Photograph of a red brick building covered in vines and surrounded by trees and shrubs. The building, which is in the background of the image, is facing toward the left and has a flat top roof that is not visible. There is an open tunnel entrance made with red slatted wood on the righthand side of the building. Above this entrance there is a multipanel round top window. There is another smaller round top window beside the entrance close to the ground. Next to this window there is a white round top panel also positioned close to the ground. The side of the building is covered with healthy green vines. There is a large bushy tree covering most of the front of the building. The image is framed with the tops of bushes along the bottom of the foreground.

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.

Red-brick smokestack of the Texas Pacific Coal and Oil Company, detail: 1908

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 corroded red fire hydrant in Thurber, Texas, surrounded by grass.

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.

Red-brick smokestack of the Texas Pacific Coal and Oil Company, detail

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 old railroad truss bridge over a creek in Erath County, Texas.

Photograph of old railroad truss bridge over a creek in Erath County, TX

Photograph of an old railroad truss bridge over a creek in Erath County, Texas.

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 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., …

Photograph of the clock tower at the Erath County Courthouse in Stephenville at 12:50 p.m. The building is made of white and red stones, and the clock tower has a green roof. There are clock faces on each side of the tower.

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.

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.