History
Palo Pinto County
Created August 27, 1856, from Navarro and Bosque counties; organized in 1857. Spanish name Palo Pinto refers to spotted oak, a common regional tree having bark with a mottled appearance. Good hunting and abundant water made area a favored indian locality. The first anglo-american settlers arrived in 1850's, including Texas cattlemen and trail-blazers Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving.
History
Pickwick-McAdams Cemetery
Tennessee native Capt. William Carroll McAdams (1825-1906) came to Texas in the 1840s, served as a Texas Ranger, and fought in the Mexican war (1846-1848). McAdams and his wife Ann (Alexander) acquired this land in 1854 and began cattle raising. The cemetery opened after the death of Mrs. McAdams. The first marked grave is that of Mary M. Couger in 1889.
History
Reuben Vaughan
Alabama-born Reuben Vaughan (1819-1900) migrated to Texas in 1852. He and his wife Margaret (Truelove) and their three children moved to this area in 1854 and became the first permanent settlers in present Palo Pinto County. They erected a cabin of cedar and stone near this site. A farmer and stock raiser, Vaughan maintained friendly relations with the Indian tribes that roamed this region.
History
Rock Schoolhouse
Constructed in 1886 largely due to the efforts of schoolteacher Robert E. Hendry (1847-1910), this was the first public school in Mineral Wells. Stones were hauled from nearby Rock Creek in mule-drawn wagons and hand cut on the site. Features of the one-story structure include a flat roof, concrete coping, a central end-entry with segmental arch, and an enclosed belfry.
History
Sam Savage, Captive of the Comanches
Buried in the nearby Staggs Prairie Cemetery, Sam Savage (1861-1951) was a rancher, farmer, and champion fiddler. At the age of five, he survived a Comanche Indian raid on his father's farm in Parker County and lived in captivity with the Comanches for a time. The attack on Bolin Savage's homestead occurred on March 2, 1866, and was followed by a raid on his brother's farm.
History
Simpson Crawford
A native of Kentucky, Simpson Crawford (1824-1908) served in the Mexican War (1846-48) at Vera Cruz and Mexico City. Following the war he returned to Kentucky and married Elizabeth Evans. In 1852 they moved to Texas, settling first in Titus County. In 1854 they came to Palo Pinto County and built a home (3/4 mile northwest) in the Keechi Valley area of Peters Colony.
History
Site of Snake Saloon
Saloons were prominent in the life and history of Thurber and were often settings for union organizational efforts. The first Snake Saloon, located between the drugstore and the livery stable in the center of town, was famous for its massive horseshoe-shaped mahogany bar.
History
Site of the Home of Oliver Loving in 1855
Site of the Home in 1855 of Oliver Loving (1813 - - 1867) First trail driver of Texas cattle - Loving Valley and a county in Texas bear his name - Erected by the State of Texas - 1936
Architecture
Strawn City Hall
The city of Strawn, incorporated in 1917, held its first council meeting in a hall at a local bank building. During an oil, gas, and coal inspired economic boom the city's population reached 5,000 in 1920, and in 1921 bonds for a city hall were issued. This handsome classically-inspired local landmark was designed by Abilene architect David S. Castle and built in 1923.
Architecture
Thomas House
Thomas House Designed by Dallas architect Thomas J. Galbraith and completed in 1919, this house is an excellent regional example of the prairie school style of architecture. Its strong historical associations with area ranches and with the Ranger Oil Boom lend additional significance to its place in the architectural history of Palo Pinto County. Rancher Randal Burton Thomas, Sr.
Transport
Weatherford, Mineral Wells & Northwestern Railway Depot
The tracks of the Weatherford, Mineral Wells & Northwestern Railway reached the town of Mineral Wells in 1891. This depot was built about 1903 to replace an earlier one that had burned. For the next 25 years it primarily served the hundreds of thousands of travelers who visited the town to take advantage of the mineral baths and spas.
Elsewhere in Texas
Hear it from the road
Whistlestop tells you this story automatically when you drive past. No searching, no tapping, nothing to ask.
