Wise County, Texas
The Wise County Courthouse in Decatur. The Romanesque style structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
Location in the state of Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded	1856
Seat	Decatur
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	923 sq mi (2,391 km²) 905 sq mi (2,344 km²) 18 sq mi (47 km²), 1.97%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	59,127 21/sq mi (8/km²)
Website	www.co.wise.tx.us

Wise County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 59,127.^[1] Its county seat is Decatur.^[2] The county is named for Henry Alexander Wise, a U.S. Congressman from Virginia who supported Texas' annexation. The county is also considered part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

The Wise Eyes crime watch program, eventually adopted by mostly rural counties in several states, was started in 1993 by then-Sheriff Phil Ryan.^[3] Wise County is only one of several counties in the U.S. to have multiple, family-oriented naturist resorts.

Geography[link]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 923 square miles (2,390 km²), of which 905 square miles (2,343 km²) is land and 18 square miles (47 km²) (1.97%) is water.

Adjacent counties[link]

• Montague County (north)
• Cooke County (northeast)
• Denton County (east)
• Tarrant County (southeast)
• Parker County (south)
• Jack County (west)

National protected area[link]

• Lyndon B. Johnson National Grassland (part)

Transportation[link]

Major highways[link]

• U.S. Highway 287
• U.S. Highway 380
• State Highway 101
• State Highway 114

Airports[link]

The following public-use airports are located in the county:^[4]

1. Bishop Airport (76T)
2. Bridgeport Municipal Airport (XBP)
3. Decatur Municipal Airport (LUD)
4. Heritage Creek Airstrip (58T)
5. Rhome Meadows Airport (T76)

Demographics[link]

As of the census^[7] of 2000, there were 48,793 people, 17,178 households, and 13,467 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile (21/km²). There were 19,242 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.01% White, 1.23% Black, 0.75% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 5.03% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. 10.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 17,178 households out of which 38.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.10% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.60% were non-families. 18.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the county, the population was spread out with 28.30% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 30.20% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 10.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 101.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,933, and the median income for a family was $47,909. Males had a median income of $35,913 versus $23,434 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,729. About 7.50% of families and 9.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.30% of those under age 18 and 10.60% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns[link]

• Alvord
• Aurora
• Balsora
• Boonsville
• Boyd
• Briar (unincorporated; partly in Tarrant, Parker counties)
• Bridgeport
• Chico
• Cottondale
• Decatur (largest city and county seat)
• Greenwood (unincorporated)
• Lake Bridgeport
• New Fairview
• Newark (partly in Tarrant County)
• Paradise
• Pecan Acres (unincorporated; partly in Tarrant County)
• Rhome
• Runaway Bay
• Slidell (unincorporated)

See also[link]

• List of museums in North Texas
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Wise County, Texas

References[link]

1. ^ United States Census Bureau. "2010 Census Data". United States Census Bureau. http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/. Retrieved 3 January 2012. 
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
3. ^ WCMessenger.com: Wise Eyes expands its vision
4. ^ Public and Private Airports, Wise County, Texas
5. ^ U.S. Decennial Census
6. ^ Texas Almanac: County Population History 1850-2010
7. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links[link]

• Wise County Genealogy Resources
• Wise County on the Web
• Wise County government's website
• "The Blog" - A Local Blog About Wise County
• Wise County in Handbook of Texas Online at the University of Texas

	Clay County	Montague County	Cooke County
	Jack County		Denton County
		Wise County, Texas    East
	Palo Pinto County	Parker County	Tarrant County

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Coordinates: 33°13′N 97°39′W / 33.22°N 97.65°W / 33.22; -97.65

Look up wise in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wise or WISE may refer to:

People[link]

• Audrey Wise (1935–2000), United Kingdom politician
• Bob Wise (born 1948), American politician
• Brownie Wise (1913–1992), American saleswoman who developed "party plan" marketing
• Christopher Wise (born 1961), American author
• David Wise (composer), British video game music composer
• Dennis Wise (born 1966), English footballer
• Ernie Wise (1925–1999), British comedian
• George D. Wise (1831–1908), American politician and Confederate army captain
• George D. Wise (Union) (1816–1881), American Union brevet brigadier general
• Glenn M. Wise American politician
• Henry A. Wise (1806–1876), American politician
• Isaac Mayer Wise (1819–1900), American Reform rabbi and author
• John Wise (clergyman) (1652–1725)
• John Wise (Canadian politician) (born 1935)
• John Wise (balloonist) (1808–1879)
• John Sergeant Wise (1846–1913), American Congressman
• Josh Wise (born 1983), NASCAR driver
• Mark B. Wise (born 1953), physicist
• Matt Wise (born 1975), baseball player
• Michael Wise (1648–1687), English composer
• Michael John Wise (born 1918), Emeritus Professor of Geography in the University of London
• Ray Wise (born 1947), American actor
• Rick Wise (born 1945), baseball player
• Robert Wise (1914–2005), American film producer and director
• Stephen Samuel Wise (1862–1949), American rabbi and Zionist
• Steven M. Wise, author
• Tim Wise, American anti-racist activist
• Tom Wise (born 1948), Member of the European Parliament
• Wise (rapper) (born 1979), Japanese hip hop artist
• Wise (Stetsasonic), real name Leonardo Roman, a hip hop artist known as 'Wise' from the group 'Stetsasonic'
• Wise (composer), also known as Wise da' Gangsta, a reggaeton producer/songwriter

People known as "the Wise"[link]

• Ailerán (died 664 or 665), Irish saint and scholar
• Alfonso X of Castile (1221-1284), King of Castile, León and Galicia
• Ari Þorgilsson (1067–1148 AD), Icelandic medieval chronicler
• Berengar the Wise (died 835), Count (or Duke) of Toulouse, Duke (or Margrave) of Septimania, and Count of Barcelona
• Charles V of France (1338-1380), King of France
• Epiphanius the Wise (died 1420), monk and Eastern Orthodox saint
• Gildas (c. 500–570), British cleric
• Leo VI the Wise (866-912), Byzantine Emperor
• Ludwik I the Fair (c. 1321-1398), Duke and regent of Legnica, Duke of Brzeg
• Marcus Aurelius (121-180), Roman Emperor
• Robert, King of Naples (1277-1343)
• Rognvald Eysteinsson (fl. 9th century), founder of the Earldom of Orkney in the Norse Sagas
• Yaroslav I the Wise (c. 978–1054), thrice Grand Prince of Novgorod and Kiev

Mythical or fictional characters[link]

• Dag the Wise, mythological Swedish king
• Little Miss Wise, a character in the Little Miss series
• Alhamazad the Wise, see List of Greyhawk characters
• Ansem the Wise, one the Characters of Kingdom Hearts
• Nathan, title character of the play Nathan the Wise
• Russano the Wise, character from several Redwall novels
• Vasilisa the Wise, variant name in The Frog Princess

Places[link]

• Wise County, Texas
• Wise County, Virginia
• Wise River, Montana
• Wise Township, Michigan
• Wise, Virginia
• Wana, West Virginia, also known as Wise

Businesses[link]

• Wise Foods, Inc., a snack food manufacturer
• Wise Group, a Swedish human resources company
• Wise Solutions, Inc., an American software company that made the Wise software installation package
• Wise Stores, a Canadian department store, mainly in Quebec
• WISE (AM), a radio station licensed to Asheville, North Carolina
• WISE-FM, a radio station licensed to Wise, Virginia
• WISE-TV, a television station licensed to Fort Wayne, Indiana

Organizations[link]

• Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery and Emancipation, a research institute at University of Hull
• Wind Science and Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech University
• The WISE Campaign, Women into Science, Engineering and Construction
• World Information Service on Energy, an international anti-nuclear network based in Amsterdam
• World Innovation Summit for Education, a global forum based in Doha, Qatar
• World Institute of Scientology Enterprises, an organization affiliated with the Church of Scientology

Others[link]

• Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE mission), a NASA-funded infrared-wavelength astronomical space telescope
• Web-based Inquiry Science Environment
• Ground effect vehicle, also known as a Wing-In-Surface-Effect ship (WISE)
• Wise Solutions (disambiguation), multiple items
• Windows Interface Source Environment - a 1994 method of emulating Microsoft Windows applications on Unix and Macintosh hosts
• work integration social enterprise
• Work improvement in small enterprises (WISE), a progamme for improvement of occupational health-and-safety conditions

See also[link]

• Weis (disambiguation)
• Weiss (disambiguation)
• Weisz
• Weiz
• Wiseman (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Moran Lee "Dock" Boggs (February 7, 1898 – February 7, 1971) was an influential old-time singer, songwriter and banjo player. His style of banjo playing, as well as his singing, is considered a unique combination of Appalachian folk music and African-American blues. Contemporary folk musicians and performers consider him a seminal figure, at least in part because of the appearance of two of his recordings from the 1920s, "Sugar Baby" and "Country Blues", on Harry Smith's 1951 Anthology of American Folk Music collection. Boggs was initially recorded in 1927 and again in 1929, although he worked primarily as a coal miner for most of his life. He was "rediscovered" during the folk music revival of the 1960s, and spent much of his later life playing at various folk music festivals and recording for Folkways Records.^[1]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Boggs was born in West Norton, Virginia in 1898, the youngest of ten children. In the late 1890s, the arrival of railroads in Central Appalachia brought large-scale coal mining to the region, and by the time Dock was born, the Boggs family had transitioned from a susbsistence farming family to a wage-earning family living in mining towns. Dock's father, who worked as a carpenter and blacksmith, loved singing and could read sheet music. He taught his children to sing, and several of Dock's siblings had learned to play banjo.^[2]

In an interview with folk musician Mike Seeger in the 1960s, Dock recalled how, as a young child, he would follow an African-American guitarist named "Go Lightning" up and down the railroad tracks between Norton and Dorchester, hoping the guitarist would stop at street corners to play for change. Dock's version of the ballad "John Henry" was based in part on the version he learned from Go Lightning during this period.^[2] Dock also recalled sneaking over to the African-American camps in Dorchester at night, where he first observed string bands playing at dances and parties. Dock was enamoured with the bands' banjo players' preference for picking, having previously been exposed only to the "frailing" style of his siblings.^[2]

Around the time he began working in coal mines, Dock began playing music more often and more seriously. He learned much of his technique during this period from his brother Roscoe and an itinerant musician named Homer Crawford, both of whom shared Dock's preference for picking. Crawford taught Dock "Hustlin' Gambler," which was the basis for Dock's "Country Blues." Dock also picked up several songs (such as "Turkey in the Straw") from a local African-American musician named Jim White. Dock probably began playing at parties around 1918.^[2]

Initial career, 1927-1931[link]

In the mid-1920s, various record companies sent representatives to Southern Appalachia to hold auditions in hopes of finding new sources of talent. Around late 1926 or early 1927, Dock tried out at one such audition held by Brunswick Records at the Norton Hotel. Although he played on a banjo borrowed from a local music store and needed whiskey to calm his nerves, he played well enough to gain a contract to record several sides in New York later that year. He recorded only eight sides for Brunswick, however, as he deemed their payment sufficient for only that number.^[2]

Dock's records sold moderately well, and Dock returned to the mining areas of Southwestern Virginia and Eastern Kentucky, where he began to play at parties, gatherings, and mining camps. Around this time, Dock's brother-in-law, Lee Hansucker, who was a Holiness preacher and singer, began teaching Dock religious songs from the Holiness and Baptist traditions. Dock also learned a large number of songs from listening to Hansucker's vast record collection. By 1928, Dock was making enough money to quit working in coal mines and focus exclusively on music. He bought a new banjo and formed a band known as "Dock Boggs and His Cumberland Mountain Entertainers". At one point, he was earning three to four hundred dollars a week.^[2]

While Dock was experiencing a moderate amount of success, the life of a travelling musician often left him at odds with his religious neighbors, who considered such a life sinful. His wife, Sara, whom he had married in 1918, despised secular music and was opposed to Dock earning a living by playing music.^[3] The constantly moving mining camps were wrought with excess and violence, and Dock was consistently engaging in drunken brawls that often left him or an opponent badly injured. The Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the subsequent Great Depression hit the Southern Appalachian region particularly hard, and few people had spare change to pay musicians to play at gatherings or buy records.^[2]

In 1929, Dock travelled to Chicago to record four sides for Lonesome Ace Records. However, with the onset of the Great Depression, he was unable to profit from these recordings. In 1930, Dock travelled to Atlanta, where OKeh Records had set up a live audition on radio station WSB. Due to stage fright, however, Dock performed poorly. Dock was offered several other recording auditions over the next three years, but he could not raise enough money to cover the necessary travel expenses. He eventually pawned his banjo, and gave up hopes of making a living playing music.^[2]

Rediscovery[link]

Dock Boggs is buried with his wife, Sarah

In June 1963, at the height of the folk music revival in the United States, folk music scholar Mike Seeger sought out and found Dock at his home near Needmore, Virginia. Seeger was delighted to learn that Dock had recently repurchased a banjo and had been practicing the instrument for several months before his arrival. He convinced Dock to play at the American Folk Festival in Asheville, North Carolina later that year, and with Seeger's help, Dock began recording again, eventually recording three albums for Folkways Records. Throughout the 1960s, Dock toured the U.S., playing at various clubs and folk music festivals, including a performance before an audience of 10,000 at the Newport Folk Festival.^[4]

In the early 1970s, Dock's health began to deteriorate, and he died on his 73rd birthday. In 1968, a musician and protege of Dock named Jack Wright started the Dock Boggs Festival, which is still held annually in Dock's hometown of Norton.^[4]

Technique and repertoire[link]

While Dock Boggs was familiar with the clawhammer, or "frailing" style, he typically played in a style known as "up-picking," which involves picking upwards on the first two strings and playing one of the other three strings with the thumb. He played several songs in a lower D-modal tuning. Dock's technique, which Seeger considered "a style possessed by no other recorded player,"^[4] was adapted to fit previously unaccompanied mountain ballads.^[4]

Dock learned a number of traditional mountain songs from his siblings, namely "Sugar Baby," which he learned from his brother John, "Danville Girl," which he learned from his brother Roscoe, and "Little Omie Wise," which he learned from his sisters. Lee Hansucker, Dock's brother-in-law, taught him various religious songs, including "Oh, Death," "Little Black Train," "Prodigal Son," and "Calvary." Along with "Turkey in the Straw" and "John Henry", Dock learned songs such as "Banjo Clog" and "Down South Blues" from African-American blues musicians. The song "Wise County Jail"— written by Dock in 1928— was inspired by an incident in which Dock had to flee to Kentucky after attacking a lawman who tried to break up a party at which Dock was playing.^[4]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Longtime Coming
• Dock Boggs Festival
• Discography on Folkways

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2010)

Modern graham crackers

The graham cracker ( /ˈɡræm/, /ˈɡreɪm/, or /ˈɡreɪ.əm/; also graham wafer) was developed in 1829 in Bound Brook, New Jersey, by Presbyterian minister Sylvester Graham. The true graham cracker is made with graham flour, a combination of finely-ground unbleached-wheat flour with the wheat bran and germ coarsely-ground and added back in providing nutrition and flavor. While graham crackers started out as a mild food, unsweetened or mildly sweetened, they are more commonly known as a sugar and/or honey sweetened baked good that approaches a cookie (or the British English term biscuit).

History[link]

The Graham cracker was originally conceived of as a health food as part of the Graham Diet, a regimen to suppress what he considered unhealthy carnal urges, the source of many maladies according to Graham. Reverend Graham would often lecture on "self-abuse" as it was commonly called at the time.^[1] One of his many theories was that one could curb one's sexual appetite by eating bland foods. Another man who held this belief was Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, the inventor of the corn flakes cereal.^[2]

Modern version[link]

Detail of a graham cracker, showing its perforation marks, allowing it to be snapped apart into four sections

Some modern "graham crackers" are made mainly of the refined, bleached white flour to which the Rev. Graham was implacably opposed, and others are made with blends that use the better, unbleached, white flour as a base. Graham crackers have remained popular in North America as a snack food and breakfast cereal despite, or perhaps because of the greater amounts of refined sugar (often mixed with honey) than in the original versions which may have been unsweetened, and far less graham flour, possibily without all the parts of the wheat included at all.

Some modern, commercial graham crackers could no longer be considered a health food. In fact some of these commercial "graham crackers" are more notable for being topped with a thick crust of cinnamon and sugar or having chocolate flavoring or coatings added. Technically, crackers are not really graham crackers unless they are made with graham flour, which is a hard (high protein) wheat flour in which the constituent bran, germ, and endosperm have been ground separately, the first two coarsely and the third finely.

Despite all of this, basic, modern graham crackers are common in America as a snack for young children, at home or at preschool, early elementary school, and other child care facilities sometimes accompanied with fruit juice or milk.

Pie crust[link]

A graham cracker crust is a style of pie crust made from crushed whole-wheat crackers made from Graham flour, usually flavored and held together with butter or vegetable oil. It is the most common crust for American cheesecakes. It is increasingly popular for use as a cream pie crust and is imitated by the Oreo-style crusts made from crushed black-cocoa cookies.^[3][4]

S'mores[link]

Graham crackers, along with marshmallows (roasted or unroasted) and plain milk chocolate bars, are used to make a simple dessert or treat that has come to be called "s'mores" in North America. S'mores are a popular camping food, often eaten around a campfire. They may also be made at home in a microwave.

See also[link]

• Graham Diet
• Graham bread
• Digestive biscuit A British equivalent baked good from 1851, though made with more processing
• Icebox cake
• Moon pie

References[link]

External links[link]

• "Is it true graham crackers were invented to cure the dread fever of lust?" on The Straight Dope website
• Information on Graham Flour and recipes
• Bound Brook - Home of the Graham Cracker (describing Rev. Graham as an "eccentric Presbyterian minister" who developed the Graham cracker "to cure the dread fever of lust.")