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The last Sternenberg family members recorded at residence 263 in Olive were Fred W. Sternenberg, “lumber manufacturer,” and his wife; the former’s cousin, Charles A. Sternenberg, “lumber manufacturer” and boarder; and the former’s two sisters, Paula and Annie Sternenberg, each age 26 (twins), who were two of the four company bookkeepers.” In that age of male dominance in the business world, they must have been the subject of much conversation, even if they were the superintendent’s sisters.⁴⁰ Emil P. Sternenberg was attending Massey Business College in Houston when the census was enumerated. No division of duties has been found for Fred and Charles Sternenberg, but it appears that they shared equal responsibilities for running the sawmill.

Apparently, many of the old Sunset mill employees planned to remain until the last whistle blew, as well as others such as Dr. Lee Selman, physi­cian, and Amos Rich, attorney, both of whom had been in private practice in Olive for many years. Other employees in the census with long company seniority included John Holland, locomotive engineer; August J. Boudreaux, mill foreman; B. S. Fitzgerald and Hugh McDonald, bookkeepers, Jules Berg, planing mill foreman; J. F. Alexander, woods foreman; Robert Bunkley, yard foreman; A. Bean and Frank Harper, sawyers; J. F. Richardson and Joe Hargraves, blacksmiths; W. O. McKennon, store manager; M. P. Hargraves, locomotive engineer; and George B. Welch, lumber salesman. J. T. Preston ran a boarding house.⁴¹

During the closing years of the town, it appears that the railroad may have chosen Olive as its southern headquarters for track repairs and perhaps repairs of rolling stock as well. Among others enumerated there were J. N. Reed, “section foreman, railroad,” and E. V. Collins, “builder in ear shops.”⁴²

The author noted a few other items of interest during those closing years of the sawmill town of Olive. In 1907, a lodge of the Improved Order of Redmen was organized there.⁴³ A Hardin County local option election in March, 1910, generated 94 votes at Olive, 54 votes for and 37 opposed, and that at a time when electors were limited to white males, age 21 or older, who had paid their poll tax.⁴⁴ During the same month, the entire town chartered a train and visited Port Arthur while the huge sperm whale was on exhibit there.⁴⁵

⁴⁰Ibid., residence 263.

⁴¹Ibid., residences 161-263.

⁴²Ibid., residences 254, 267.

⁴³Beaumont Enterprise, November 20, 1907.

⁴⁴Ibid., March 6, 1910.

⁴⁵Ibid., March 20, 1910.

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