The Bragg House

The Bragg House. (Also Known as the Zebulon Jenkins Tenant Farmer's House). , This "L-style" home with hip-roofed wings was built in 1907 to serve as a residence for the family helping to farm the acreage located at 523 Wildwood, just north of Northwest Highway near Dooley Street. An excellent example of common Texas architecture, the house was scheduled for demolition in 1995 to make way for a housing development., The Grapevine Heritage Foundation acquired the house, moved it to the Heritage Center complex and restored its exterior in 1996. The heart of the house, its very heartbeat, is shared here. The story of the Bragg Family is one of love, sweat, and pride covering 35 years in this little house part of the tapestry that makes the Grape Vine Prairie truly rich., In 1936 Gertrude Forgey never dreamed she would become a farmer's wife. She was a city girl, a Dallas beauty, working for a pharmaceutical company with plans for a career. But when her path crossed Wade Bragg's, a handsome young man from Denton County, she became his wife, a career that lasted 50 years., Farming was what Wade Bragg loved most, next to Gertrude. He was always a hard worker. Wade worked along side his father, Joe Bragg, in Grapevine operating a cafe and butcher shop in the 300 block of South Main Street. He worked at the cotton gin on Church Street and in defense plants in Fort Worth. But when he had the chance to work the land, he took it. On December 13, 1949, his dream became a reality when he moved his family into this house, then owned by Mrs. W.R. Boyd., In January of each year Wade Bragg paid Mrs. Boyd an annual rental for the use of the land. Mrs. Boyd, a career woman who lived next door, owned a printing company in Dallas. The two families were friends as well as neighbors, and they shared a common water well. If Mrs. Boyd's sewing machine needed attention, it was Gertrude Bragg whom she called. Mrs. Boyd and her great-niece, Nancy Ross Kelley, often took the Bragg girls to the movies., Blessed with three types of soil on the farm, Wade Bragg took advantage of this natural phenomenon to make the most for his family. Near the house was one acre of sandy soil, perfect for the family's garden. Bragg's remaining acreage consisted of clay and blackland soil providing the perfect environment for raising 40 acres of cotton (their money crop), 30 acres of hay, 20 acres of oats, 12 acres of corn, 120 hogs, 70 sheep, 50 head of cattle, chickens and peacocks. In the 1960s the Braggs also leased 80 acres near the present Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport terminal facility to grow wheat and oats. Despite all his responsibility, Wade Bragg never worked on Sunday except to take care of his livestock., As the years passed, the Bragg family grew to include five children. Wade Bragg added a large room to the back of the house and screened in a back porch (now removed). The close quarters forged a closeness among family members that cannot be replicated except through daily living, working hard, and sharing the joys of the seasons and the company of friends and relatives., Wade and Gertrude Bragg passed their work ethic on to Margaret, Mattie, Jodie, Kathryn and Wade Jr. All their children picked cotton (for which their dad paid them 2 cents per pound), gathered corn, raised livestock, and worked in the garden. Gertrude Bragg quickly became an expert in managing the abundance that one acre of sandy soil could produce. An abundance of tomatoes, peas, mustard and turnip greens, potatoes, corn, cabbage, cantaloupe, watermelon, cucumbers, squash, green beans, onions, okra, blackeyed peas, pinto beans, peaches and pears necessitated her learning to can. "My sisters-in-law, Lula Howard and Florence Bragg, took me under their wings and taught me. We always had plenty to eat, and we always had a lot of company," Mrs. Bragg remembers. She was an excellent seamstress who taught her daughters to sew. Her love of reading encouraged her children to further their education through college., "We had a good life the best. Our home was on a slight hill, and there was always a good breeze. We worked outside on the picnic table in the shade of 100 year-old oak trees during the summer," Mrs. Bragg recalls. Besides farm work, reading, swinging, swimming, making mud pies and fishing were summertime pleasantries recalled by the Bragg children. Sewing, playing board games, and using the library rounded out their activities. In 1973, the Braggs planted their last cotton crop, and in October 1984 they left the farm and moved to town. Wade Bragg died in 1987., Today, farming is "big business." It would be hard to find such a diversified enterprise as the Bragg farm anywhere! In honor of Wade and Gertrude Bragg and in honor of all farmers of the Grape Vine Prairie, we dedicate The Bragg House today, September 14, 1996, and offer respect to their commitment to God, family, hard work and love of the land., The Grapevine Heritage Foundation Board of Directors: , Melva Stanfield (Chair), Marion Brekken, Marian Carpentier, Jess Daniel, Bryan Klein, Mark Maness, Joan Pierce, David Shrum, James Swinney, Ted Willhoite, Paul W. McCallum (CEO), Sallie Rae Andrews (Secretary)., Grapevine City Council: , Mayor William D. Tate, Clydene Johnson, Jerry Pittman, Sharron Spencer, Roy Stewart, Ted R. Ware, C. Shane Wilbanks; also, former Council members Gil Traverse and Will Wickman. City Manager, Trent Petty., Grapevine Convention and Visitors Board of Directors: , Don Bigbie, Steve Trent, Colin Ankersen, Warren Dearing, Phil Parker, Gary Blagg, Bruce Crouch, Bill Brink, Gayle Hall., Members of the Grapevine Dirty Dozen, A-Ware House Movers - Timmy Joe Ware and Mark Ware; Pro-Tect Roofing Gary Anderson; John Lella and Wayne Flaherty., Captions , Gertrude Forgey Bragg (ca. 1935) made this house a loving home., Built in 1907 at 523 Wildwood, this house was occupied by the Bragg family for 35 years., Wade Bragg (ca. 1932) ran a diversified farming business, and exemplified the spirit of the Grape Vine Prairie farmer., Wade Bragg teaches grandson Ted Derryberry, Jr. about his cotton стор (са. 1968)., The new 1949 Farmall tractor was a point of pride for the whole Bragg family.