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SPEARMAN,
TEXAS
Hansford County Seat, Texas Panhandle
State Hwy15, State Hwy 207
FM 759
89 miles NE of Amarillo
30 miles NE of Stinett
70 miles NW of
Pampa
26 miles SW of Perryton
12 miles E of Gruver
Population: 3,021 (2000) 3,197 (1990)
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Main Street,
Spearman c. 1942
showing Hale Pharmacy and Lyric Theater
Photo
Courtesy Spearman Chamber of Commerce |
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.
The
Hansford County Courthouse - next page
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| | 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
Attractions
The Windmill Museum
The Stationmaster's
House Museum
Palo
Duro Reservoir - 10 miles north of Spearman on Palo Duro Creek. |
Spearman
Tourists Information Spearman
Chamber of Commerce: 806-659-5555
PO Box 161 Spearman, Texas 79081
http://www.spearman.org/
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Spearman
Texas ForumAnyone
wishing to share history, stories, or photos of Spearman, Texas, please contact
us.
We thank Gina Gillispie,
Spearman Chamber of Commerce, for sending us their photos and information.
©
John Troesser | |
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