Red-brick smokestack of the Texas Pacific Coal and Oil Company. EVOLUTION OF AN OIL COMPANY

Photograph of the Smokestack Restaurant in Thurbur, Texas. The restaurant is red with green trim and the parking lot in front of the building is filled with cars and several people standing around a group of motorcycles. The edge of a field is visible in the foreground of the picture.

W. K. Gordon Center for Industrial History of Texas, Tarleton State University.

Red-brick smokestack of the Texas Pacific Coal and Oil Company. EVOLUTION OF AN OIL COMPANY

Photograph of the fire station in Thurber, Texas. The building is painted red with white trim and part of the brick smokestack is visible on the right.

Photograph of a two-story building in Thurber, Texas that used to be a gas station, viewed from the back. Part of the second story forms an overhang where gas pumps are visible; it also has a taller platform with a railing that has a "Thurber" sign on the side and a "Thurber Tipple" sign near the roof. A newer sign on the side of the building says "Thurber 'Tiques & Treasures" as well as "Western Art * Antiques * Crafts * Collectibles & Gifts." Other signs on the building say "Oil Change," "Fish Bait," "Hay for Sale," and "New-Used Tires." A restaurant building is visible in the background.

Weekly newspaper from Stephenville, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Photograph of a historic plaque in Thurber, Texas. It reads: "Thurber. Most important mine site in Texas for 30 years. Coal here, probably known to Indians, was "discovered" in 1886 by W. W. Johnson, who with his brother Harvey sold out to Texas & Pacific Coal Company in 1888. (T. & P. Coal Company provided fuel for the Texas & Pacific Railroad, but was independently owned. Town was named for H. K. Thurber, friend of T. & P. Coal Company founders. Most dynamic firm member was Robert D. Hunter (1833 - 1902), developer of 7 of 15 mines. Next president was E. L. Marston, Hunter's son-in-law, who left mining largely to William K. Gordon (1862 - 1949), an engineer who brought daily output to 3,000 tons. Then in 1917, Gordon (backed by management of coal company) was primarily responsible for discovery of Range Oil Field, 20 miles west. Adoption of oil-burning railway locomotives cut demand for coal. Last mine here closed in 1921, and the 10,000 or more inhabitants of Thurber began to move away. The coal firm changed its name to Texas Pacific Coal and Oil Company and was sold in 1963 to Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc., …

The object of this study was to find out what pattern juvenile delinquency follows in small towns and rural areas.

"The orientation of this study began with a collection of the grasses of Erath County during their flowering periods. Collections were made in the Spring and Fall of 1950 and 1951 to obtain both vernal and autumnal grasses. Identifications were made from the grass floras previously mentioned and checked against specimens in the herbarium of North Texas State College for verification. In addition, the list was checked by W.A. Turney, Conservationist, United States Department of Agriculture of Dublin, Texas. Finally, the list was compared with that prepared by W.M. Cory for the plant areas of which Erath County is a part. On the basis of the above identifications, a critical study of the vegetative characteristics was made and a key based on these features prepared. The width of the blad and characteristics of the ligule, roots, culms, and sheaths were used to distinguish each of the eighty-six specimens found in the collection area. A drawing was made of the longitudinal section of the juncture of the blade and the sheath of each grass. This diagnostic section includes the collar, ligule, a part of the blade and sheath, and auricles, if present."-- leaf 5.

"The problem of this study is to determine whether or not the financial grants available under the Texas state program of aid to dependent children are adequate to meet the needs of the persons receiving such grants. In accomplishing this objective, it became necessary to make a survey of the Texas state program of aid to dependent children as administered by the Texas State Department of Public Welfare. The basis upon which aid is granted, the amount of grants available, and a study of legislation governing the state program of aid to dependent children will be given prominence in this investigation. Likewise, a somewhat detailed study of twenty families who are recipients, or who have recently been recipients of aid to dependent children, all located in Erath County, Texas, will be presented as typical representations of such families all over the state of Texas who receive grants of aid for dependent children."-- leaf 1.

Photograph looking up at the interior tower wall of the Erath County Courthouse in Stephenville. The wall is made entirely of stone, and there is a wooden staircase leading upwards at the top of the photo. There are also several lamps on the two floors visible.

Photograph of the interior tower wall of the Erath County Courthouse in Stephenville. The inside of the building is made of stone, and there is a wooden staircase leading to upper levels.

Photograph of the old First National Bank building in Stephenville, which currently houses the law office of Boyd Waggoner. It is a stone building, with a tower above the entrance.

Photograph of the Erath County Courthouse in Stephenville. It is a four-story building made of red and white stones with a clock tower at the top. There is a flagpole in front of the building, and trees on the lawn on either side of the entrance.

Photograph of a sign in Stephenville advertising local dairy industry statistics.

Photograph of the Erath County Honor Roll Memorial, for casualties of WWI and WWII. It is a stone with names engraved into it, and an American flag placed behind it.

Photograph of the Erath County Veterans Memorial. It is made of three stones. The largest, middle stone reads: "Erath County honors its veterans of WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm and other military actions." The left stone says "Duty, Honor, Country," and the right says "Our men and women of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines." A line of text at the bottom of the memorial declares that it was "Donated by citizens, businesses, and organizations of Erath County."

Photograph of a monument in honor of Major George B. Erath, erected by the Sons and Daughters of Confederate Veterans in 2001. A picture of a Confederate and Texas flags are crossed at the top of the monument. It reads: "In Memory of Major George B. Erath, CSA and the more than 600 Confederate veterans of the War Between the States, who rest beneath the rich soil of Erath County. Ordinary men from across the South took up arms to fight an extraordinary war. Together they became one of the most acclaimed fighting forces in military history. The South devastated by war and the hard life during Reconstruction caused families to move to Texas where they hoped for a better life. Erath County prospered as veterans built homes, schools, churches, farms and businesses. CSA veterans became leaders in our towns and communities. They are our ancestors. Their lives, our sacred heritage, we remember with honor and devotion."

Sign at the Stephenville Museum

Photograph of an advertising billboard for Dr. Pepper in Dublin. The girl on the swing actually swings back and forth.

Photograph of the Dublin Dr. Pepper Museum and Old Doc's Soda Shop in Dublin, TX. In front of the building is a statue, "Sweet Inspirations" depicting the plant's owner, Bill Kloster -- "Mr. Dr Pepper" -- offering a bottle of Dr. Pepper to a little girl.

Sign at Stephenville Museum, Stephenville Study Club, Twentieth Century Club

THIS IS THE SITE OF THE FIRST COMMERCIAL COAL PRODUCED IN TEXAS BY TEXAS & PACIFIC COAL COMPANY. MINED IN 1888. THIS COMPANY WAS THE FORERUNNER OF TEXAS PACIFIC COAL AND OIL COMPANY, NOW ONE OF THE NATION'S SUBSTANTIAL INDEPENDENT PRODUCERS OF OIL AND GAS. THE TRANSITION FROM COAL MINING TO PETROLEUM PRODUCTION WAS ACCELERATED BY THE COMPANY'S DISCOVERY IN 1917 OF OIL AND GAS IN THE GREAT RANGER FIELD, 16 MILES TO THE WEST. IT WAS A NATURAL EVOLUTION OF AN AMERICAN ENTERPRISE DEDICATED TO DEVELOPING NATURAL RESOURCES TO SUPPLY THE NATION'S GROWING NEEDS FOR ABUNDANT ENERGY. BENEATH THIS GROUND LIES PART OF THE 127,000,000 TONS OF COAL STILL OWNED BY TEXAS PACIFIC, WHICH MAY BE MINED IN THE FUTURE. THIS IS TEXAS' ONLY KNOWN DEPOSIT OF BITUMINOUS COAL OCCURS FROM THE SURFACE TO A DEPTH OF 450 FEET. ERECTED MARCH, 1960 BY TEXAS PACIFIC COAL AND OIL COMPANY, FORT WORTH, TEXAS