A morning of uncertainties turned into an afternoon of success last Friday when we held our Archaeology Day at The Woods House.
The Woods House, located at 1015 Hill St. in Denton doesn’t boast its historic significance. The red home with the long porch and boarded-up windows is tucked away in Southeast Denton and isn’t glamorous at first glance. However, its story sets it apart.
It is believed that the home of William Evelyn Woods is the last remaining Quakertown home that remains in Southeast Denton. Quakertown was once home to over 50 African-American families in Denton and sat between Texas Woman’s University and the Downtown Square. The bustling community was considered a town within a town, as it housed businesses, restaurants, schools, churches, and even a doctor’s office. In 1921, with little say from the Quakertown community, the City of Denton voted to build a park on their land. This left residents with no option but to be displaced.
Woods moved his house to the Solomon Hill area, where he lived on 8 acres until he passed at the age of 100. The land was divided among his children and the house was eventually left empty.
Recently, The Woods House came into the possession of the Denton County Office of History and Culture (DCOHC) by way of a donation from Habitat for Humanity. With plans to move it to Denton’s growing Historical Park, the home first needed to be worked on. That brings us to February 24, when the DCOHC hosted an open house and archaeology day that encouraged the public to uncover local history.
We at the DCOHC were unsure about how the day would pan out. Would people show? Would we dig anything up with the help of our archaeologists? Was the house ready for people to tour?
We approached the house ready to work. We took a drill to the board covering the door, removed it, and took our first steps in.
The house was musky and dark, but at the same time, fascinating. The age of all the fixtures told tales of the past. A folder taped to a window read “Wendell’s Spelling Book”, adding personal touches of those who once lived there (Wendell was a descendant of W.E. Woods). The history buffs in all of us were pleased.
We got to work on sweeping up and cleaning as much as we could. The house had been abandoned for some years, a fact it did not care to hide. We took at the residual mess with brooms, sweeping aside broken glass and moving large miscellaneous objects to back rooms. Outside, trash bags were toted to pick up litter. Lights were set up inside for visibility and photos of the Woods Family were displayed to allow visitors to dig deeper into their story. We worked fast and hard all the while wondering how all of this was going to work out.
People sprinkled in shortly before 1. What was originally a few volunteers looking around the premises turned into about 30 people touring the home and attempting to dig up artifacts.
Kelsey Jistel and Kim Cupit of the DCOHC worked inside, giving visitors a brief history of Quakertown and the Woods Family. Local archaeologist Brad Dougher and paleontologist Murray Cohen guided guests outside, teaching them how to sift for, map and label artifacts.
A friend of Ethel Woods, youngest daughter of W.E. Woods, came to the house, one she had visited often in her youth. She and Ethel attended school together and she often found herself at the Woods House on Sunday nights to watch the Ed Sullivan Show. Additionally, Wood’s granddaughter, Colette, attended and was able to offer more information on the family who once inhabited the home.
The back of the house bustled with people interested in participating in the archaeology dig. At least 100 flags were planted around the yard where metal detectors had gone off, promising potential finds. At the end of the day the crowd had found bullets, a key, chicken bones (the Woods once had a small farm) and a mysterious pile of buried bricks.
The day left both the DCOHC and guests of the archeology day feeling both satisfied and exhausted. However, the biggest feeling that resonated was a sense of community. People of all ages and backgrounds had come together to learn more about their local history and had an entertaining, hands-on way of doing so.
Denton County Office of History and Culture: Blog 