We spent several days in Tyler which is relatively close to Hawkins, Gladewater and Joinerville. On July 11, we headed to Hawkins, purportedly, the Pancake Capital of Texas.
Hawkins, TX.
The Hawkins concerts were promoted by Tom Perryman, just as many other concerts in this area. Elvis played in Hawkins twice, the first time was a bit of a mystery for years. The exact date was eluding us until we found a little mention of it in the Gladewater Daily Mirror. Elvis played at the High School Gymnasium on December 20, 1954.
We quickly found the Hawkins High School campus, and went around trying to find the Gymnasium. Right away, we saw that the buildings were too new and modern. So we asked at the School District Office for information. We were afraid that the Gymnasium had been demolished, but learned it is still standing in another location.
The city of Hawkins didn't have a high school until 1941. Students had to be transported to Mineola High School in Mineola, Texas, less than 20 minutes west of Hawkins.
The Hawkins Gymnasium was built in 1947-48. The gym hosted all kinds of sports and leisure activities from basketball and volleyball matches to school plays and concerts. The gym under the ownership of the Hawkins Independent School District was kept in good condition until it was sold.
Time has been very rough to the old Hawkins Gymnasium. This building has been privately owned for some time now, but right now it looks totally abandoned. Thanks to Google Maps, we can see the decay of this building over the last ten years.
We left the old Gym behind, and headed to our next destination still in Hawkins, the Humble Camp Recreation Hall. Elvis played there on January 24, 1955 at 8:00 PM. One dollar got you the opportunity to be entertained by Elvis, Scotty and Bill, along with J.E. and Maxine Brown.
The Humble Camp was a housing complex for Humble Oil employees. The Humble Oil Company merged with other oil companies through the years, and finally became Exxon Mobile in the 1970s. The Hawkins oil field is one of the biggest oil fields discovered in Texas, and after 70 years, it is still being used. We checked in at the Hawkins Oil Plant for the possible location of the Humble Camp Recreational Hall. Some kind employees pointed us in the right direction, and the two photos above show the possible location where many years ago the hall stood.
Gladewater, TX.
Elvis performed a few times in Gladewater, Texas, the home of Tom Perryman and his radio station KSIJ. As mentioned before, Tom organized tours of performances all over East Texas.
The two dates Elvis played at the Mint Club are the guesswork of researchers such as Lee Cotten, Stanley Oberst, and Ernst Jorgersen. According to the Scotty Moore website, the Mint Club building was moved across the highway from its original site. It can still be seen with Google Maps at 2585 S. Tyler Rd. Gladewater, TX.
Elvis returned to Gladewater on April 30, 1955. This time, he was performing at the Gladewater High School Gym. This show was part of the Louisiana Hayride remote broadcasting event.
The concert was a total success with more than 3,000 people showing up to be entertained by a cast of 40 entertainers. The old gym is still standing and it has been renamed Richard Fenton Gymnasium.
The gym is across the street from the Old Gladewater Middle and High School. Even though the gym was closed, we were able to snap some photos of the inside.
The next destination in Gladewater where Elvis performed with J.E, Maxine Brown and Bonnie on August 10, 1955 was the Baseball Park. It has been renovated with several baseball and softball fields and now is owned by the Gladewater Youth Baseball and Softball Association.
Although there were other places to visit in Gladewater, we were happy with our discoveries so we called it a day and headed back to Tyler.
