DAD'S CORNER, TEXAS

History in an Oil Can

The community has no 19th Century history, having blown in on the oil boom of the early 20s. Oilman C. M. "Dad" Joiner is the former community’s namesake. The population never came close to breaking 100 and with the county seat so close, it never had the need to apply for a post office. As early as the 1930s it had only a single business to serve the 50 residents and that business was defunct by the 1950s.

Still, at least twenty die-hard residents occupied the site in the 1960s, but thereafter, there were too few to count. The historical marker (shown) was erected in 1986 and the name appears on Archer County maps as well as Dad’s Corner Road.

Photographer's Note:
"My mother was born in 1930 in the little town of Dad's Corner 12 miles Northwest of Archer City in Archer County, Texas. It was located on FM 368 and Dads Corner Rd. Nothing is left but a Historical marker where the town use to be." - Terry Speegle, July 13, 2012

Historical Marker Text

Dad's Corner

The result of a 1923 oil boom, development of a town at this site included some twenty-two businesses, including a food stand operated by a man with the nickname "Dad", which provided a name for the settlement. Located at this crossroads were a hotel, cafe, school, stores, ice house and more. Early residents remembered tales of lawlessness and Texas Ranger patrols. The county's largest oil field was one-half mile southeast, and many area residents changed from cowboys to oil field workers. After the boom, Dad's Corner became a ghost town.
1986