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History in
a Pecan Shell
William Broaddus and D. C. Jordan started a ranch near present-day
Nocona in the 1870s. When the Gainesville, Henrietta and Western
Railroad was building across Montague County, Jordan offered land
for a right-of-way. The town was to be named after Jordan (Jordanville)
but instead it was named after the Comanche
Chief Peta Nocona. A post office was opened under that name
in 1887 and bootmaker Herman Justin moved his operations here.
Nocona's first newspaper was published two years later and the town
received a bank in 1890. The town entered the 20th Century with
a population of 900.
In 1925, the sons of the late Herman Justin moved their factory
to Fort Worth, but
their sister remained - opening a boot company of her own.
The population increased to 2,000 Noconans by 1930, falling during
the Great Depression, but growing steadily thereafter until it reached
3,300 in the 1960s.
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St.Joseph
Catholic Church
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, February 2007 |
| "The
Ghost Coke Sign took on a strange hue due to its exposure to the rising
sun." - Barclay
Gibson, February 2007 photo |
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Addison
in Nocona
I was going through
my grandfather's pictures that came from his mother's old trunk. His
mother was Margaret Evaline Painter Ellis. One photograph that caught
my attention was sent to her either in the late 1800's or early 1900's.
At the bottom was the name "Addison, Fort Sills" Unfortunately, this
photograph was not labelled. Researching further I found that this
was photo taken by the famous photographer, George A. Addison who
had a studio in the Nacona area during the time period that this photo
was probably taken.
My greatgrandmother had a brother and sister who settled in the area
around Nacona, Texas. so I'm fairly certain these are either York
or Painter descendants.
The photographer George Anthony Addison was a well-known photographer
in the area around Fort Sill, Oklahoma Territory and took photos displaying
the life during this time. - Alfred Ellis, Fort Payne, Alabama,
May 28, 2007 |
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