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Dry - Land Farming TX1238
This low rainfall area, limited usually to grazing, was colonized in 1907 by C.W. Post, creator of Post Foods and a philanthropist. By introducing new agricultural techniques, he was able to make farming profitable for colonists. Cotton, milo, maize, Indian corn, and oats were grown here. Post also experimented with several types of fruits and vegetables. Men of small means could buy farms on easy terms from Post. He provided good houses, fences, windmills, and electricity. Also built Post Textile Mill to provide supplemental work and income for the colonists.
First Christian Church of Santa Anna TX1716
Founded in 1894, this congregation worshiped in various places until members purchased this lot in 1900 and began construction of their own building. The Rev. E.M. Douthit and the Rev. B.B. Sanders led the dedication ceremonies in April 1901. A solid brass bell hangs in the off-center entry tower and spire that dominates this frame church. The interior has original beaded ceiling and wainscoting. The kerosene lamp in the vestibule has been converted to electricity.
First Hospital on the High Plains of Texas TX1729
St. Anthony's Hospital Founded 1901 This marks site of Potter County's first hospital organized by Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word on invitation of Father David H. Dunne, Pastor of St. Mary's Church in Clarendon, Texas, and David Fly, M.D., Amarillo. Land was donated by Wm. H. Bush. Four sisters opened hospital as St. Anthony's Sanitarium. Original building (demolished in 1955 to make room for present School of Nursing) was a 14 room red-brick structure without gas, electricity or telephone service. A 2-story addition in 1909 provided thirty beds and an operating room. Despite hard times, a School of Nursing was also opened that year. In 1922, a third story was added to 1909 building, presently used by the Sisters as a convent. In 1927-28, another addition enlarged facilities to 100-bed capacity and provided a laboratory, delivery rooms, X-ray rooms, and more surgical suites. A third addition in 1949 brought total capacity to 150 beds. A $2,000,000 addition in 1960 making St. Anthony's a 250-bed general hospital was made possible by funds raised by the Amarillo Area Foundation.
First Presbyterian Church TX1821
The Presbytery of Central Texas sent the Rev. J.H. Zivley to San Angelo in 1885 to organize a church here. Seven communicants met with Zivley in the Methodist Church building and founded the Southern Presbyterian Church of San Angelo. They included Mrs. A.J. Baker, Mrs. E.G. Burt, Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Burt, Mr. and Mrs. J.N.P. Cramer, and Mrs. Sally Hancock. By 1886 the membership had grown to 27, and this land at the corner of Irving and College streets was purchased for $500. The first sanctuary was designed by architect Oscar Ruffini and finished in 1887. The Sunday School was instituted in the late 1890s with J.R. Burt as the first superintendent. Shortly after, the Ladies' Aid Society was formed with Mrs. A.J. Baker as its first president. Construction of the present brick sanctuary began in 1906 and was completed in 1908. In that year a water-powered organ (since converted to electricity) was ordered from St. Louis by the Ladies' Aid Society. The sanctuary was dedicated in 1916. An education building was built in 1950, and the fellowship hall was completed in 1956. During its first 100 years, the church was served by 11 ministers, two of whom served for a total of 63 years.
Granbury Light Plant TX2243
Before 1923, privately owned light companies supplied electricity to the citizens of Granbury. In that year, the residents voted to build and own their own power plant. The city purchased the Granbury Water, Ice, Light and Power Company and built this structure to house the new plant. Constructed by the Municipal Engineering Company, the industrial building still houses the diesel engines and other machinery that generated electricity until the plant closed in 1954.
Marfa Lights TX3208
The Marfa Lights, mysterious and unexplained lights that have been reported in the area for over one hundred years, have been the subject of many theories. The first recorded sighting of the lights was by rancher Robert Ellison in 1883. Variously explained as campfires, phosphorescent minerals, swamp gas, static electricity, St. Elmo's fire, and "ghost lights", the lights reportedly change colors, move about, and change in intensity. Scholars have reported over seventy-five local folk tales dealing with the unexplained phenomenon.
Medina Dam TX3314
Henri Castro, who colonized this area in the 1840s, envisioned irrigated farms along the Medina River. The project was delayed, however, until after the turn of the century, when Dr. Fred Stark Pearson, an internationally known engineer, persuaded British investors to finance construction of a dam at this site. Completed in 1912, Medina Dam was hailed as the largest in Texas and the fourth largest in the United States. Limestone boulders from a nearby quarry added bulk to the massive concrete structure. Four miles downstream, a small diversion dam conducted water into a system of irrigation canals. Gravitational force delivered the water to fields. The outbreak of World War I (1914) disrupted ties with British investors. Seeking new capital, Dr. Pearson and his wife left for England in 1915 on the "Lusitania" and were killed when a German submarine torpedoed the ship. The irrigation network created by Medina Dam brought new prosperity to this region. Vegetables raised in irrigated fields became a valuable crop. Water and electricity were made available to rural residents. In 1925 voters established the Bexar-Medine-Atascosa Counties Water Improvement District No. 1 to manage the project.
Nolanville Encampment TX4564
In 1889 five families met under a brush arbor to form the Nolanville Church of Christ and within a month had purchased land at this site on which to build a permanent church. That first meeting led to 106 consecutive summer camp meetings dedicated to teaching, preaching and fellowship. The Nolanville encampment drew as many as 1,000 people from a 100-mile radius for ten days each August and became a significant factor in the development of the Church of Christ in central Texas. Families camped in tents and cooked their own meals; the meeting site was modernized over time to provide cabins, running water and electricity. The last encampment was held in 1996.
Officers' Row Quarters TX3678
Fort Clark was established as a U.S. Army garrison in 1852. The original quarters were crude log huts and houses of palisade construction. In 1857, a new program began to replace badly dilapidated structures with buildings of quarried stone. Designed and constructed in 1873-74 as duplexes to accommodate two officers' families each, these eight residences closely resemble those built on other military posts during that time period. The buildings reflect an evolutionary adaptation of military design suited to local construction materials and the regional climate. Each duplex has three large rooms on each floor, two fireplaces and a fifty-five foot front porch. An 1885 remodeling project changed the houses from rectangular to T-plan. The army contracted with Central Power and Light Company for electricity in 1918. Fort Clark was deactivated in 1946 and sold to the Brown and Root Corporation. In 1971, the fort property became "Fort Clark Springs", a private recreational community. The officers' houses were rented to members and guests until 1974, when they were offered for sale to members of the Fort Clark Springs Association.
Old Rialto Building TX9503
Erected 1902 by George Fouke (1843-1915), pioneer businessman, leader in lumbering, railroads, electric power, other ventures. Triangular style resembles New York's Flatiron Building, also erected 1902. One of the earliest Texarkana buildings with electricity. First used for offices, became apartment hotel. Was converted by Dr. E.L. Beck in 1934 to medical building. Later property of Dr. N.B. Daniel and Dr. William B. Harrell. Display # 11 - 20 of 36 |