Northside in Houston in Harris County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Mollie Bailey

Photographed By James Hulse, November 7, 2023

1. Mollie Bailey Marker

Inscription. A native of Alabama, Mollie Arline Kirkland was married to James Augustus (Gus) Bailey in 1858. The son of a circus owner, Gus Bailey formed the Bailey Family Troupe with Mollie, his brother Alfred, and Mollie's sister Fanny. They traveled throughout Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas with their show until the beginning of the Civil War.

Gus and Alfred Bailey joined the Confederate Army in 1861 and became members of Hood's Texas Brigade. While Gus led the regimental band, Mollie traveled with them as a nurse and as a member of Hood's Minstrels, entertaining the troops.

Gus and Mollie Bailey and their children continued to travel as entertainers after the war. In 1879 they bought a small circus and moved to Texas. Billed as "A Texas Show for Texas People", it became the Mollie A. Bailey Show following Gus' retirement. After his death in 1896 Mollie continued to operate the circus, a popular annual event in many towns. She was known as the "Circus Queen of the Southwest".

In 1906 Mollie married A.H. "Blackie" Hardesty, a circus employee. She continued to be known as Mollie Bailey, however, and ran the show until 1917. She died at St. Joseph's Infirmary in Houston on October 2, 1918.

Erected 1989 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 10600.)

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This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • War, US Civil • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is October 2, 1918.

Location. 29° 47.379′ N, 95° 21.76′ W. Marker is in Houston, Texas, in Harris County. It is in Northside. Marker is at the intersection of North Main Street and North Freeway Service Road on North Main Street. The marker is located in the far east section of the Hollywood Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3506 North Main Street, Houston TX 77009, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Hortense Sparks Malsch Ward (approx. 0.3 miles away); Hollywood Cemetery (approx. half a mile away); Zion Lutheran Church (approx. 0.7 miles away); Woodland Heights Community (approx. 0.7 miles away); Huelga Schools (approx. 0.8 miles away); St. Mark's United Methodist Church (approx. 0.9 miles away); Emmanuel Baptist Church (approx. 1.1 miles away); Zydeco Music in Frenchtown (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Houston.

Also see . . . Bailey, Mollie Arline Kirkland (ca. 1841–1918). Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)

In
Photographed By James Hulse, November 7, 2023

2. Mollie Bailey Marker
Sponsors on the reverse side of the marker.
the Civil War Gus first enlisted in the Forty-fourth Infantry Regiment at Selma, Alabama, but was later transferred to a company of Hood's Texas Brigade, where he served as bandmaster. Leaving their child Dixie, the first of nine children, with friends in Richmond, Virginia, Mollie traveled with the brigade as a nurse and, according to some sources, as a spy for Gen. John Bell Hood and Gen. Jubal A. Early. Mrs. Bailey disguised herself as an elderly woman, passed through Federal camps, and pretended to be a cookie seller. She claimed to have taken quinine through enemy lines by hiding packets of it in her hair. She joined her husband and brother-in-law in Hood's Minstrels and on April 5, 1864, performed a "musical and dancing program" with them near Zillicoffer. During this period Gus wrote the words for "The Old Gray Mare," based on a horse that almost died after eating green corn but revived when given medicine. A friend set it to music, and it was played as a regimental marching song. It was later used as the official song of the Democratic National Convention of 1928; the West Texas Chamber of Commerce named its Old Gray Mare Band after the song. When the war was over, the couple traveled throughout the South and then toured by riverboat with the Bailey Concert Company.

(Submitted on November 8, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

The view of the Mollie Bailey Marker in the Hollywood Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, November 7, 2023

3. The view of the Mollie Bailey Marker in the Hollywood Cemetery

Credits. This page was last revised on November 9, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 8, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 95 times since then and 55 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 9, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.