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| Hwy
137 North from Big
Lake, at 12 1/2 miles, 137 makes a hard left turn. Follow 137
approximately 6 additional miles to Stiles. The former Reagan County
Courthouse is on the south side of the highway. |
The former Reagan
County courthouse in Stiles
Photo courtesy Dustin
Martin, January 2018 |
History in
a Pecan Shell
Stiles dates from
1903 when Reagan
County was cut from Tom
Green County. John
H. Reagan held a number of positions, including Treasurer of the
Confederacy. He was also a Congressman and Senator and the First Railroad
Commissioner when that post was created in 1891. John
H. Reagan died in 1905.
The town was named after a local rancher, William G. Stiles and became
the county seat when Reagan
County was born. It was the only town. It had a central location
and a courthouse was built in 1911 from the abundant
limestone near the townsite.
Big things were in store. But the railroad came to Big
Lake and you can guess what happened shortly thereafter. Big
Lake became the county seat in 1925.
On Christmas Eve, 1999, someone set fire to the courthouse at Stiles.
He was arrested since he had attempted the act twice before and the
police knew who he was. He is also accused of starting fires in several
other counties bordering Reagan.
A building in the ghost town of Girvin
(Pecos County)
has also been burned.
The building now stands gutted, with only the cut stone in place and
some of that loose. The ruin can be viewed from the highway (137)
or even closer, through a chain link security fence. |
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The 1911 Reagan
County courthouse as it looked originally.
This drawing is hanging in the Chamber of Commerce building on Main
Street in Big Lake.
Click on image to enlarge
- Terry
Jeanson, October 2011 photo |
The 1911 former
Reagan County Courthouse in Stiles
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, January 2010 |
The lone limestone
courthouse
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, January 2010 |
Same view six
years later
Photo
courtesy Kelly Stout, July 2016 |
The cracked limestone
arch
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, January 2010 |
Cactus
Photo courtesy Kelly Stout, July 2016 |
Site of first
Reagan County courthouse Texas Centennial marker
Photo courtesy Dustin
Martin, January 2018 |
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Stiles, Texas
Forum
Subject:
The Day that the Rains Came in Stiles, TX
I wanted to drop a little line about Stiles, TX. I worked for the
Concho Valley Council, boy Scouts of America based out of San
Angelo from 2003-2005. I served the Permian Basin District which
covered Reagan
County. We decided to have a District Campout on a County Judges
land that was about 1 miles west of the Stiles Courthouse. On Thursday
they reported that we had a 20% chance of rain for Friday and a
beautiful weekend after that. We arrived Friday and started setting
up around 2 and had a little sprinkle. We all laughed and said “well,
that must have been our 20%”. Dang were we wrong. After about 5
Troop made it in a set up it came a gulley washer! The land could
not soak up the water fast enough and by midnight we were all walking
in about 8 inches of water. We slept wherever we could and in the
morning started packing up since we couldn’t have a campout in the
middle of what was now a lake. Only then did we realize we were
going to have to be towed out. The Judge had a big tractor on the
place so we daisy chained most of the trucks and trailers and pulled
them (over a mile) out to the highway. On the way out, we found
one more Troop that had gotten stuck coming in and had hiked down
the road to the left (all the rest of us were to the right) and
had stayed the night in the nice warm hunting cabin the Judge had
that the rest of us didn’t know about! - Mike Mitchell, April 28,
2011
Subject:
Stiles and the Old Courthouse
In addition to your statements on Stiles this town stated as a Wells
Fargo stage stop between San
Angelo and Ft.
Stocton Texas. This stop served a need in western history .
Not only as law and order with its courthouse, but also had a boothill,
indian village, a six room school house made of brick a quarter
mile east of the courthouse.
As I was told a pig farmer was ordered to sell off his pigs or the
county officials would kill off his herd. The night before this
was to happen he turned his herd of hamsurd hogs loose. Today the
native havalena are a crossbreed of this domestic herd.
After they moved the county seat to Big
Lake the old courthouse became a meeting place for the long
time rancher, county employees, and Mexican Nationals working state
side. I can remember a birthday party that was held in the top of
that grand old courthouse. There is a lot of history tied up in
that old GRAND COURTHOUSE and surrounding area. - Moore. November
20, 2001
On the addendum
for Stiles Texas there is a statement that the local population
of Javelina has been augmented by a cross with loosed domestic hogs.
This is not possible. Javelina have no relation to pigs or hogs
of any kind, they are actually a pecary, and the two will not, and
can not cross. Just wanted to let you know. - Reader, December 23,
2003
Stiles, Texas Area Hotels › Big
Lake Hotels
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The
Courthouse at Stiles before the fire
Photo Courtesy Big Lake Chamber of Commerce, Tammy Blakely,
Manager |
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The
former Reagan County Courthouse at Stiles
TE photo, 2000 |
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Another
view of the former Reagan County Courthouse
TE photo, 2000 |
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Reagan
County 1940s map showing Stiles, ghost towns Texon
& Best
From Texas
state map #4335
Courtesy Texas General Land Office |
| 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. |
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