History of Hutchinson County, Texas: 104 Years, 1876-1980 Page: 54 of 526
520 p. : ill., map, ports. ; 31 cm.View a full description of this book.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Street scene, Stinnett, Texas, on new Amarillo Line of Rock Island, Ry., May, 1927
afford to move. In 1927 a bond election carried
which provided for the building of a courthouse at
the cost of $450,000. The furniture cost and additional
$56,000. It is one of the most complete and
most beautiful courthouses in the state.
The courthouse dedication ceremonies were held
December 15, 1928. The local florists presented the
County with flowers for every room in the building.
Lights were on in every room. Hundreds of people
attended. The crowd was so tightly packed in the
hallway that Burt Bryan said that it took him ten minutes
to go from the front entrance to the second floor
of the building.
The program and the reception committee were:
Jos. H. Aynesworth, Stinnett, chairman; Mrs. Dyke
Cullum, Borger; Mrs. W.C. Wicher, Borger; Mrs. Ona
Bryan, Stinnett; L.G. Hurley, Borger; W.L. Broomhall,
Borger; and H.E. Castleberry, Stinnett. Addresses
were made by Hon. W.R. Ewing, District Judge, 31st
Judicial Court; and Hon. Newton P. Willis, Judge of
the 84th Judicial District. The Panhandle Power and
Light Company of Borger had sent a temporary line
to Stinnett. With all the rooms lighted, an overloadCounty Courthouse, dedicated December 15, 1927
was thrown on the transformer, and it burned out,
throwing the building into complete darkness. The
Hon. Newton Willis, a most forceful speaker, was
addressing the crowd at the time. He assured the
crowd that he could speak in the dark as well as in
the light. His speech was most impressive. As he
completed his address, the Boy Scouts managed to
provide kerosene lamps, lanterns and candles until
every room was lighted.
Stinnett was incorporated May 10, 1927. Thirtynine
votes were cast. Early residents are still wondering
who the thirty-nine legal voters were. A mayor
and two commissioners were elected as provided by
law under a mayor commission type of government.
The first mayor was L.A. Daniels. W.H. Burden was
employed as town secretary. The town seal adopted
was the coat-of-arms of the State of Texas in a circle,
with the words "Town of Stinnett, State of Texas"
engraved around the margin thereof.
One of the first actions taken by the city officials
was to provide a source of financial support for the
new incorporated town. Because of the emergency,
tax collection was set to begin October 1, 1927. The
tax was difficult to assess and even more difficult to
collect. People arrived, made a small down payment
on land, set up a tent, stayed until they became
involved with the law, lost their jobs, or became disgusted
with social conditions, and then drifted away.
The land lapsed, titles became cloudy.
The first oil well north of the Canadian River, Gulf
Dial No. 1, was brought into production in 1922. It
was not until March, 1928, when the Holmes-Huey
well came into production that the news spread like a
prairie fire. Oil in the Panhandle! The boom was on.
In eight months, Borger had a population of 15,000.
North of the Canadian River, Gwehitt, Oil City, Signal
Hill, and Stinnett sprang into being.
Not the railroad, not the county seat, but the discovery
of oil brought about the rapid growth of Stinnett.
By the time the railroad reached Stinnett, the
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Related Items
Other items on this site that are directly related to the current book.
History of Hutchinson County, Texas: 104 Years, 1876-1980 (Book)
History book describing Hutchinson County, Texas, featuring local history, photographs, illustrations, and biographies.
Relationship to this item: (Has Format)
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Hutchinson County Historical Commission. History of Hutchinson County, Texas: 104 Years, 1876-1980, book, 1980; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth20204/m1/54/: accessed May 21, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hutchinson County Genealogical Society.