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| Photo
courtesy Pat Boren, May 2007 |
History
in a Pecan Shell
Harrison S. Kerrick, a railroad official
and area landowner is the town’s namesake. The Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway
was more or less responsible for putting the town on the map, but development
had begun in 1906 when William Murdock and his family had settled in the area.
The Murdocks established the first community school.
The town’s leading
business was the Dan T. Wadley grain elevator and Kerrick’s post office was in
operation from 1933 until 1961. During WWII
Kerrick had the only official air field between Amarillo
and Denver.
Kerrick schools consolidated with the Stratford
District in 1950 and the Kerrick school was put to use as a community center.
In 1949 the population was given as 100, but has since declined to the current
60.
Kerrick
Old Photos next
page
Kerrick Photos
Kerrick
Forum |
Wheat
crop in Kerrick
Photo courtesy Pat Boren, June 2007 |
Bill
Boren and his milo crop in Kerrick, 1991
Photo courtesy Pat Boren |
Kerrick School, now the Kerrick
Community Center
Photo courtesy Erik
Whetstone, April 2004 |
The Panhandle and Santa Fe
Railway Depot in Kerrick
Photo courtesy Erik
Whetstone, April 2004 |
Formerly Pete Eden's grocery
store and post office.
Photo courtesy Erik
Whetstone, April 2004 |
Border
Stop, formerly Kerrick Farm Supply owned by R. W. Scott
Photo courtesy Kenneth R. Scott, July 2005 |
William
Allen Boren measures the depth of local flora
Photo courtesy Pat Boren, March 2007 |
L
to R: Mabel Murdock Rogers, Lynn Wels, Pat Boren & Franny Taylor
1972 photo courtesy Pat Boren |
Kerrick
Community Barbeque and Calf Fry
"L to R: Fred Mc Daniel (deceased) Bill
Boren, Alvin Harris, Bevan Avent and George Avent (chief cook) cleaning frys."
- Pat Boren |
Kerrick,
Texas ForumThanks
for the information on Kerrick Texas. My bucket list includes visiting Kerrick
Texas and Kerrick MN. As a retired military officer I have spent over 14 years
overseas and my goal is to see the United States. I have both cities on our travel
list. - Stephen W. Kerrick, Lansing, KS, January 10, 2012
Subject:
Kerrick Community Spirit
Starting in 1983 the Kerrick Community began
having a Barbeque and calf fry to raise money for the community building repairs.
The second year we fed 525 people. As there was just about 25 of us doing all
the work it was remarkable. The menu included besides the barbeque and calf frys,
cole slaw, beans and onions, tomatoes, and pickles. Drinks were ice tea, pop and
coffee. It took about 6 hours and all the men were able to clean the frys the
night before. We fed all those people in about two hours. Then there was a live
band and dancing on the tennis court after. We did this for 12 years until us
younguns got old. - Pat Boren, June 11, 2007
Subject: Kerrick Texas
Dear Texas Escapes, My name is Kenneth R. Scott
and I grew up in Kerrick, Texas in the 50s and 60's. I graduated from Stratford
High School in 1964. The grain elevator was owned by Cone Donelson (possibly others)
the entire time my family lived there beginning in 1951 as far as I know. My father,
Robert Wilson Scott owned Kerrick Farm Supply (formerly Kerrick Co-op until he
purchased it sometime in the '50s, I believe) but he sold it when he retired about
1990 and he and my mother then moved to Kerrville. The post office building shown
in the photo on the site was Pete Eden's grocery store and post office. The post
office didn't close until the '70s or '80s as the Edens did build a building south
of my dad's farm supply store in the early 60s and moved the store and post office
into it. Daddy sold his store when he and my mother moved to Kerrville and it
was first called The Younger James Brothers Mercantile. It has been owned by several
people since then but is now vacant. I'm not sure what the current population
is but it is far from a ghost town. Here are some pics taken in 2005, the last
time I was there. - Kenneth R. Scott, June 09, 2007
Subject: Kerrick Texas
Dear Texas Escapes, I live in Kerrick and have for over 50 yrs. My husband was
born here 75 yr ago. We are farmers when the weather cooporates. Allen Boren my
father-in-law came to Kerrick area in 1927 as a cowboy and worked for the Perkins
Ranch first as a hand then got a camp down on the Beaver River called North Camp
where he married Allene Lowery and a son William Allen was born. My husband. They
then moved to East Camp, the closest to Kerrick and 2 more boys were born. After
awhile Allen became ranch foreman and they moved to Headquarters and a daughter
was born. Allene was cook and also did all the canning for the men, the little
boys washed dishes or helped. Several years later Allen had the chance to buy
a section of land four miles W of Kerrick. Allene took over the post office and
store in town. They lived in the basement and another son was born. During the
war the store was a thriving business. The weather was good that year and the
milo crop paid off the land. That's not likely to happen nowadays. Besides farming
other land was bought and some pasture and cows were run. The kids all went to
college at WT in Canyon. Bill left school in 3 years to run the ranch in Colorado
the family had bought and that is where I met and married him. We still farm the
home place. Our daughter is a teacher in Abernathy and our son is Dean of Wayland
Baptist University in Amarillo.
We are now called the oldtimers here
and unfortunately very few kids have come back to live here. Our population is
down to about 21 now. I guess when all us oldtimers are gone it truly will be
a ghost town. Our house is on the N side of the school building and next door
is the oldest house in Kerrick, the Whatly house. There are five of us ladies
that are the same age, so we celebrate a birthday together every year . As this
will be the 74th one to celebrate, ghosthood is getting closer. One neighbor Virgie
Matthews is the official town historian. At age 95 she is as sharp as ever and
can answer all questions. She does not do the computer thing but her son is the
local doctor in Boise City. Virgie was born here in a dugout along with 9 siblings
(5 boys 5 girls). Her father then built the biggest house in Kerrick (I wonder
why). Her father was a pony trader to the Indians in Oklahoma and could speak
and sing the language. A character for sure. His boys ranged in height from 6'
to 6'5". - Pat Boren, Kerrick, Texas, June 10, 2007
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 us. |
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