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| "This
is probably one of the best school building in the county in 1908.
It was made of pine. It burned down after only a few years. The next
building was a masonary structure that was added onto in the late
thirties. That building still stands today. I finished in 1951 and
the school closed in 1990. In the late 1880's and 1890's there were
over 150 schools in Eastland County. There are just five left today."
- Webb Jordan, December 11, 2007 |
History
in a Pecan Shell
In 1881 a man named Hayes (or Haynes) opened a store and became the
town's first postmaster when the PO opened the following year.
Once considered one of Eastland
's "six principal towns;" it ran for county seat in 1887 but came
in third. By 1904 Carbon had a population of 600. Between 1924 and
1942 Eastland County had nine independent school districts - Carbon
being one. The population was 281 in 1980, 255 in 1990 and 224 in
2004.
The former high school has been bought by a religious institution.
Carbon Vintage Photos
> |
| "I
think it was used up until the 1940's. It had no restroom, no lights,
no heater, no kitchen, no exercise area, and no seats. Just concrete
walls and a steel door." - Webb Jordan |
Carbon,
Texas Vintage Photos
Courtesy of
Webb Jordan of Eastland, Texas |
| "No
there are no bunnies inside. Just some older men that played domino's.
Might be a cottontail on the outside. I think this building was used
regularly through the 80's. It has since been torn down. It was a
mighty popular place at the time." - Webb Jordan, December 14,
2007 |
| John's
Cafe in Carbon (Note volume of empty soda bottles, right. |
"I
think this was the best place in the county to buy a hamburger in
the 1950's. John Phillips began his Cafe in 1938. They hid the punch
cards* when the police came around. John served in the Navy from 1943
to 1945. His wife Shorty ran the Cafe during those years."
* Punch cards were a cheap form of gambling where people would buy
3 chances for a quarter and "punch" a small paper roll from
a thick paper card. Unrolling the paper revealed the pay out (if there
was one). - Editor |
| John's
Cafe Interior - A staff-to-customer ratio of 3 to 1 |
| "The
Carbon Trading Company. It fell down in the mid 1990's. This was the
biggest store in Carbon during its heyday." - Webb Jordan |
| The
Carbon Trading Company interior with merchandise |
| The
Carbon Trading Company interior without merchandise |
| The
Mineral Water Bath House in Carbon - note windmill far right behind
middle man on wagon |
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The
Boles Drug and Dry Goods Store
Webb
Jordan Collection
More Texas Stores
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| The
Puett and Son Store and the Post Office - Webb Jordan Collection |
| Enlergement
of previous photo - Webb Jordan Collection |
The
Boston Hotel. "It was just a few blocks from the train station."
- Webb Jordan
More Rooms
with a Past |
Railroad building and post war Quonset hut in Carbon
1950s photo courtesy texasoldphotos.com
More Texas Depots
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