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Albert Mattern: From School Days of Yore to a living Legend

by Joy Renée Montgomery

In an east to west direction in the eighteen twenties two Indian trails, the Upper and Lower Coushatti Traces, crossed later Grimes County.  The lower trace passed roughly along the road running south of the present Saint Mary’s Church some two miles north of Plantersville. A few miles east of that church near the path of the old trace, in the nineteen twenties was a one-room school with a wood stove called Smith’s Institute.  One of the most talented students to graduate from that institute was Albert Mattern.  As of the date of this article in 2011, he is soon to celebrate his 86th birthday. Albert resides near Richards and is still living up to his billing as the subject of a song called “The Best Drummer in Texas.”

Albert is of hardy German stock on both sides of his family.  He grew up hearing family members speak the old mother tongue, the Swabian dialect of southwest Germany near Stuttgart. His eyes alight as he tells tales of boyish fights with his cousins as they walked home from school in the afternoons, always to greet each other as “bosom buddies” the next day.

Upon finishing sixth grade at Smith Institute, for two years Albert rode his horse five miles to attend the oldBachmeyer School.  In a corner of the two-room school, he would deposit his bridle and saddle. Though thus free of restraint, his faithful horse would graze peacefully in the school yard, awaiting his young master’s return to trot merrily along the second leg of the round trip home. 
 
For his education through the eleventh grade, a rarity, Albert rode his horse the two miles to his uncle’s
house.  There he would leave his horse to orchestrate travel on two different buses to attend school in
Montgomery.  Finally, he finished twelfth grade in Plantersville.

Along the way, Albert learned the lessons of thrift and hard work.  These lessons have stood him well, for
he was able to retire at age fifty-two with his wife, Mary, who once taught at Smith’s Institute.  Now a widower, Albert enjoys hunting with his sons and great-grandsons, this year proudly adding a huge rack to his living room collection.  But one of his greatest thrills is, with his drums, harmonica or guitar or all three simultaneously, to jam with his buddies at local gigs. Albert Mattern is a living legend in eastern Grimes County.      

Thank you.


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