Rabbit Hill was located on the south side of the old Waco highway.     During the 1930s, one could begin driving west at the intersection of Main Street and the Waco Highway where Schwartz Dry Good was located….pass the Domino Hall, Buck Bennett’s filling station, Nelson’s Garage and filling station on the right.   The two story metal clad Dawson Fire Station would be on the left in the second block and Parrish Garner lived across the street with his daughter, Miss Carrie.

The Cottenbelt Railroad was on the left and on the right were the homes of Cliff Turner, Charlie Lowrimore, the rent house later demolished for the new Shull home, The Filgo house, Dr. Williamson, the home of “Waterman” Sellers, S A Weathers,  and the last house on the right was where Dee Stewart lived with his Mother.

There was a sharp left turn over the railroad…and on the left was the white house owned by Wendel Matthews and where my family lived for several years.    Next was the McReynolds, then the house where Steve Hill, his wife, and maiden daughter, Miss Stevie Hill, lived for so many years.   West of there was the small bridge where Uncle Joe McElroy died when his 1934 Ford Coupe hit the railing.   On the right was the little house where Rip Robertson raised his family.   And…on the left. ..was Rabbit Hill….home of the Arnold Thompsons in later years, earlier by Arnold’s brother.

The large Victorian House that stood for so many years was built in the 1890s by Moses Lafford Berry,  and his family lived there until 1927 when they moved to town and built the lovely two story structure which still stands just north of the Church of Christ.    Moses Berry , born 1857, was a son of James Gilmore and Love Ann French Berry.     James Gilmore Berry and his brother, George Washington Berry, had come early to Navarro Co and settled first in the Raleigh community.    James Berry was assigned Robertson Land Grant #87 in 1846.

Interesting is the fact that Margaret Houston was living in Navarro County during the same time period and was among those in the 1846 Navarro County Poll list.   Moses Lafford Berry married her daughter, Maud Jane Margaret Houston at some point prior to 1873.   Margaret Houston was listed with the William and Rhoda French family in the 1850 Navarro Co. Census and as having been born 1813 in South Carolina.

The “House on Rabbit Hill” was occupied still later by S T Prater.

Notes:

• Submitted by Carl Matthews - Jan 2004