---

THE THIRD IN A SERIES OF SIX STORIES.

---

James T. Upchurch was called to the Lord’s work at an early age and found himself conducting church services in the city jail in Waco or on the streets around town if there weren’t enough criminals willing to hear the sermons he needed to preach.  Born on October 29, 1870 he was drawn to mission work that perhaps others in the Methodist Church he attended might have considered too tawdry.  “While no one can question his dedication,” one witness in Waco said, “his focus might be a tad bit odd for a man of only 22 years old.”

One who apparently didn’t question his focus was Maggie May Adams.  Born in 1873, in Jackson, Tennessee she was obviously taken by the passion he displayed in his work from nearly the moment they met.  In 1892 the two of them married and pursued their religious calling together.  “Two are better than one” was certainly a truism when it comes to fighting evil, particularly in Waco.

---

---

Their work took the newlyweds to the red-light district of the city where, together, they focused their evangelical efforts on “fallen women”.  Soon the two founded the Berachah Rescue Society for the sole (or should I say ‘soul’?) purpose of ministering to this particular group of sinners.  The name of the organization was taken from II Chronicles 20:26, “And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the LORD: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day.” 

It wasn’t clear whether they were able to eventually lift up all of the “fallen women”, or found the women of Waco too worldly for their efforts, but they relocated to the Oak Cliff area south of Dallas in 1899 and established a new ministry.  In order to raise funds to pay for their efforts, Upchurch made impassioned appeals to local congregations to help fund the efforts to reach “fallen men and women”, as well as the local children who had taken to living on the streets.  The reason was not noted for branching out to both fallen men and women, but simple math dictates that the odds of success go up when the target market is doubled overnight.

In order to help spread the word and raise additional funds, Upchurch began publishing the Purity Journal which extorted the work being done by the Berachah Rescue Society.

Less than two years later, the focus of the young couple’s ministerial outreach once again turned back to only the “fallen women”.  The fallen men, apparently providing too much of a challenge, were left to their own devices or perhaps the efforts of older missionaries who had accumulated more patience.

Supporters of Upchurch’s efforts did not lack the courage of their convictions.  On September 25, 1901, Upchurch and his wife met with a prominent couple from Arlington, Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Cooper, and purchased seven acres of land on which their next outreach would be based.  The site eventually came to include a chapel, school, print shop, infirmary, as well as the main building, a home for “fallen girls”.  And by “fallen,” they meant pregnant.  In addition, there was a handkerchief factory, print shop, and other buildings to help support the efforts of those who lived there.

The charter of the school stipulated that its purpose was the “redemption and support” of fallen young women, as well as a place to redirect the girls by educating them and training them in the ways of the Lord.  Interestingly, no efforts whatsoever were ever recorded as being undertaken to help guide the “fallen young men” who had played a part in the girls drifting so far off course.  While not recorded, it can be assumed that none of the pregnant young girls who wound up at The Berachah Industrial Home for the Redemption of Erring Girls did so as a result of immaculate conception.  The partners in those sins of the flesh are assumed to have just gone about their business without need for retraining, redemption, or support. It could even be assumed that a couple of the “fallen young men” may have lived right across the road while attending the Military School housed there, not having fallen nearly as far.

But then, there was never a shortage of sin in Texas, particularly north Texas, and therefore the number of those guilty of its consequence and needing redirection and support continued to grow.  By 1924 there were 129 young girls living at The Berachah Industrial Home for the Redemption of Erring Girls, waiting to give birth and learning how to parent and make handkerchiefs.  Interestingly, a condition for being accepted into the home was that the young lady had to promise to keep and raise the child.  Putting the child up for adoption was not to be tolerated.

By 1934 the home had been in operation for over three decades.  Records can’t be found as far as exactly how many children had been born there in total.  But J.T. Upchurch was a known fixture in the community.  He and Maggie May could be seen driving his new 1924 Studebaker Model EM Light Six Sedan around town, occasionally with young girls in the back seat who’d earned the opportunity to see the outside world, be it from a distance.

“It’s tricky,” James explained to Maggie May.  “We have to give the appearance that we are successful and thriving.  And we are, thanks be to the Lord.  If we don’t drive something nice, people will think we might be struggling and they won’t want to donate.”  Maggie May nodded along in agreement, as she usually did.  “We can’t be too extravagant, however, or donors will think we are not being good stewards of the gifts they provide.  The Studebaker threads that needle quite nicely.”

And, of course it did.  Equipment included door storage pockets, a rear heater, a footrest, and a robe bar.  The wood-rimmed steering wheel fronted a painted dash panel housing an ammeter, an oil pressure gauge, and a Stewart barrel-type speedometer. The dash-mounted clock helped the girls keep track of the time, something that tended to drag considerably the closer they got to their time to give birth.  The 207ci L-head inline-six featured a Stromberg single-barrel carburetor and was factory rated at 40 horsepower, which was certainly all that was needed for driving around Arlington, or the occasional trip over to Dallas to the east, or Fort Worth to the west.  Power was sent to the rear wheels via a three-speed manual transmission.

One can only assume that the Studebaker never made its way to Arlington Downs Racetrack located not too far from where the fallen women were making amends and hankies.  The track opened in November of 1929.  Sin in Arlington at that time was not limited to those sins that took place in the back seats of Fords, inside nondescript hotel rooms, or behind stables when no one was looking.  They also took place on the racetrack in front of crowds as large as 6,000.

---

---

O. O. Franklin and J. B. Coulter were arrested at Arlington Downs in the fall of 1931 for having the temerity to openly wager on the ponies about to circle the track.  No mention was made in the papers about the men having become “fallen”, nor of their need for redemption and retraining.  In fact, their cases brought the need to legalize parimutuel betting to the forefront of public discourse and forced the Texas Legislature to legalize just such a thing in 1933.  The very first permit was issued to Arlington Downs.  While the Lord made it clear that no one sin is to be regarded worse than another, citizens of North Texas begged to differ.

Between the economy beginning a decline and competition for funds from the new racetrack, support for The Berachah Industrial Home for the Redemption of Erring Girls began to slowly dwindle sometime after Upchurch purchased the new Studebaker.  In late 1935, the home had to close its doors.  The remaining girls were relocated to other facilities around North Texas.  Well, those who could be relocated.  Tucked over in one corner of the grounds was a cemetery for those babies who were stillborn, or those mothers who had tragically died giving birth.  Those tragic women and children whose souls were in heaven would remain interred in those hallowed grounds forever.

Including the last young woman to be buried there.

---

---