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"even from
my boyish days…
…wherein I spake of most disastrous chances,
Of moving accidents by flood and field,
of hair-breadth escapes in the imminent deadly breach.."
Othello - The Wooing of Desdemona
History in
a Pecan Shell
Settlement of
Desdemona began around 1857, making one of the earliest communities
west of the Brazos River. Settlers built a small fort to protect themselves
from Indian attack and in 1875 the Funderburg brothers acquired the
land that had once been old fort and began to develop.
Originally the town had been called Hogtown, for it's location
on Hog Creek. A post office was granted in 1877 under the name Desdemona
(not the heroine of Othello, but for the daughter of the community's
JP. The town has been shown on maps and on records as Desdemonia or
Desdimonia, but the unusual name spared the town confusion with other
post offices.
Peanut farming became an important part of the economy early on and
Desdemona's population went from 100 in 1892 to over 300 by 1904.
In September 1918, a driller named Tom Dees, struck oil and Desdemona
was catapulted (for better or worse) into a bona-fide Texas boomtown.
Population estimates of the period suggest that there may have been
as many as 16,000 citizens, speculators, workers and camp followers
during the zenith of the 1919-1922 boom.
Those smart enough to have invested in Tom Dee's Hog Creek Oil Company
were able to sell $100 shares for over $10,000, but aside from these
new fortunes, Desdemona had some huge problems. Rains flooded the
town and overflowed pools of standing oil. Influenza and typhoid fever
broke out. Sanitation and public health were enough to strain the
town to its breaking point, but on top of this they also had to combat
the lawless element.
Citizens banded into a group called The Law and Order League. But
when one of their leaders (Pastor J. A. Kidd of the Rockdale Baptist
Church) became too vocal - the church was set afire on the night of
November 27, 1920. The blaze was soon extinguished, but now all Desdemonites
were united in outrage. The church was a beloved landmark and even
the non-Baptists were furious at the act and especially the perpetrators.
Texas Rangers who had been conducting roving patrols of the boomtowns
of Eastland, Ranger
and Cisco now descended
on Desdemona, arresting 125 men and expelling at least that many prostitutes.
Oil production fell from over seven million barrels of oil in 1919
to less than three million in 1921. By 1922 the boom was over and
Desdemona had experienced one of the most drastic population fluctuations
in Texas boomtown history. Fires in 1920 and 1921 destroyed entire
blocks, leaving the town today where it may have naturally evolved
had oil not been discovered. In 1936 Desdemona dissolved their city
government.
Sources:
Brownson Malsch, "Lone Wolf" Gonzaullas, Texas Ranger, 1998, U. of
Oklahoma Press
T. Linday Baker, More Ghost Towns of Texas, 2003, University of Oklahoma
Press
The Handbook of Texas Online
Interview with Desdemona native Joe Grimshaw, February 2004 |
Desdemona,
Texas Landmarks
|
The Desdemona
School (grades 1-12) was built in 1922 and expanded as a WPA project
completed in 1937. It finally closed in 1969.
Photo
by John Troesser,
2004 |
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Desdemona Sign
Photo
courtesy Kim Carter April 2007
More Texas Signs
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| "My grandfather
Joe Duke was at one time known as Texas' youngest millionaire. A few
years later he had no money left and was a pauper at the time of his
death." - John Keith |
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Desdemona Gas
Wells near Gorman
Photo courtesy City of Gorman
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Desdemona,
Texas Chronicles
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Bombing
of Desdemona by Clay Coppedge
In November of 1944, in the waning days of World
War II, the Japanese military began arming more than 9,000 hot
air balloons with bombs and releasing them in the general direction
of the United States. Only about 30 of the balloons made it across
the Pacific Ocean but at least three of them got to Texas just as
fast as they could... more
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Desdemona
by Clay Coppedge
"Of all the nastiness that might be found in Texas oil boom towns
during the era of discovery in the early 20th Century, Desdemona was
reported to be the nastiest." more
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Subject:
Desdemona and Gorman, 1920s.
Ran across your website looking for info on my father and grandfather.
My father was listed as born in Gorman Texas in 1925. Bruce Whitney
Towsley. His Brother 2 yrs older I assume was born same place. My
Grandfather Phillip Towsley was some sort of field or site manager
for the Desdemona Oil Fields.
Many stories associated with that, and I sure wish I could ask more
about it, but they are all passed away. I have a small book called
Desdemona Texas and kind of a promotional book, full of photos of
the Oil wells, reservoir ponds, and families and workers living
there. I know they said it was a very hard life. My Grandfather
said it was tough to manage the men, Many were rough, hard drinkers
and fighters, as well as irresponsible at times. Talked about many
would lose their pay gambling and drinking only to have the wives
come to them desperate to feed their children. He also said frequently
he favored Marijuana over alcohol as he never had problems with
those smoking vs drinking, although he did not care for pot. This
alarmed my Dad every time it was mentioned but Grandpa felt cannabis
was the lessor of 2 evils.
Ironically, My Grandfather became friends with William Wilson, AKA
Bill W of AA fame while serving in WWI,
my GF did not think Bill was an alcoholic and said compared to most
of those oil workers, he knew what a real alcoholic really was and
it was not Bill Wilson. This sparked a controversy as my GF spoke
at Bills funeral in 1971 and refused to toe the line with the AA
folks. I have documentation of this as well as some letters between
them. Apparently Bill Wilson had depression and what we now know
is PTSD from WWI
and they had different names for it back then.
Anyway, I am unclear of the exact years GF was fired, but an often
repeated story that the Oil workers were looking to form some sort
of Union organizing. My GF despite being mgmt, was viewed as fair
and so they approached him. He neither advocated nor discouraged
it but by virtue of even talking to the union organizers, he was
fired and "Blackballed" and was unable to find ANY work in any way
shape or form. This led to hard times and he left the family behind
and even riding the rails on freight trains, migrated North and
worked in Lumber camps and logging, saved some money and returned
and moved from Texas in what was described as an epic journey in
a broken down Ford to Vermont where the family settled, about this
time the Depression hit. In the mid 1930s the family again moved
to Northern Washington and settled near Ferndale Washington where
he worked as a pipe fitter helping build the Alcoa Aluminum plant.
- Doug and Linda Towsley, March 30, 2020
Subject:
Desdemona
I came across your page about Desdemona Texas and read the story
written by John Keith about his great grandfather Joe Duke (Texas
first millionaire) and when I saw his picture of Joe Duke I almost
passes out because it looked exactly like my grandfather Melvin
Keith... more
- Jordan Keith, September 11, 2013
Subject:
Desdemona
Dear TE, I recently drove to Desdemona after visiting a friend who
attends Baylor. I had once played a character named "Desdemona"
in a play, so when I saw signs for a town of the same name, I jumped
at it! I saw no businesses, but I saw some cute little houses, and
I took a picture of the town marker sign. I really enjoyed the detour!
Cute Little Town! - Kim Carter, April 19, 2007
Subject:
Desdemona Oil Boom
My Grandfather, John Robert Palmer was a farmer and teaching school
in Hogtown prior to the discovery of the Duke Well in 1918 and was
instrumental in organizing the mineral leases prior to the well.
My father (John Derwin Palmer) wrote a Thesis for a Master of Arts
Degree from Hardin-Simmons University, August 1938, entitled "The
History of the Desdemona Oil Boom". I assume copies are available
from the University. There is a stone marker just outside of town
for the location of the first school building in Hog Creek where
my grandfather taught school. As I recall my maternal grandfather
Charles Thomas Moorman and family also lived in the area and was
instrumental in establishing the first school. - CR Palmer, November
17, 2005
I've enjoyed
reading about Desdemona on the TexasEscapes website. My Great-Great-Grandfather,
Christian Bowman (originally Bohrman or Borman) was one of the 42
Army Dragoons that Captain Ripley Arnold brought to the Clear Fork
of the Trinity in 1849 to build the fort that later became the City
of Fort Worth. Christian
pre-empted land in Denton
County after leaving the Army and settled his family in Little
Elm. In about 1865, Christian was killed in an explosion near
Desdemona, referred to as Hogtown in our family, while digging a
well. We have no documentation of the date or the event, but it
has been passed down as fact by several of his children. How would
I research this? Would there have been a newspaper publishing in
any of the nearby towns? Or any surviving records from the town?
- Thank you, Linda Culbertson, StormCnter@aol.com , Pound Colleyville,
Texas, October 21, 2005
Subject:
Japanese Ballopn Bombs landed in Desdemona
I am writing an article about an event that occurred in May, 1945
in Desdemona where one or perhaps two Japanese Balloon Bombs landed
harmlessly. Thousands of these balloon bombs were launched from
mainland Japan in the closing months of the war as a desperate effort
to achieve victory. Two of them landed in Desdemona or that vicinity.
Do you know about this event and perhaps you could steer me to someone
who could. What is the name of the local newspaper in that area
if you know? I would like to place an ad for people who may have
remembered the event. Thanks. - Michael Phillips, September 02,
2004
Editor: See Bombing
of Desdemona by Clay Coppedge
Subject:
WW II Japanese balloon bombs
In regards to the inquiry about two Japanese balloon bombs landing
in Desdemona in May 1945, I can provide the following. Two balloon
bombs landed at Desdemona on March 23, 1945. Another balloon bomb
landed in Woodson,
Texas (approx. 75 miles NNW of Desdemona) the next day. None
caused any damage. - Steve Allen Goen, Wichita Falls, December 23,
2007
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Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
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