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 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.

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."

Photograph of a historic plaque in Albany, Texas. It reads: "White Elephant Saloon (Blach Building). The land on this site, Lot 9, Block 3 of the original town plat of Albany, was purchased in 1882 by noted local restauranteur Charles Hartfield. He planned to build a restaurant next door, and the pending establishment was much anticipated by local diners. Shortly before his death in 1884, Hartfield sold the lot to Alabama businessman Max Blach. Blach was vice-president of the Albany Water Company. He and partner N. H. Burns brought a system of running water to the town in 1884. Blach began construction on this one-story native stone structure in March 1884. The building was completed in April and leased to J. R. Davis, who put it to its most infamous use. The White Elephant Saloon opened for business on May 1, 1884. Among its instantly popular features was a white elephant display which was removed from the rooftop early in the establishments heyday. The perpetrators were believed to be citizens who disapproved of the saloon's raucous business. Despite its popularity, Davis announced his intent to close the saloon in February 1886. The Blach building soon was leased to W. M. …

Miniature oil derrick on the grounds of the Shackelford County Courthouse.

Photograph of a historic plaque in Albany, Texas. It reads: "Hartfield Building. Charles A. Hartfield purchased the lot on this site in 1881. A noted area cook, he quickly established "Charley's Restaurant," which included a bakery and boardinghouse. Hartfield was so successful that he planned an elegant rock structure in which to house his business. Construction began in March 1884 amid a flurry of development in the area. Scottish stonemason Patrick McDonnell, who was responsible for much of the stonework on the new courthouse, was foreman for the Hartfield worksite. The project's scope proved too grand for Hartfield's finances, however, and in September of 1884 he sold the building to J. C. Lynch. Financially ruined, Hartfield was found dead within the year. Lynch sold his building in 1885 to three Albany businessmen: Max Blach, N. H. Burns and Sam Webb. Charles Hartfield's widow, Lettie Hartfield, joined them as an equal partner and the group completed the structure, probably using Charles Hartfield's original plans. The building was occupied over time by such businesses as a grocery, a general merchandise store, a bowling alley and an auto repair shop. The Albany Masonic Lodge began meeting in the structure as early as 1893, …

Granite monument. "Ledbetter Salt Works C. S. A. Located 8 mi. southwest on Salt Prong. Hubbard Creek, discovered 1861 by trail drivers. W. H. Ledbetter began extensive development of deposits in 1862. With increased Civil War demand for salt, a large furnace was built, kettles and materials for refining were brought from East Texas by wagon. Salt in large quantities was furnished Confederate troops west of the Mississippi, State Militia, area ranches and towns. Smoking or salting were only ways to preserve meat. When South levied a meat tithe, salt vital to cure bacon for military"

Monument to the Texas Cattle Trails, shaped like a longhorn. "Texas Cattle Trails to Dodge City, Kansas and other Northern points, 1875-1890."

Photograph of businesses around the square in Albany, Texas. Pictured is Corriente Rope Co., next to the Blach Building.

Photograph of a historic plaque in Albany, Texas. It reads: "Lt. Col. William E. Dyess, (August 9, 1916 - December 22, 1943) "A native of Albany, and a graduate of Albany HighSchool and John Tarleton Agricultural College, William Edwin Dyess was the son of Judge Richard T. and Hallie Graham Dyess. Trained as a pilot at Randolph Field, San Antonio, he led the 21st Pursuit Squadron of P-40s in the Phillipines, where he was when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and the U.S. entered Word War II. Dyess' actions against invading Japanese forces at Subic Bay, despite few operational planes, and his later role as infantry commander earned him a reputation for bravery and resourcefulness. Dyess was among the men captured at the fall of Bataan on April 9, 1942 and forced into the grueling death march. He survived the malnutrition, disease and torture that resulted in the loss of thousands of his comrades. Almost a year after their capture he and 11 other men escaped and made their way through hostile territory. Dyess reported to the U. S. War Department and Gen. Douglas MacArthur on enemy actions. Through his personal accounts of Japanese atrocities in the Chicago …

Photograph of a memorial to Lt. General Robert Boyd Williams (1901-1977), Lt. Colonel William Edwin Dyess (1915-19430, and Rear Admiral Emery Arden Grantham (1914-1998) in Albany, Texas. Note: After consulting official records, it was determined that Rear Admiral Emery Arden Grantham's name is misspelled on the memorial. The proper spelling of his given name is Emery, not Emory as indicated on the memorial.

Texas Central railcar in Albany.

The Train depot in Albany.

Mural - Spirit of the Buckaroos, Breckenridge football

Veterans Memorial, Stephens County