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Photographer's
Note:
There is more
to Spur than meets the eye. Even its abandoned buildings are stately. The collapsed
roofs have been removed and the trash cleaned out from inside. The shells still
stand in their elegance of the past. Very interesting. - Barclay
Gibson
History
in a Pecan Shell
The name is from the Spur Ranch, which was bought and broken up in
1907 - shortly before the Burlington Railroad had proposed a railway line from
Stamford. The manager of the Spur interests
(the town's name had already been chosen) convinced the railroad it needed to
go through what would become Spur. The railroad was convinced and on November
1, 1909 - the town opened as the railroad pulled in.
The Spur Inn housed
visitors to the town and the first newspaper, The Texas Spur gave them something
to read. The school was started in 1909 as well, but the town didn't incorporate
until 1911.
Spur had 47 businesses in 1980 which is considerably less than
the 110 reported in 1940. Texas A&M University operates an agricultural experimental
station at Spur. It is the largest town in the county - eclipsing the county seat
of Dickens with it's population
of 300. |
"The
hotel was owned and run by my grandparents. My grandfather was Dr. R. L Alexander.
He was the country doctor for all of that area. One of his son's, Dr. Bob Alexander
also practiced in Spur for many years until his death. In all, the Alexanders
had 8 children. 7 boys and 1 girl. Three of the sons were physicians. One son
was the postmaster in nearby Jayton.
Dr. Alexander's clinic was located directly across the street from the hotel.
Just thought you might be interested in a little background of the building and
Spur." - Mike Alexander
More
"Rooms
with a Past" |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, and vintage/historic
photos, please contact
us. | | |
