HISTORIC WALKER PARK
by
Maryann Miller

The car he arrived in had barely stopped when Tom King got out and walked onto the empty field at Walker Park in Winnsboro. This is where he and many others played baseball for the Winnsboro Oilers as part of the Northeast Texas League from 1946 to 1957.

Tom, along with three other players from the Oilers, gathered on Saturday, Oct 24, for the Historical Marker Dedication at Walker Park, and this was obviously a special moment for Tom. He grew up in Winnsboro and went to school here, but that was before WHS had a baseball team. He played football for the Red Raiders and ran track, but had to wait until after high school to play the one sport he loved above all others. "Lots of memories here," he said, waving a hand to encompass the whole field. "Most of what I learned about baseball I learned right here with Coach Bryce."

When his former teammate, Doyle Taylor, showed up, Tom forgot all about the interview. The two friends greeted each other warmly, then reminisced about games played, won and lost, and the championship years. The Oilers won first place in 1947, '48, '49, '50, and 1954. They credited coach Skipper, Babe Bryce for the wins, as well as for many life lessons learned while playing ball under his tutelage.

"People loved to come and watch us play," Tom said. "We didn't have television back then, so families would come out to the ball game. Sometimes we'd have two thousand people in the stands."

Doyle Taylor also grew up in Winnsboro and graduated from WHS. "It was 1936, I think. It's hard to remember. I'm 90 years old and the memory isn't what it used to be."

In addition to the mitt he used to play with back in the day, Doyle brought a picture of a cake his daughter had made for his 90th birthday. It recognized his love of baseball, and Doyle said that the ball cap, the bat, the glove and everything else on top of the cake was also made out of cake. "We hated to cut it and eat it."

(These two pictures courtesy of Joe Dan Boyd.)

This was a special day for the honorees, but also a special day for Winnsboro as older folks remembered and young folks learned the history of Walker Park. It was established in 1918 when Luta Walker gave the land for a public park. It was used at the WHS football field until 1930. In addition to the sports activities, the park was the site of circus and carnival attractions that came to town.

On that recent Saturday afternoon, over 50 people joined the players, city officials, Scouts, and others for the program that made the historical designation official. Winnsboro Mayor Carolyn Jones read the proclamation. Jeff Hightower entertained the crowd with a few songs, and each of the ball players spoke a bit about what the park meant to them.

Carl Talbert described the field the way it looked when the Oilers first started playing. "We had a wooden fence all around, and two sets of bleachers," he said. "And it cost 25 cents to come to a game."

Carl, pictured to the right standing in front of the marker, also remembered the year they played SMU and the big city college players thought they could beat the country team. "We sure surprised them," Carl said. "We played them 16 innings and beat them seven to six. I scored the winning run."

He paused a moment, then continued. "The Oilers were very important to me. Back then, I would rather play and coach baseball than eat.

"I remember when Sulphur Springs offered me a coaching job and my dad said, 'Oh, son. Anywhere but Sulphur Springs."

Below, the official unveiling of the historical marker by James Alford and Doyle Taylor and a picture of the four honorees.

L-R: James Alford, Carl Talbert, Doyle Taylor, James Alford