Dr. James Maxwell Ware was the only physician in the Magnolia area in the early 1900s when the town first started.

"Dr. Ware delivered me," town historian Celeste Graves said. "And he delivered most of the people around my age and even younger because he was the only doctor here."

Ware's doctor's office was donated to the town museum. Graves, who helped restore the town's train depot into a town museum, added the additional, small building next to the depot to commemorate Ware.

The building housed both Ware's office and a barbershop, both of which are on display at the museum.

"There was always a barbershop where there was a doctor's office," Graves said. "Don't ask me why. I think the barber did small medical jobs like stitching people up."

Ware's grandchildren donated his old equipment for display at the depot, including his stethoscope, medical bag and desk. The small doctor's office section of the building is setup as it would have been in the 1900s, with an examination chair similar to the one he had in his office.

Ware, who was born March 31, 1877, moved to Magnolia in 1902 when the town was known as Mink Prairie to begin his medical practice, according to Graves' history book on the town, "Magnolia Memories." Mink was one mile west of where Magnolia is now.

At first, Ware made house calls to patients by horse. Later, he visited patients by horse and buggy. Then, much later, he visited them by car, Graves said.

Ware earned a distinction as a very attentive doctor who stayed with his ill patients until they were out of danger. Ware was available 24 hours a day.

When times were tough, some patients could not pay for his services, but he took care of them anyway, according to "Magnolia Memories." If patients could not afford to pay him with cash, sometimes patients paid him with whatever they had, such as eggs or farm animals.

"He took all kinds of things to pay for patient bills," Graves said. "A guy once gave him a piano because he had to stay all night with his wife who was in labor for an awful long time. He spent the night, so the guy gave him the piano."

Ware married Leila Virginia Stokely in 1905 and they had two daughters and a son. Ware died in 1937. He is buried in New Hope, Field Store Cemetery in Waller County. Leila Ware died in 1976.

Ware had three grandchildren, including James Ware who still lives in Magnolia. His granddaughters, Wanda and Ginger, live in the Houston area.