel, at Sulphur Springs City Cemetery, is testimony to the passion and legacy
of Mrs. Myra Wilson, beloved citizen and cemetery benefactor.

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