| |
"The
stadium is in pretty bad shape and snakes are a serious concern." - Carla
Foft, 2011 |
Doole,
Texasby
Lanelle Crumley
August
5, 2007 was a day of celebration for the Baptist Church at Doole, Texas. The church
served a catered lunch to mark their 95th anniversary.
The early settlers
of this small community wanted to name their town in honor of a prominent family
in the area (The Gansel Family), therefore this farming and ranching community
was originally known as Gansel, Texas. Residents decided to establish a post office
in approximately 1911 and ask the postmaster at Brady,
Texas for advice. The postal service in Washington D.C. said that the name Gansel
was unacceptable, so the settlers named their post office and town after David
Doole, Jr., the postmaster at Brady.
My Grandparents, Mr. & Mrs. S. C. Crumley, Sr. (“Lum” & Alta) bought
several acres of land approximately 7 miles S/E of Doole in 1909. Mrs. Crumley
gave birth to 13 healthy children. My Dad was one of the thirteen. This large
family grew cotton, corn, sugar cane and various other crops. They also raised
cattle, hogs and chickens.
My Mother was a young school teacher from
Rochelle, Texas.
She taught at East Gansel School in 1932 and 1933. The school was located approximately
4 ½ miles S/E of Doole. The CRUMLEY brothers and sisters walked 1 ½ miles to school
at East Gansel every day except on days when their parents needed help in the
fields. After my Mother finished the school year in May of 1933, she married one
of the Crumley brothers (my Dad- age 21). They married in Millersview,
Texas (west of Doole).
East Gansel School closed in 1936. All of
the students were transferred to Doole along with the students from Stacy, Texas.
I was a student at Doole Elementary School in the 1940’s. Students were transferred
to Melvin, Texas after
completing the 6th grade at Doole. The year was 1949 and the community was far
from being a “ghost town”.
I have fond memories of Ruby Page Allen, postmaster,
at Doole Post Office. She was in charge of the post office for many years. Her
husband, George Allen, was my favorite school bus driver. Another favorite was
Fred Betsill. He owned and operated Betsill Grocery Store from 1932 to 1988. The
abandoned building at the top of this web page was once operated by Oscar Betsill.
Another name that will be long remembered is Molly Meyers. She owned and operated
a small store and café. The café was a favorite with the local farmers and ranchers.
Others living in Doole: The Vineyard Family, Hap Betsill, Mr. Gray (the garage
man), The Wiggington Family and many others.
Farming and ranching was
the occupation of choice for the majority of Doole, East Gansel and Stacy, Texas
residents. Life was good until a drought hit during the late 1950’s. Can you imagine
- no measurable amount of rain for 7 years? Most of the farmers moved to other
locations. Many were forced to find new occupations in order to survive. This
is the primary reason Doole, Texas became a “ghost town”.
A treasured
way of life was lost in the 1950’s and early 1960’s and a large portion of McCulloch
County is now used for hunting only.
- Lanelle Crumley, September 3, 2007
|
 |
Doole
Elementary School
5th and 6th grade class, 1946 - 1947
Photo courtesy LanelleCrumley |
Doole
Baptist Church
Photo courtesy Lanelle Crumley |
We
are reminded of Groucho Marx's response when a woman asked him to hold
her tight (while he was already holding her). "If I hold you any tighter, I'll
be behind you." If Doole were any closer to the Concho County line, it
would be in Concho County. It's interesting to note that many ghost towns are
just over (or just this side of) a county line. The legislation demanding county
seats be centrally located killed the economy of these towns, just as surely as
if they were by-passed by the railroad.
Gansel was what Doole
was originally called, but that was denied by Washington when they requested a
Post Office by that name. Brady's Postmaster
David Doole had been advising them, so they requested one in his name and
it was granted.
Doole's former high school stadium/baseball field had
concrete bleachers and was built on a hill. This gives it the appearance (if one
has a good imagination) of a Mayan ball court or a Roman amphitheater.
If you're on an unhurried trip, then a short drive to Paint
Rock would be in order. Doole still holds it's own ZIP code (tightly). It's
76836. |
| | Once
the High School Stadium. Come early or you'll be sitting on Cactus
TE photo,
2001 | | |
The
Ruins at Doole Several
overgrown houses offer some good photo opportunities. Porch swings, cactus and
clothesline poles. The High School Stadium with its native stone walls and cement
bleachers are just west of "downtown." Rubble from somewhere has been pushed over
into the southern part of the stadium.
Recent rains have deposited a
sea of mud that looks like a solidified lava flow at Pompei. A 1957 Plymouth with
its trunk open has been left in what might have been the parking lot. The weathered
houses and the unique stadium/amphitheater make Doole a memorable ghost town.
© John
Troesser |
| | Porch
with cactus in Doole
TE photo, 2001 | |
|
"The
ticket office is still in excellent condition."
Photo courtesy Carla Foft
|
Doole
Texas ForumSubject:
Doole, Texas
In 2011 my boyfriend and I took a Labor
Day road trip to several of the Ghost Towns
listed on this web site. I was looking for some inspiration for a sequel to my
book and my boyfriend was just looking for an opportunity to leave town.
We
went to several sites around Brady, TX
and had a great time. The best site we went to was at Doole. The stadium
is, unfortunately, continuing to fall into ruin at an alarming rate. So anyone
interested should plan to see it in the next few years. The rock retaining wall
is still very much intact in most places and extremely fascinating. Both Jim and
I were intrigued by the amount of time and effort it must have taken to build
all of the structures associated with the stadium. The ticket office is still
in excellent condition and I have included a picture
of me leaning out of one of the windows. There was very little of the seating
area still discernable and snakes are now a big concern. So when you go, wear
some sturdy leather boots with non-slip soles and strong denim jeans. Definitely
no shorts, Capri pants or sandals.
The cemetery was interesting
as well. The site was on my Tom-Tom GPS and it was well worth finding and visiting.
- Carla Foft of Midland,
TX, September 28, 2011
Subject:
Doole, Texas
The picture you have shown of a house with cactus in front was my grandmother’s
home Willie Daniels. She and my uncle Sam Daniels lived there until the 70’s.
- Lessie Sunvison Koester, June 03, 2008
My grandmother lived
in the center of Doole in the 50's - 70's. Prior she lived off a county road between
Doole and Stacy. I remember the store located not at the 4 way stop but further
north past the school and next to the Post Office. Molly Meyer owned and operated
the store. At that time there were 3 grocery stores, post office, Doole Baptist
Church, gin, and the unused school. There were skating parties in the high school
gym. My grandmother and uncle are buried in the cemetery in Stacy, Texas north
of Doole about 6 miles. - Lessie Sunvison Koester, November 22, 2005
Doole,
Texas
I have
hunted for several years about 5 miles from Doole and really haven't paid much
attention as I stopped at the blinking 4-way light on my way to eat catfish in
Brady. Since I read your article I
am paying more attention to detail and have stopped to see the sights referenced.
I agree with another visitor, this land is some of the harshest in Texas.
Every plant, bush, vine, tree or living thing can and will hurt you if you don't
pay attention. That being said, the rugged beauty of the country is mesmerizing
and I keep coming back for more. There is a small grocery store at the crossroads
called "Mavericks" and as far as I know it represents the only commercial activity
between Valera and Brady.
Unfortunately, the store keeps somewhat sporadic hours and one never knows if
it will be open.
The deer, turkey, quail and dove hunting is some of
the best I have ever experienced anywhere. If you can avoid being bitten, stung,
scratched or stuck by the bugs, critters and scrub you can enjoy yourself. Oh
yeah, there are days in Doole country where the wind blows through at incredible
velocity creating dust storms and resituating anything not tied down. Could be
that's how the 57 plymouth came to be where it is!
I was fascinated by
the story about the black panther. While I haven't seen a black panther myself
in the area, I did see what I believed was a mountain lion or wildcat last year
where I hunt. The coloring (solid blond) and size suggested the animal was not
a bob cat and it was way to large to be a feral cat. I elected to believe it was
something other than a wild cat because there are just too many undisturbed rabbits
and other small game animals in the area. - David Williams, November 2, 2005
My family has
owned 3 sections of land a mile from [Doole] forever. When I was a kid I saw a
black panther on our properly. Then about 10 years ago I saw another one. The
land there is very harsh. It seems the only things that grow there are cactus
and mesquite trees. In the spring watch out for rattlesnakes!!! They are everywhere!!!
There is something mystical about that land though, for as rough as it is, there
is beauty in the roughness. It is the best hunting of all of my family's property.
And for as long as I can remember one man has leased it for grazing from us.
It saddens me to think that with land, some people only see $ signs and not
the inherent beauty of the unforgiving landscape." - Bill Davison, January
15, 2005
I went to Doole on Saturday, July 28. Just wanted to let you know that the general
store is boarded up. I visited the bleachers and was welcomed with shots from
a rifle. No, I don't think they were shooting at me, but they sure didn't stop!
Everytime I walked away from my car, the shots were more frequent and when I stepped
back inside, I could hear the rifle being reloaded. Wild! Needless to say, I left
there rather quickly! - Lisa, July 29, 2001
Nearby Destinations:
Within 60 miles are:
Ballinger,
Coleman, Brownwood,
to the North
Brady, Menard,
Fredonia
to the South
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 of their town, please contact
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