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History in
a Pecan Shell
Now known as
a “dispersed rural community,” it wasn’t always so. Petty, which
was also known as Lookout or Dowlin, was settled in the late 1860s.
The relative height of the topography gave it its first name of
Lookout, and the name was changed again with the arrival of the
Texas and Pacific Railroad in the 1880s.
No explanation of the name Dowlin is available, but its safe to
assume there was some connection to the railroad. Finally the matter
was settled when a post office was opened in 1886.
Landowner J. M. Petty, was popular enough to have the post office
application filled out with his name – and it has remained so ever
since. In 1890 the town had a respectable population of 350 with
most essential businesses and a few not-so essential. The population
peaked in the early 1930s with 500 residents.
The Great Depression hit the town hard and so did the post war draw
of good jobs and better highways. By the mid 1960s there were only
100 residents – the same number that’s been used ever since.
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Entering Petty
Photo courtesy Mike
Price, April 2008 |
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