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VERNON,
TEXAS
Wilbarger County
Seat, Texas Panhandle
50 miles W of Wichita
Falls on Hwy 287
16 miles S of Oklahoma
Population
11,660 (2000) 12,001 (1990)
Book
Your Hotel Here & Save
Vernon
Hotels
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Just
south of the square is the Old Jail that is now an antique
shop.
Police cars still park there (old habits die hard) and serve as landmarks
if you should visit
TE
photo, April 2002 |
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History in
a Pecan Shell
Vernon
was named after George Washington's Mount Vernon. This name was
their second choice after the Post Office refused the requested
Eagle Flat. (For more on naming of Vernon, see Forum
below.) The county's name, however has a more hair-raising story
attached to it:
Josiah
Wilbarger was an early settler who was scalped by Comanches
down around Austin, where a creek under Highway 71 still bears his
name.
Josiah had the
presence of mind to cover the wound with a sock (the only clothing
the Comanches left him) before slipping into unconsciousness. He
crawled for two days and was mistaken for a Comanche and nearly
killed by rescuers. He lived for many years after the incident,
although his skull decayed and his brain was eventually exposed,
resulting in coma and eventual death.
Vernon lent
its name to a struggling opera singer who combined it with Dalhart
and became Vernon Dalhart. Armed with this impressive name,
he sold hundreds of thousands of early "western" records.
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We
checked four references for Vernon's population and they all say 12,001.
We asked eight different Vernonians if they happened to know whom
the last person counted was, and seven of the eight said it was they.
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eighth person told us that the citizens of Vernon were called Vernonites,
and that the twelve thousand and first inhabitant was probably a rare
example of Census Bureau humor. |
Vernon Attractions
The
Wilbarger County Courthouse - next page
The
stately no-nonsense Courthouse was built in 1928.
Carnegie
Library (sort of)
Just past Main St on the Northside of Wilbarger is the City-County
Library. Although the 1915 structure was razed in the late 1970s,
they continue to use the name of the original library's benefactor.
The cost of the original building according to Carnegie Libraries
Across America was $12,500. It might've been 12,501.
The
Red River Valley Museum
Works of sculptress Electra Waggoner Biggs &
Jack Teagarden Momentos
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Nearby
Destinations
Fargo and Doan's Crossing
Vernon's 19th Century history is closely bound to the Red River
crossing some 15 miles north. Corwin Doan operated a
store at this point and supplied cowboys with all they needed to
survive the trip. This is where an estimated six million Longhorn
cattle crossed on their way to the railheads in Dodge City, Kansas.
The fencing of the west and the invention of barbed wire put an
end to the cattle drives that brought Texas back from the economic
collapse brought upon by the Civil War.
Ironically Vernon had often played host to The International
Barbed Wire and Antique Show.
Book Your Hotel Here & Save
Vernon
Hotels
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Grain
Elevators in Vernon
Photo courtesy Ken Rudine, 2005 |
Vernon
Tourist Information
Vernon
Chamber of Commerce
On the NE side of the square on Main Street (Hwy 283).
Hours are 8 to 5 and they go to lunch from 12 to 1.
1-800-687-3137 or 940-552-2564.
Website: www.vernontx.com |
Vernon Texas
Forum
No Vernonites
in Vernon
Dear TE, Just a couple of comments on your Vernon information. There
are several incorrect statements. For instance, Carnegie City-County
Library still exists. It simply moved to a new and more modern location
at 2810 Wilbarger Street before the old building on Cumberland Street
was torn down.
Vernon was not necessarily named for Mount Vernon, although
that is certainly one theory. However, according to the Wilbarger
County history book (page 578), "After the name Eagle Flat was not
accepted by the postal authorities due to other offices with "Eagle"
in the name, the name Vernon was chosen but history has not recorded
a substantiated reason for the selection." The book goes on to say
that another (and more colorful) version of the origin of the name
was that it was named after Vernon Brown, a whisky drummer, the
first to call on the new townsite, promised free samples of his
wares if the then-new town was named after him. Actually, no one
knows for sure how the town got its name.
Also, I have lived in Vernon for 57 years now and have NEVER heard
anyone called a "Vernonite."... - Joyce Ashley, Vernon, Texas,
January 7, 2007
Subject:
Kramer's studio
I found numerous old, old photos left by my Grandmother, they were
developed at Kramer Studio in Vernon, Texas. Can you tell me if,
by some miracle, it's still in business or what may have happened
to it? Thanks, Margie Foster, OKC, January 05, 2006
To share history or photos of Vernon, Texas, please contact
us.
© John Troesser
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