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History
in a Pecan Shell
S. H. Parnell was
the community namesake. A school was constructed near here in 1901
on land owned by G.E. Grubbs and in 1905 the town was platted just
NW of the school. The community soon had a gin and a store, the latter
receiving a post office in 1912. The Fort Worth and Denver Railroad
was extending its tracks west from Estelline
in the 1920s and it was predicted that Parnell would boom as a result
of the railroads
arrival.
Although the population was a mere 25 in the mid 1920s, it reached
500 by the end of that decade. The town could boast three stores,
a lumberyard, a café, hotel and a church. The town also had a brick
school.
The Great Depression hit the town hard. It returned to just 25 residents
by 1933 although it gained 50 more citizens before WWII.
The Parnell school merged with Estelline,
and the post office closed in the early 1970s. By 1980 the town was
left with just a church, community center and a cemetery.
Photographer's Note:
Parnell was a community in Hall County, about 6 miles west of Estelline.
The school apparently burned at some point and all that is left is
part of the foundation. - Stephen
Taylor |
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Hall
County 1920s map showing Parnell (SW of Memphis)
From Texas state map #10749
Courtesy
Texas General Land Office |
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