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ODELL,
TEXAS Texas
Ghost Town
Wilbarger County, Panhandle/North Central Texas
FM 2379
FM 91, and FM 432
15 Miles NW of Vernon
Population
131 Book
Your Hotel Here & Save
Vernon
Hotels
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The
old Odell Post Office 79247. Once an ice house.
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson,
February 2007 |
History
in a Pecan Shell
Odell came into being with the arrival of the Kansas
City, Mexico and Orient Railroad in 1908. J. T. Odell is the town's namesake and
although there had been a town named Haulk just two miles away, the population
was drawn off of Haulk, lured by the opportunities the railroad offered.
A post office was opened in April of 1909 and ten years later the
town was thriving with 30 businesses, including a a newspaper. In
time, Odell could boast 5 different churches. In the prosperous 20s,
Odell had over 800 citizens but The Great Depression took its toll
and several fires caused a lot of damage to Odell's main street. By
the end of WWII
only eight businesses were left and the population was a mere 301.
It declined to just 130 - nearly the same figure given today. |
| The
1890 Odell Baptist Church |
| Odell
Primitive Baptist Church |
Odell
School's gymnasium built by the WPA in the 1930’s
Photos courtesy Barclay Gibson,
February 2007 |
Odell,
Texas Forum
Subject:
Odell, Texas
Dear TE, This is in response to your Odell page in your [magazine].
I reside in Odell with my grandparents in the old Tallent-Starr
House on CR 102 West. The old post office is now a recording studio
for the bands around the area and there is a now a stage for them
to perform on during Odell Days. I thought that it was so cool to
see my hometown on a website and be able to say that I have lived
in an actual "ghost town." My house is one of the originals built
in 1908 for the Starr's daughter who was getting married. It has
since been added on to although we don't know the exact date of
these additions. The old train tracks went right across our driveway
and the old cotton gin, which is now a private residence, is not
too far. The [railroad trestle] across the river is still standing,
although time has taken its toll on it. Although I have and continue
to [walk] on it, I'm still kind of cautious because it's starting
to collapse in some places. Other than a few rotten boards it's
in relatively good condition. - Hannah Clark, Odell, Texas, September
03, 2007
Subject:
Odell Texas
Dear Texas Escapes, Thank you for the inclusion of Odell (Wilbarger
County) in your features. I was born there and my Dad worked for
the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad. We lived in the concrete
“bunk houses” built for railroad employees that lie just west of
the 3-way cross roads. Dad moved with the railroad jobs but we returned
there in the mid-fifties and re-built the house that lies [near]
between the Primitive Baptist Church.
I can attest to the existence of the five churches and report that
my youthful employment included mowing the lawns of all of them
and the small patch beside the old post office; a task that netted
me 50 cents. The much larger church grounds could bring me as much
as $5 for several hours labor. All five churches remained active
until the early 1970’s with only the 1890 Baptist and the Primitive
Baptist holding services today.
Your photo of the Odell School is primarily the gymnasium built
by the WPA in the 1930’s. The flagstone staircase banisters at the
entry once held a brass plaque reporting this fact. The plaque has
since been scavenged by a souvenir hunter. The main school building
was even older and sat to the north of the gym. In the 1950’s the
single-story structure was added between the two and while the north
face of the gym building was opened for construction there came
a heavy rain that caused the hardwood flooring of the basketball
court on that end to warp severely. This became an important strategy
in our game plan during my school years.
The post office building was once an ice house and the walls are
lined with cork for insulation. Today it is used as a sound recording
studio by a local resident. Mrs. Cooper ran the small grocery from
my earliest memory until just a few years ago. The walls of the
store were filled with collections of wallet size “School Days”
photos of the children who frequented her store from the community
and the school. I personally achieved a priceless baseball card
collection by trading her empty pop bottles found along the roadside.
A reunion called Odell Days is held each year on the last Saturday
in April. It features live bands, barbeque, arts & crafts, a car
show, and lots of fellowship while serving as a fundraiser for the
town’s volunteer fire department. I invite you to check www.odell.coyotedream.com
for photos of this event and a pencil drawing depicting Odell (circa
1914).
If by chance you photographed a small concrete cubicle structure
about 200 yards east of Cooper Grocery but did not use it for lack
of identification; that is the ancient jail. In the mid-1960’s it
was the abode of an eccentric and transient man known only as “Andy”
who did odd jobs around the town. - Billy Gilbert, Denton, Texas,
June 12, 2007
Anyone wishing to share photos or history of Odell, Texas, please
contact
us.
More Barclay Gibson
photos
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