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The Warman family arrived in Wichita Falls in 1919. Charles Perry Warman and his wife, Emma Shanhols Warman, came to Texas from Ohio in 1904. After working for Nash Hardware in Brady, Texas, Charles purchased Hornsby Heavy Hardware in Wichita Falls. The family of five, including a son, Charles Preston Warman, moved to Wichita Falls. The family eventually settled on Grant Street.
Charles Preston Warman graduated from Wichita Falls High School in 1929 and attended the University of Texas for four years, majoring in engineering. Returning to Wichita Falls, Warman was active with the Junior Chamber of Commerce.
According to a Wichita Falls Daily Times article, sailing on Lake Wichita started in the early 1930s. Perry Bass, a native Wichitan, described himself as the sole sailor on Lake Wichita until a friend got a sailboat and they began racing. Bass and his friend sailed on Lake Wichita with Snipe sailboats.
By the mid-30s, another Snipe sailor, Charles Warman, competed in those races. Building his Snipe from plans published in The Rudder magazine, Warman joined the Wichita Falls Sailing Club.
Warman registered the boat in 1935 with the International Snipe Association. Given the hull number 1469, Warman christened the boat, “Play Baby.” He and Play Baby took part in races at Lake Wichita, Eagle Mountain Lake, and White Rock Lake.
As World War II approached, Warman asked his father to store Play Baby in the attic of the family business, Hornsby Heavy Hardware. Warman entered the Army Air Corp (AAC) in April 1942 and graduated from advanced glider school in September. Following glider training, Warman was stationed at Sheppard Field for a short time.
Warman received advanced glider training at Stuttgart, Arkansas, becoming a member of the glider transport branch of the AAC. A 1943 article stated Warman had flown gliders before entering the military. During glider training in Minnesota, Warman met and later married Jean Davis in April 1943. Returning home from service in the South Pacific, Warman was stationed in Austin, Texas. He was injured in a glider crash there in April 1944. Warman and his family returned to Wichita Falls in 1948.
Following his return to Wichita Falls, Warman did not return to sailing. Employed by Wichita Clutch for over 32 years, Warman passed away in 1994. Play Baby, Warman’s Snipe sailboat, remained stored in the attic for over 70 years, becoming a Downtown Wichita Falls urban legend.
The story of the boat in the attic circulated Wichita Falls. In 2019, a Wichita Falls Sailing Club member, Jim Loudermilk, heard the tail of the Snipe in the attic from Bill Steward, former archivist of the Wichita County Archives. Loudermilk, always wanting to restore a boat, followed up with the current owner of the Hornsby Heavy Hardware building, Brian Walling. Walling, owner of Brian’s Plumbing, offered to give Loudermilk the boat if he could get it out of the building. Loudermilk took the challenge. Thanks to six friends, a cherry picker, and some careful finagling, Play Baby left her home for over 70 years and urban legend became reality.
Play Baby’s next home was Loudermilk’s garage. After consultation with the Snipe Class International Racing Association, the restoration began. Surprisingly, despite its long storage, there was very little damage to the boat. The original sail, stored with the boat, also remained intact.
Removing the original paint required hours and hours of sanding. Over 500 brass screws, each puttied over, had to be removed and reset. Loudermilk covered the deck with canvas, repainted and recaulked the boat.
After nearly three years and countless hours of work, Play Baby returned to the water. This time, Play Baby sailed to much fanfare on Lake Arrowhead in 2022. Her sailing was covered by local news media and reported by state-wide media on Texas Country Reporter and Texas Monthly. Loudermilk sailed Play Baby and remarked on her speed.
Play Baby’s story didn’t end there. In 2023, Loudermilk approached the Museum of North Texas History about donating the boat for display. After some measuring and considering, the Museum made a place for Play Baby. How do you get a nearly 400-pound boat up the stairs and into the Museum? Very carefully.
Play Baby joins the other exhibits documenting the history of the people of Wichita County in the Museum of North Texas History. We are grateful to Jim Loudermilk for his generous donation.
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