TexasEscapes.com HOME Welcome to Texas Escapes
A magazine written by Texas
Custom Search
New   |   Texas Towns   |   Ghost Towns   |   Counties   |   Trips   |   Features   |   Columns   |   Architecture   |   Images   |   Archives   |   Site Map

Gaines County TX
Gaines County

Counties
Texas Counties


Texas Towns
A - Z

Seminole Hotels


SEMINOLE, TEXAS


Gaines County Seat, Texas Panhandle

32° 43' 7" N, 102° 39' 0" W (32.718611, -102.65)

Hwy 385
40 miles S of Brownfield
63 miles N of Odessa
25 miles E of the New Mexico state line on Hwy 180
ZIP code 79360
Area code 432
Population: 7,815 Est.(2019)
6,430 (2010) 5,910 (2000) 6,342 (1990)

Seminole, Texas Area Hotels › Seminole Hotels

Seminole, Texas - main street
Seminole, Texas
Clck on image to enlarge

Photo courtesy of Dan Whatley Collection.

History in a Pecan Shell

Named after local Indian watering holes.

County named after signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence James Gaines.

Seminole was made the County Seat of Gaines County when it was organized in 1905. However Seagraves was the county's most populated town until 1950.

The first bank was opened in 1906. Bank robbers didn't find out about it until 1912. As soon as they did they robbed it. In 1914 the population was about 300 people.

For five years Seminole enjoyed a rail connection to Midland. This proved unprofitable in 1923 and the railroad (The Midland and Northwestern) suspended operations. The same year, Seminole had their worst fire, destroying a good portion of downtown.

Several of our sources point out the size of the Seminole School District. The Handbook of Texas says that it served 370 students over an area of 753 square miles. The Texas State Travel Guide says that it's 1,149 square miles, but has no figures on the number of students.


Seminole Vintage Photos



Historical Marker (Location: US 180 and Hwy 214)

SEMINOLE

Founded and designated county seat in 1905, same year county was organized. Took name from Seminole wells, Indian watering places to south and west. First store and post office were established in 1905 by W. B. Austin of nearby Caput. The courthouse was built in 1906. Seminole grew slowly, being chiefly important as a trading center. Arrival of the Midland and Northwestern Railroad (1918) and development of highways and oil resources all helped seed the town's later expansion. Today it is a business center for farming and petroleum industry.
1970



Seminole, Texas Landmarks/Attractions


Gaines County Courthouse stone carving - Seminole, Texas
Gaines County Courthouse
Photo courtesy Terry Jeanson, 2007

Gaines County Courthouse › next page

The Gaines County Museum

Located at 700 Hobbs Highway US 180)
Hours: Monday through Friday 8 to 5 with 12 to 1 reserved for lunch.

Seminole, Texas panaramic view, 1909
"My Grandfather, W.H. Brennand had a general Store in Seminole in 1909. This is a photo of main street Seminole at that time."
(Cick on photo for larger image)

Photo courtesy Ann Brennand Martin Williams


Seminole TX Downtown 1909
Main street Seminole. "The Victorian House near the center of the picture was the Brennand Home."
- Ann Brennand Martin Williams


Brennarnd home with windmill, Seminole Texas. 1909
Brennand Home
Photo courtesy Ann Brennand Martin Williams


Ramsey family, car and Stark Store in Seminole, Texas
"This is a photo of my Aunt, Annie Lou Brennand in a car with the Ramsey Family. Taken in front of the Stark Store about 1910"
- Ann Brennand Martin Williams


W.H. Brennand, owner of store, Seminole, Texas, 1909
"My Grandfather, W. H. Brennand who had the store."
- Ann Brennand Martin Williams


Seminole, Texas - Ward Well 1907
"In the Draw at 'Wards Well'. Built by the Indians long ago."
1907 photo courtesy of Dan Whatley Collection.


Tower Theater Razed Seminole Texas
The razed Tower Theater
Photo courtesy Billy Smith, July 1988
More Texas Theatres


Seminole TX water tower
Seminole water tower
Photo courtesy Adam Rainwater
More Texas Water Towers



Gaines CountyT exas 1907Postal map showing Seminole
1907 Gaines County postal map showing Seminole
Courtesy Texas General Land Office

Seminole, Texas Forum
  • Subject: Seminole, Texas 1911: "...drovs of antilops and perriary chickens and heaps of wolves and perriary dogs."

    I live in Mayfield, Kentucky, but was raised in Northwest Tennessee not too far from Reelfoot Lake. Recently I had to put my Dad in a nursing home and I have been going through his possessions and I found two letters that were written to my Great Grandmother, Hallie Carpenter Posey, in 1910 and 1911 from a friend in Seminole, Texas. Evidently the friend had once lived in the area and had moved to Seminole.

    However, my Great Grandmother was from Scottsville, Ky and it could have been that they were friends there. My Great Grandmother's folks got burned out in the Scottsville area during the Civil War and I have records showing her being in Northwest Tennessee around 1871. She was born in 1850 and passed away at the age of 99 in 1949 there in Northwest Tennessee. Her friend, Mrs. Lettie Abshure wrote some very long letters to her during this time and described Seminole in detail. Please find [the following] excerpts from the letters and let me know if anyone may know of her.

    The excerpts are copied exactly as written and provide some insight into the language, spelling and history of the times. If I can be of further service, do not hesitate to contact me. - Kenneth M. Smith, Mayfield, Kentucky, November 15, 2006. See excerpts from the letters.



  • Take a road trip
    West Texas | Texas Panhandle

    Seminole, Texas Nearby Towns:
    Brownfield
    Odessa
    See Gaines County

    Book Hotel Here:
    Seminole Hotels | More Hotels

    Texas Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact us.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


    Texas Escapes Online Magazine »   Archive Issues » Home »
    TEXAS TOWNS & COUNTIES TEXAS LANDMARKS & IMAGES TEXAS HISTORY & CULTURE TEXAS OUTDOORS MORE
    Texas Counties
    Texas Towns A-Z
    Texas Ghost Towns

    TEXAS REGIONS:
    Central Texas North
    Central Texas South
    Texas Gulf Coast
    Texas Panhandle
    Texas Hill Country
    East Texas
    South Texas
    West Texas

    Courthouses
    Jails
    Churches
    Schoolhouses
    Bridges
    Theaters
    Depots
    Rooms with a Past
    Monuments
    Statues

    Gas Stations
    Post Offices
    Museums
    Water Towers
    Grain Elevators
    Cotton Gins
    Lodges
    Stores
    Banks

    Vintage Photos
    Historic Trees
    Cemeteries
    Old Neon
    Ghost Signs
    Signs
    Murals
    Gargoyles
    Pitted Dates
    Cornerstones
    Then & Now

    Columns: History/Opinion
    Texas History
    Small Town Sagas
    Black History
    WWII
    Texas Centennial
    Ghosts
    People
    Animals
    Food
    Music
    Art

    Books
    Cotton
    Texas Railroads

    Texas Trips
    Texas Drives
    Texas State Parks
    Texas Rivers
    Texas Lakes
    Texas Forts
    Texas Trails
    Texas Maps
    USA
    MEXICO
    HOTELS

    Site Map
    About Us
    Privacy Statement
    Disclaimer
    Contributors
    Staff
    Contact Us

     
    Website Content Copyright Texas Escapes LLC. All Rights Reserved