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History in
a Pecan Shell
Like many of the small towns along highway 287, Harrold was born with the
arrival of the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway in 1884. Previously the community
had been known as Cottonwood. The town was renamed after local rancher
Ephraim Harrold. Harrold (the town) became the western terminus for the railroad
and prospered as a result. The town was granted a post office in 1885. Promotion
was vibrant and within a year the town had 1,500 new citizens - making it a boom
town and acquiring the reputation that came along with it. At one time the town
boasted (quietly) that it had 16 saloons. |
| | Harrold
Water Tower
Photo Courtesy Ken
Rudine 2006 | |
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But nothing lasts
and when the railroad extended to Vernon,
Harrold shrank back into a typical railroad shipping point town of several hundred
citizens. A second (minor) boom occured in 1924 when oil was discovered just outside
of town.
The population of Harrold actually increased during the Great
Depression - from 349 in 1929 to 375 by WWII.
The population remained there into the 1950s and started a decline as people left
for larger cities. It has since grown back - returning to 320 people for the 2000
census.
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