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STEPHENVILLE,
TEXAS
Erath County
Seat, North Central Texas
Hwys 281, 377 and 67
20 miles NW of Hico
32 miles W of Glen
Rose
100 miles SW of Dallas
| Fort Worth
Population
: 14,921 (2000)
County Population 33,001 (2000)
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The 1889 First National Bank of Stephenville
Photo courtesy Sam Fenstermacher |
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History
in a Milk Bottle
1854 - John M. Stephen settles in the area - donates land for
town
1856 - George Bernard Erath, lays out the town when county
was organized
1857 - Town gets approved for post office - John Stephens is
postmaster
1858 - population reaches 766 people - but Indian attacks and
the Civil War reduce it to 300 by 1871
1870 - First newspaper - The Texas Pacific is printed for Erath
county
1889 - Ft. Worth and Rio Grande Railroad arrives
1890s - Second newspaper appears - John Tarleton Agricultural
College opens
1892 - Erath
County courthouse is built. Designed by J. Riely Gordon.
The 20th Century History of Erath County is rather quiet. The growth
has been slow and steady with John Tarleton College becoming
Tarleton University.
Erath County became the top producing dairy county in the state -
as proclaimed on the square by Moola the cow.
Stephenville
Hotels >
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Stephenville
Chronicles
Strange
News
by Mike Cox
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Meteor, killer pachyderm, nine lives, dog ghost ...
The
McDow Hole
by
Bob Hopkins
"The
story of the McDow ghost became very popular by the end of the 19th
century ... many people would come to the water hole hoping to get
a glimpse of the specter."
Nearby Destinations
- A
Sunday drive
Stephenville
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Stephenville
Tourist Information
Stephenville
Chamber of Commerce:
187 West Washington, Texas 76401
Phone: 254-965-5313, 1-800-658-6490.
website: http://www.stephenvilletexas.org/
The chamber of commerce has a good walking / windshield tour of
21 of the towns interesting buildings complete with background information.
Want to know how much the fiberglass cow cost? It's provided.
The Historical
House Museum Complex at 525 E. Washington St. has seven more buildings
on display. |
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