Photograph of a camo green machine in a hangar at NASA in Houston, Texas.

Sinclair Gasoline building, Albany. Sign says it is for sale or lease, this building has been restored to look like a old style gas station.

Photograph of the doorway to the Blach Building in Albany, Texas. The building is painted green, with red and white trim. There are two plaques to the right of the door that explain what the building is. The words "Shackelford County Tax Office" have been painted in both windows, and papers have been taped into the doors. There is a wooden ceiling fan above the door.

Photograph of the Blach Building in Albany, Texas. The building is painted green, with red and white trim. There are two plaques to the right of the door that explain what the building is. The words "Shackelford County Tax Office" have been painted in both windows.

Photograph of the Blach Building, in Albany. It currently houses the Shackelford County Appraisal District. The front facade of the building is green with red and white trim. There is a historic marker to the right of the building.

Shackelford County Courthouse, erected 1883, architect J. E. Flanders

Photograph of a historic plaque in Albany, Texas. It reads: "Shackelford County. First inhabited by nomadic Indian tribes, Shackelford County was created in 1858 and named for Dr. John Shackelford (1790-1857). The first permanent Anglo-American settlers in this area included J. C. Lynch (1828-1912), a native of Ireland who moved here in 1858; W. H. Ledbetter (1833-84), who arrived in 1859 and later started the Ledbetter Salt Works; T. E. Jackson (b.1820), a merchant who settled in the northern part of the county before 1860; and G. W. Greer (1812-93), who operated a stage station on Hubbard Creek after 1861. During the Civil War (1861-1865), settlers took refuge at "family forts" such as Fort Mugginsville and Fort Hubbard. They gained military protection from frontier perils when the U. S. Army established Fort Griffin in 1867. Griffin, the lawless settlement that grew up around the Fort, attracted buffalo hide hunters and cattlemen driving herds up the western cattle trail. Shackelford County was organized Sept. 12, 1874, with Fort Griffin as temporary county seat. Albany was chosen permanent county seat in Nov. 1874. The county's population increased sharply after the arrival of the Texas Central Railroad in 1881. Petroleum production generated an …

Photograph of the Jackson Warehouse in Albany, Texas. It is a one story wooden building, with a car parked in front.

Photograph of the colonnade near the front entrance of the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas. It was built in 1929 by architects Wyatt C. Hendrick and Co. Architects. It has been vacant since 1972. The floor is made of red brick, and the walls of slightly lighter brick.

Photograph of the doorway to the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas. There are double doors in white with glass windows. The door on the left has a sign warning against trespassing. The hotel was built in 1929 by architects Wyatt C. Hendrick and Co. Architects. It has been vacant since 1972.

Photograph of a flier for the official website for the Baker Hotel, in Mineral Wells, Texas. It has been pasted into a window.

Photograph of a historic plaque in Weatherford, Texas. It reads: "Parker County C. S. A. Part of a colonial grant to S. M. Williams and Stephen F. Austin, father of Texas, but with no permanent settlers before 1850, this county was created in 1855 and named for Isaac Parker, its legislative sponsor. By 1860 it had 4,213 people and in 1861 its voters favored secession 535 to 61. Oliver Loving, a settler, was an official stock raiser, furnishing beef to the Confederacy in the Civil War. He and 18 other men organized a full-time patrol against the frequent, bloody Indian raids. Citizens of adjacent counties took refuge here. In 1864 three local men were charged with treason. One admitted inviting Federal General J. G. Blunt to come from the Cherokee nation and give Parker County protection from the Indians. General John R. Baylor, a local rancher, was an officer in the Arizona-New Mexico campaign to make the Confederacy an ocean-to-ocean nation, and after victories there became Governor of Arizona. He was in the Confederate Congress from 1863 to 1865. Parker County sent the Confederate army nine companies. Its Company E, 19th Texas Cavalry, served in Parsons' Brigade--which fought over 20 …

Photograph of a Confederate Memorial in Parker County, Texas. It is a statue of a man in uniform holding a rifle. It reads "In honor of the United Confederate Veterans of Parker County, 1861-1865" on the base of the statue.

Mural in Weatherford - "Parker County Peach Festival, July 8, 2006", near the courthouse square.

Parker County Courthouse, built 1885 by architects Dodson & Dudley.

Photograph of the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, built 1929 by architects Wyatt C. Hendrick and Co. Architects. It has been vacant since 1972.

Parker County Courthouse, detail of windows. Parker County Courthouse, Weatherford, built 1885, architects Dodson & Dudley

Photograph of a historic plaque in Weatherford, Texas. It reads: "Parker County Courthouse. Scene of many noted trials. Built 1884-1886. Cost $55,555.55. Fourth courthouse in history of county, organized 1856. An oak on Ft. Belknap Road was Court site that year. In this building practiced S. W. T. Lanham, who was Governor of Texas 1902-1906. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1964."

Parker County Courthouse, built 1885, architects Dodson & Dudley

Parker County Courthouse, built 1885, architects Dodson & Dudley.

Photograph of a historic plaque in Breckenridge, Texas. It reads: "Stephens County Courthouse. This ornate doorway was main entrance of the three-story red sandstone courthouse built here in 1883. Carved into these columns are the names of Architect J. E. Flanders, County Judge E. L. Walker, and three of the four commissioners. The fourth was omitted because he objected to the cost of the construction. A large cistern at the rear of the building provided water for the town. When the oil boom of the 1920s attracted more people to this area, and the old structure was replaced by a larger courthouse in 1926, this portal was left as a reminder of the county's pioneer heritage. (1975)"

Photograph of a doorway outside the old Stephens County Courthouse. There is a historic marker beyond the doorway.

Photograph of the doorway leading to the 1883 Stephens County Courthouse. It is an arch, which frames a historic marker.

Stephens County Courthouse, built 1926, architect David S. Castle