THE LEGEND OF ADA

As is often the case with historical “facts,” there are several versions of how the saying “Eighter From Decatur, County Seat of Wise” came about. The two things that are certain is that it started out as “Ada From Decatur,” and that the story revolved around shooting dice. The most credible version of the story comes from Dr. Ira E. Nash, who grew up in Decatur in the late 1800’s.

As Dr. Nash later recalled, Will Cooper was a laborer and holder of odd jobs around town, who often worked in a barn that adjoined Dr. Nash’s boyhood home. Will was described as a good worker with a love for both rolling dice and a local servant girl named Ada. As his lucky point, Will would say “Ada From Decatur, County Seat of Wise” when rolling the dice, and this saying became popular in the local area. The spread (and alteration) of Will Cooper’s lucky point began when a group of Home Guards and Army Regulars traveled by train to Virginia about 1900 to participate in a reenactment of the battle of Manassas.

As luck would have it, Will Cooper had been hired as the cook for the Decatur participants, and during the long train ride, the troops entertained themselves with a number of pastimes, including playing dice. This spread the phrase to a wider range of Texas Troops, and when they reached the huge tent city set up at Manassas to house reenactors from across the nation, the phrase spread, and went from being a general call for good luck to a plea for a Hard Eight. After the “Battle” the troops returned to their home states, and the phrase “Eighter From Decatur, County Seat of Wise,” became known to entire generations of Americans who had no idea what an “Eighter” was, or where exactly to find Decatur or Wise County.

Soon after the phrase caught on, it was incorporated in local signs, businesses and even became the name of the local Navy Band, seen here posing in front of the local courthouse.