Dr. Rosser’s Gaston Avenue Residence — 1912

rosser-house_gaston-and-hill_xmas-1912_ebayThe Rosser residence, Christmas 1912

by Paula Bosse

At the turn of the century, Dr. Charles M. Rosser (1861-1945), a surgeon and educator, was one of Dallas’ most prominent doctors. When he died in 1945, he was described in obituaries as “the father of Baylor University School of Medicine.” In 1900, he led a committee to work toward establishing a much-needed medical school in Dallas. When the University of Dallas Medical School opened the following year, Rosser became its dean. It later merged with another medical college and was eventually acquired by Baylor University in 1903.

rosser-dr-charles-m_ca-1910_UTSW-digital-archivesDr. Rosser, about 1910

So what about the photo of the house above? This was a “real photo postcard” (RPPC) sent by Dr. Rosser on New Year’s Day, 1913. The message on the back was: “Happy New Year for all, CMR.” The very recent photo had been taken on the occasion of a Christmas party at the Rosser residence in 1912.

rosser-house_gaston-and-hall_xmas-1912_reverse_CMR_ebay

The photo on the front showed the Rosser home at 4002 Gaston, at the southeast corner of Gaston and Hill (the corner looks like this now). (At the other end of the block was the Gaston Avenue Baptist Church.)

After Dr. Rosser’s death, the house was torn down. Here it is in 1946:

rosser-house_DPL_1946Dallas Public Library (PA83-41/1946-2-21.1)

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Other than the fact that this house once stood at Gaston & Hill (hard to believe these days), the most notable thing about this New Year’s Day greeting is the person the card is addressed to: Miss Odessa Harnesberger of Beckville, Texas (Panola County).

On Oct. 24, 1910, a large crowd attending the State Fair of Texas had gathered at the Fair Park racetrack to watch an exhibition race of a Packard race car called the “Gray Wolf” and a motorcycle. Unfortunately, the car and the motorcycle collided and careened into the crowd, injuring 8 people (one man died from his injuries). Among those sent to the hospital were three members of the Harnesberger family: Dr. R. G. Harnesberger and two of his daughters, Odessa and Norma. Odessa was 13. Her face and left thigh were lacerated, and her left thigh was broken. A week after the accident, she was reported to be recovering well at Baylor but was expected to be there another 5-6 weeks before she could be moved home. The Harnesberger family appears to have made full recoveries. Odessa eventually became a teacher in Dallas and lived to the age of 87.

And when she was 15, she received wishes for a happy 1913 from the doctor who probably treated her after her terrible accident, and, in fact, had a prominent role in founding the hospital in which she recuperated.

harnesberger-odessa_north-tx-state-normal-college_1917Odessa Harnesberger, North Texas State Normal College, 1917

harnesberger_mckinney-courier-gazette_102410McKinney Courier-Gazette, Oct. 24, 1910

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Sources & Notes

Real photo postcard from Dr. Rosser found on eBay in 2019.

More on the early history of Baylor Hospital (and Dallas hospitals in general) can be found at the National Institute of Health here.

And Happy New Year!

rosser-house_gaston-and-hill_xmas-1912_ebay_sm

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Copyright © 2024 Paula Bosse. All Rights Reserved.