Karle Wilson Baker is significant in the history of Nacogdoches for her writing, which was often inspired by her observations around Nacogdoches. To view or print a brochure about Karle Wilson Baker, please click the following link Karle Wilson Baker, or for more information, please continue reading.
Karle Wilson Baker
Karle Wilson was born on October 13, 1878, in Little Rock, Arkansas to parents William Thomas Murphey and Kate Florence Montgomery Wilson.[1] Named for an uncle, Karle was originally spelled Karl but began appearing with an "e" in her mother's diary in 1893, a change that Karle's daughter Charlotte stated was to make her name more feminine.[2]
Karle attended Little Rock Academy, then Ouachita Baptist College, before returning to Little Rock Academy to graduate with her high school diploma. After high school, she attended multiple colleges throughout her life, including the University of Chicago, Columbia University, and the University of California at Berkeley. The only degree that Karle ever received was an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Southern Methodist University in Dallas in 1924.[3] Karle attended the University of Chicago in the summers of 1897, 1898, and 1899 and taught English and French during the school year at the Southwest Virginia Institute in Bristol, Virginia.[4]
Karle Wilson, a Woman of Letters
Karle's love of literature began early in life, though in her April 22, 1903 entry in her journal, she recalled that her mother only allowed her to read books that she deemed wholesome, such as Harper's Young People, St. Nicholas, and the Baptist Young People's Union.[5] Karle recalled writing her first poem at the age of eight, when she announced to her family that she would like to be an author, but remembered that her passion for writing began before that time. When her home burned down in 1903, Karle lamented that she lost three of her journals, paper, a good bottle of ink, "to say nothing of many hours which went to the making of those dear, but assuredly not over wise volumes."[6] Karle was self deprecating in this way throughout her journals, later worrying that "the muse and my ambition have outstipped me and I make myself miserable by wondering if I shall always be one of a horde of magazine celebrities, all talented, and all doomed to that pitiful survival with posterity which is almost more painful to contemplate than annihilation."[7] Karle worried that her work would not live on after her death but in the coming years, she found inspiration in her family and nature to create the work that gained her the title "Woman of Letters."
Karle Wilson Baker Statue at her former home
In 1897, Karle's father passed through Nacogdoches, staying at the Banita Hotel, en route to San Antonio.[8] Wilson fell in love with the town and soon moved there. Four years later, Karle joined her family in Nacogdoches to help take care of her ailing mother.[9] On August 8, 1907, Karle married Nacogdoches banker Thomas Ellis Baker. The couple had two children, Thomas in 1901 and Charlotte in 1911, who inspired the author to write children's books such as The Garden of Plynek, which was published by Yale Press.[10] Nature, birds, trees, flowers, and the weather of Nacogdoches also inspired Karle and influenced her poetry and novels, such as her work The Birds of Tanglewood.[11] Another book that was widely popular was The Texas Flag Primer, which was published in 1923 and adopted by the state textbook committee from 1926-1929.[12]
View more information about Baker's home "Tanglewood" at 711 North Mound Street
Marker on Baker's Statue
In 1924, President Alton Birdwell of Stephen F. Austin State Teacher's College offered Mrs. Baker a position in the English department at the school, ignoring the state rule that declared no married woman was allowed to teach in a state university.[13] Through her relationships with other authors, Baker secured notable figures such as Robert Frost and Rachel Field to speak at Stephen F. Austin. Another contribution Baker made to SFA was her assistance in writing the school song "The Pine Tree Hymn," which was adopted in 1924 and remained the official school song until 1948.[14] Karle taught as SFA for 10 years, taking a year-long break to attend University of California at Berkeley.[15]
Stephen F. Austin State Teacher's College Faculty
The Pine Tree Hymn
Karle Wilson Baker kept journals for most of her life, in which she described the day's events, wrote ideas for stories or poems, and wrote descriptions of birds and nature.[16] One of the many interesting finds in this collection of journals is Baker's documentation of what she believed were psychic powers in the final years of her life.[17] Baker describes seeing figures that gave her messages, sensing the arrival of a letter from a particular friend (on multiple occasions), the ability to find lost objects, and telepathy.
Karle Wilson Baker passed away on Wednesday November 9, 1960 at the age of eighty-two, at City Memorial Hospital after a year of hospitalization.[18] Mrs. Baker's service was on November 10 at 2 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church of Nacogdoches, and she was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery.[19]
Accolades
- Baker was the President of the Texas Institute of Letters from 1938-1939.[20]
- In 1952, Baker was named a Fellow of the Texas Institute of Letters, a society that she helped to found.
- Dreamers on Horseback was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1953.[21]
- In 1958 Baker was made the honorary vice President of the Poetry Society of Texas, an organization that she helped to create in 1921. Baker was also a member of the Poetry Society of America, Phi Beta Kappa, and founding member of the Philosophical Society of Texas.
For more information about Karle Wilson Baker consult Texas Woman of Letters: Karle Wilson Baker by Sarah Ragland Jackson
To read a sample of some of Karle Wilson Baker's Poetry please click this link
Charlotte Baker Montgomery Carried on the Tradition
Charlotte Montgomery followed in her mother's footsteps as an author of children's books, at times serving as illustrator for her mother's books.[22] Charlotte also inherited her mother's love of animals and nature, which is what inspired her to work in animal advocacy.[23] In 1959 Charlotte and her husband Roger led the effort to organized the Humane Society of Nacogdoches County.[24] Charlotte's compassion for animals was carried on through her donations to the city of Nacogdoches, the Texas Land Conservatory, and SFA. In 1983 Charlotte donated sixteen acres to the city, which eventually became the Banita Creek Nature Preserve.[25] The Roger Montgomery Humane Education Fund was established at SFA in 1984.[26] In 1993 Charlotte donated fifteen acres of land to the Texas Land Conservatory.[27]
Charlotte Baker Montgomery
Karle Wilson Baker's grave is located in the central section of the cemetery under a large oak tree. Karle's gravemarker is made of marble and a desk shape, which means that it slants back and is covered with a scroll, on a pedestal. Around the grave itself is a flower box with curving detail. To locate Baker's grave at Oak Grove Cemetery, visit http://preserveamerica.sfasu.edu/OakGrove/ and type her name into the search criteria.
Karle Wilson Baker's Grave at Oak Grove Cemetery
Karle Wilson Baker's Headstone
Images
- Karle Wilson Baker, "Historical Perspectives," Piney Woods Live, www.pineywoodslive.com/news/2013/apr/13/scott-joplin-ragtime-karle-wilson-baker-poet-histo/
- Karle Wilson Baker Statue and her former home located at 711 N. Mound Street, Nacogdoches, Texas.
- Karle Wilson Baker Marker at 711 N. Mound Street, Nacogdoches, Texas.
- Stephen F. Austin State Teacher College Faculty, 1925, Photograph Collection 1920-1929, East Texas Research Center, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas, http://digital.sfasu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/EastTexRC/id/12097 .
- The Pine Tree Hymn, A/2, Karle Wilson Baker Papers, Box 59, F22, East Texas Research Center, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas.
- Charlotte Baker Montgomery, Vertical File, Biography, MIE-MZ, Charlotte Baker Montgomery, East Texas Research Center, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas.
- Karle Wilson Baker's Grave at Oak Grove Cemetery, Nacogdoches, Texas.
- Karle Wilson Baker's Headstone at Oak Grove Cemetery, Nacogdoches, Texas.
References