SPEARMAN, TEXAS

Hansford County Seat, Texas Panhandle

36°11'40"N 101°11'39"W (36.194450, -101.194048)
State Hwy15, State Hwy 207
FM 759
89 miles NE of Amarillo
30 miles NE of Stinnett
70 miles NW of Pampa
26 miles SW of Perryton
12 miles E of Gruver
Population: 3,368 (2010) 3,021 (2000) 3,197 (1990)

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View of Main Street from the courthouse
Photo courtesy Terry Jeanson, March 2008

History in a Pecan Shell

In May 1917, the town was laid out (and a post office opened) in anticipation of the arrival of the North Texas and Santa Fe Railway. The town was named for railroad vice president Thomas E. Spearman. Although the railroad was delayed due to World War One, the town didn't let that interfere with its growth.

Hansford, Texas

By the time the railroad arrived in late 1919, the town was well on its way. The town of Hansford, Texas, (6 miles West) lost population and businesses to Spearman and more importantly, an election (1929) deciding which town would be the county seat.

All that remains of Hansford today is the cemetery which up until 1928 was the only cemetery in the county.

The former Hansford County Courthouse (1889) in Hansford was built of brick shipped in from Dodge City, Kansas - the main supply point for the Northern Panhandle.

Spearman incorporated in 1921 and lost much of its business district to fires in 1922 and 1924. By 1926 the population was a healthy 1,000 citizens.

In 1931, the railroad extended to Morse and points southwest, ending Spearman's status as the railroad's terminus. During the Great Depression, vacant lots in town were planted in wheat.

In 1934, famed aviator Colonel Charles Lindbergh and wife Ann Morrow stopped just outside of Spearman for fuel on a cross country trip. Lindbergh, years earlier (1924) had crashed a plane into a hardware store near Camp Wood, Texas (Real County) on a cross-country trip before becoming an air cadet in San Antonio.

The brief event received a historical marker that stands today .4 miles South of 13th Ave and SH 207.

Spearman had a population of 1,105 in 1940 and 4,000 in 1964.

Spearman, Texas Landmarks / Attractions

Hansford County Courthouse, Spearman Texas

Hansford County Courthouse
Photo courtesy Terry Jeanson, March 2008

Spearman Attractions

Hansford County Courthouse

The Windmill Museum

The Stationmaster's House Museum

Palo Duro Reservoir - 10 miles north of Spearman on Palo Duro Creek.

Spearman TX F.W. Brandt building and ghost sign

"The Brandt Building on Main Street. Built in 1918 as a mercantile in the first county seat of Hansford, this building was moved to Spearman at the arrival of the North Texas and Santa Fe Railway in 1920." - Terry Jeanson, 2008 photo.
More Texas Ghost Signs

Main Street buildings
Photo courtesy Terry Jeanson, March 2008

Lyric Theater and Hale Pharmacy , Snyder, Texas

Main Street, c. 1942
showing Hale Pharmacy and Lyric Theater
Photo Courtesy Spearman Chamber of Commerce

Spearman TX Lyric Theatre on Main Street

Lyric Theatre
Photo courtesy Terry Jeanson, March 2008
More Texas Theatres

Spearman TX - Windmill on the courthouse lawn.

Windmill on the courthouse lawn
Photo courtesy Terry Jeanson, March 2008
More Texas Windmills

Part of the Buchanan Windmill Collection near Spearman
Photo Courtesy Spearman Chamber of Commerce

Wildlife near Palo Duro Lake
Photo Courtesy Spearman Chamber of Commerce

Spearman Tourists Information

Spearman Chamber of Commerce: 806-659-5555
PO Box 161 Spearman, Texas 79081
http://www.spearman.org/
We thank Gina Gillispie, Spearman Chamber of Commerce, for sending us their photos and information.

Photo courtesy Terry Jeanson, March 2008
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