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.

Photograph of Charlie Ackers seated in a dark suit with his legs crossed and Maude Thompson Ackers next to him with her hands on his left shoulder. There is handwritten text on the back that reads "Pauline Riddle estate sale, 2015 Waco"

Portait of a seated woman in a colored dress leaning to her left and has a ring on her left hand.

Photograph of an advertising billboard near the Dublin Dr. Pepper Museum and Old Doc's Soda Shop in Dublin, TX. The girl on the swing moves forward and back. She is Pretty Peggy Pepper, a woman chosen yearly as the plant’s goodwill ambassador.

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.

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.

Photograph looking across the tracks at the Dublin train depot in Dublin, TX.

Photograph looking across the tracks at the Dublin train depot in Dublin, TX.

Photograph of an advertising billboard near the Dublin Dr. Pepper Museum and Old Doc's Soda Shop in Dublin, TX. The girl on the swing moves forward and back. She is Pretty Peggy Pepper, a woman chosen yearly as the plant’s goodwill ambassador.

Photograph of an advertising billboard near the Dublin Dr. Pepper Museum and Old Doc's Soda Shop in Dublin, TX. The girl on the swing moves forward and back. She is Pretty Peggy Pepper, a woman chosen yearly as the plant’s goodwill ambassador.

Photograph of people aboard decorated horse-drawn carriages riding through a city street during a Fourth of July Parade in Stephenville, Texas, ca. 1890. Crowds of people stand on the sidewalk in front of businesses watching the carriages go by.

Photograph of a typical West Texas frontier hotel in the Purvis, Texas. It was operated by Mrs. M. M. Stephen. A porch surrounds the front and sides of the building. A small outbuilding stands next to the hotel.

Copy photo of a panoramic view of Thurber, Texas, including a long train of cars carrying coal. The caption of the photo says "Panoramic View of Thurber, Texas - 40 cars coal ready to ship and the vitrified brick plant. - population about 6000 - the largest coal producing town in the Southwest - capacity 100 cars per day." Below the image are written "July 1911" and "Texas & Pacific Quarterly pg 72."

Photograph of a street in Dublin, Texas. Texaco and Mobil gas stations are on both sides of the road. A Ford body shop and a store called "Henderson's" are also near the street.

Photograph of the Dublin Gift Shop. Beneath the name of the building are two windows. Behind the building is a brick wall.

Photograph of a building in Dublin, Texas. A side of the building has "Dublin" on it. Beneath "Dublin" are two windows.

Photograph of the city limit for Dublin, Texas. Below the sign is the historical markers sign. To the left is a road. In the background are several businesses, including Dairy King Cafe and a gas station. To the right is a Lions Club sign.

Portrait of a man and woman sitting on a bench, with another man and woman standing behind them. The couple in the back are identified as Willie Kiker and Ona Cornelius.

Portrait of Nan Dadson, a woman wearing a dark dress and standing behind a wooden fence next to a cut-out of a house, with a painted backdrop in the background.