History
Bridgetown
When the northwest extension of the Burkburnett oil field opened in 1919, prospectors thronged this area. Bridgetown sprang up at the Texas end of a mile-long Red River toll bridge built for oil field traffic. It became the largest and wealthiest of 12 communities that mushroomed in this area during rivalry among major oil companies and independent producers.
History
Burkburnett ("Boomtown USA")
One of the most famous Texas towns. Name was given to post office at request of President T. R. Roosevelt after his 1905 wolf hunt with rancher Burk Burnett in this area. Townsite was laid out in 1907 by Joseph A. Kemp and Frank Kell, surveyors and promoters of Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railroad. First oil discovery was Chris Schmoker No. 1, in 1912. A 2200-barrel gusher was brought in on S.
History
Burnett Horse Ranch
In the 1870s, Samuel Burk Burnett started the 6666 (four sixes) ranch in Wichita County. Cattle operations were near the center of the county. Drought in the 1880s led Burnett and other ranchers to lease thousands of acres of grazing land from the Comanche and Kiowa tribes across the Red River in Indian Territory. Burnett purchased land for a horse ranch along the red.
Military
Call Field
When the United States entered World War I, April 1917, the Aviation Section, Signal Corps, U.S. Army, had only 112 pilots. Yet the allies, relying heavily on the U.S., planned the greatest of all aerial fleets, and the U.S. moved at once to meet the expectations. In August, Wichita Falls was chosen, because of good winter weather, as location for a new aviation field for pilot training programs.
History
Cashion School
In 1902 Wichita County built a one-room schoolhouse here on land donated by H. F. Knippenberg. The school, named for County Commissioner T. J. Cashion, opened with one teacher, Mrs. Lou (White) Dodson, and 12 students. The original school building was destroyed by fire in 1915 and replaced with a new structure in 1916.
History
Charley Lee Coe
On February 6, 1923, Charley Lee Coe made a great sacrifice. Charley was an oil field driller and lived with his wife, Helen (Rosencrants), and three children in Newtown and then in Burkburnett. On the day he was to take his daughter to the Wichita County Fair, Coe saw a fire at a neighbor's house.
History
Charlye Ola Farris
(1929 - 2010) Public school educators James Randolph Farris, Sr. and Roberta (Bell) Farris welcomed their only daughter, Charlye Ola Farris, on June 30, 1929 in Wichita Falls. Charlye graduated as valedictorian of Booker T. Washington High School at age 15, and from Prairie View A&M College in 1948 at the age of eighteen with a degree in Political Science.
History
City View School
Created in 1889 as Common School District No. 8, City View School was renamed by its students because of its original site (ca. 2 miles northwest) which featured a commanding view of the surrounding city. The school was relocated in 1926 to this site, in a building nicknamed "The Alamo" because of its mission revival architecture. It was replaced by a new facility in 1960.
History
Dr. Anne Elizabeth Davis Roark
Following the local oil boom in 1918, the African American population in Wichita Falls increased as did the need for businesses and services. Dr. Anne Elizabeth Davis Roark was born in rural Texas in 1894 and educated at Paul Quinn College in Waco. She furthered her education by attending Schools of Chiropody (Podiatry) and Massage in Chicago. Dr.
History
Dr. Samuel Hiatt Burnside, Mary Margaret Grice Burnside
Kentucky native Samuel H. Burnside, an 1882 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, opened a medical practice in Wichita Falls in 1883. Mary Margaret Grice, a native of Philadelphia, moved to Wichita Falls in 1885 at the invitation of her uncle, George Fox, and was treated for tuberculosis by Dr. Burnside. A romance ensued, and the two were married in 1887.
Architecture
Electra State Bank
Building erected 1908, the first brick structure in Electra. Occupied 1908-1911 by Waggoner Bank; 1911-1931 by First State Bank; since 1931 by Electra State Bank. Remodeled in 1952, using original foundations and walls. (Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1966.)
History
First County Officials
First Anglo-Americans settled in Wichita County in 1856. The county was named for Indians, and Indian troubles delayed local organization until 1882. The first officials were: Judge, James S. Akers; Attorney, Robert E. Huff; Sheriff, F.M. Davis; County and District Clerk, W. E.Brothers; Assessor, James H. Banta; Surveyor, A. Warren; Treasurer, John A. Williams; Inspector of Hides and Animals, B.
History
First Methodist Church of Burkburnett
Burkburnett township's Methodists began attending church services on Sixth street in the early 1900s, in a one-room frame building that was a combination school, church, and social gathering place. M.W. and Lula Majors, who moved to the new town of Burkburnett to open a store, were instrumental in finding the Methodist congregation its own home.
Industry & Science
First National Bank of Burkburnett
City's oldest business institution, organized May 15, 1907. Joseph A. Kemp, one of townsite owners, was president; John G. Hardin, merchant (and later oil magnate and executive of this bank), vice president; H. D. Creath, cashier. S. B. Burnett, for whom town was named, was one of the original depositors.
History
Fowler Discovery Well
(400 yards north) In 1918, cotton farmers Shields and Cassie Fowler considered leaving their land due to oppressive drought conditions. Aware of small but successful oil finds in the area, however, Cassie suggested they drill a well on their land. With help from family, friends and local business owners, they began drilling near their hog pen, and the Fowler Discovery Well blew in on July 26.
History
Frank Kell Home
Native Texan Frank Kell (1859-1941), in partnership with his brother in law Joseph A. Kemp, became a prominent area businessman and civic leader. His developments in the grain business, banking, real estate, and railroad construction helped make Wichita Falls the economic center of the region. In 1909 he had this classical revival house built for his family.
History
George Alonzo Soule
Before coming to Wichita Falls George Alonzo Soule (1840-1913) owned a freight and stage line in Jacksboro and Fort Griffin. After the Fort Worth and Denver Railroad came through here, Soule brought his wife Lilla and Family in 1883. He opened a stage line and livery stable at this site near the business section. He hauled freight and passengers to Oklahoma and as far west as Quanah and Benjamin.
History
Ghost Town of Clara
Herman Specht migrated in 1870 to Galveston from Germany. In 1884 he married Clara M. Vogel Lange (1853-1912), a wealthy widow. Adding to earlier property holdings in Galveston, he began buying extensive tracts of land in northern Wichita County, which eventually totaled 21,000 acres. In 1886 he platted the town of Clara which he named for his wife. The streets were named for Texas heroes.
Entertainment & Sports
Grand Theatre
Electra's population surge in the 1910s led local business leaders to hire Meador & Wolfe of Ft. Worth to design a theatre to accommodate the town's growing entertainment needs. It opened here in 1920 and featured vaudeville, operas, boxing and other events. It included an orchestra pit which later housed an organ and piano for silent movies.
History
Henry C. Luecke Pioneer, Blacksmith and Inventor
A native of Missouri, Henry C. Luecke (1861-1937) came to Texas about 1890. He opened a blacksmith shop at this intersection in 1903. Here he developed and manufactured the Wichita Gang Plow, patented in 1905. His device was similar to other plows designed to turn several furrows at once but included three levers to improve maneuverability.
Architecture
Hodges-Hardy House
Local builders W. Lee Moore and James A. Richolt constructed this residence in 1893-95 for Samuel H. Hodges, an attorney and real estate investor. The late Victorian style house has a wraparound porch and Eastlake detailing. Hodges sold the property in 1910 to Dan Hardy, a merchant, oilman, and landowner. Hardy and his wife Myrtle were prominent philthropists and civic leaders.
Entertainment & Sports
Hotter 'N Hell Hundred
An annual 100-mile bicycle ride in 100-degree heat on the roads and highways of the Texoma region, the Hotter 'N Hell Hundred (HHH) first began as a kick-off event for the 1982 centennial celebration of Wichita Falls. The plan was to celebrate the tenacity of the people who settled Texoma, thus the event's motto is 100 miles in 100 degrees to celebrate 100 years.
History
Iowa Park Consolidated Independent School District
The first school building in Iowa Park was erected in 1888, soon after the town was platted. Iowa Park was in Wichita County Rural School District No. 7 until it became an independent school district in 1899. The school grew to four rooms but soon was inadequate for the growing student population. New brick structures were erected in 1901 and 1916. Superintendent W. R.
History
Iowa Park Lodge No. 713, A.F. & A.M.
The town of Iowa Park was platted in 1888 on the route of the Fort Worth and Denver City Railroad. A Masonic Lodge was also being organized in Iowa Park, and in 1891 a warrant of dispensation was granted by the Grand Lodge of Texas, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Iowa Park Lodge No. 713 received its charter in December 1891.
Architecture
J. A. Kemp Wholesale Grocery Building
Built in 1892, this structure housed the J. A. Kemp Wholesale Grocery business for 35 years. The building originally measured 50 by 100 feet and contained a full basement. A two-story brick addition was completed by 1901. The Industrial Supply Company occupied the building during the oil boom of the 1930s, and continued to provide petroleum products to the area for 34 years.
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.
