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MIDDLE WATER,
TEXAS
A Panhandle
Ghost Town
Hartley County, Texas Panhandle
Highway 54
20 miles SW of Dalhart
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The remains
of the school in Middle Water
Photo courtesy Erik Whetstone, April 22, 2004 |
History in
a Pecan Shell
Named for Middle Water Creek, the town was established as a division
of the XIT Ranch in l888.
Middle Water became a shipping point on the Rock Island Railroad.
By l940 the town had a solitary business and 25 persons to support
it. It decreased to ten by the 1980s – and the same figure was given
for the 1990 Census. |
Middle Water Texas Forum
Subject:
Middlewater, Texas
Here is a little info about Middlewater, Texas from 1967-1968.I
lived in Middlewater in 1967-1968.
The brick schoolhouse was still standing and in pretty good
condition. The school had consolidated with Channing School System.
Channing
was 60 miles one way. There was about 15 kids that was bussed to
Channing. One of the school teachers from Channing moved to Middlewater
and lived in the house that was located behind the school. I believe
that at one time the school probably had one teacher and they must
have lived in the house. It was in pretty good condition but was
small. The teacher that moved to Middlewater was Mr. Dooly he taught
Physics and French at the school in Channing. He had a wife and
two children.
There was a US Post Office in Middlewater and it was run
by Mrs. Sylvester "Red" (Babe) Smith. The post office was located
right off the porch in Mrs. Smith's home. It was the house which
was located at the railroad tracks near the water pump. I am not
sure when it closed. - Name witheld by request, September 06,
2006
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The original
school
for Middlewater was two wood structured buildings. In August of
1930 a $12,000 dollar bond election was held to build a new school,
which is the brick structure still standing today, well, sort of
standing. The brick school house opened in 1931 and classes
were held there until around 1960 when most of the smaller school
districts were consolidated to the larger towns. The original wood
buildings were sold to local ranches and moved there for bunk houses.
A great reference for this is the "Tale of Two Counties, Dallam
and Hartley County". Also see "Panhandle Pilgrimage", it has a photo
of the Rock Island Railroad Depot on page 300.
The original cattle shipping pens still stand where they
loaded and shipped cattle via Railroad. Also still there is the
old water pump jack used to refill the old steam engines. -
Randy Johnson, October 24, 2004
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