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Grain elevators
amid a field of wild flowers
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 |
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
Forum
Thanks 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
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
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
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Dallam
County 1940s map showing Kerrick
just below the Oklahoma
State Line near Sherman
county line
From Texas state map #4335
Courtesy
Texas General Land Office |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
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