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LAKEVIEW,
TEXASHall
County, Texas Panhandle
Highway 256
About 9 Miles SW of Memphis
About
26 Miles SE of Clarendon
(Via hwy 70)
Population 202 (2000) |
The
most imposing building in Lakeview
Photo courtesy Wes Reeves, October 2006 |
History in a Pecan
Shell
Of the eight or so Lakeviews in Texas, most of them are in the
Panhandle. The one in Hall County actually occupied two sites.
Lakeview
# 1 sprang up near the geographic center of Hall County in early 1890. Its prime
location and the fact that it had essential businesses gave the townfolk hope
that it would become the county seat. But Lakeview lost the vote and the disheartened
citizens sold their houses and moved on. Even the post office was moved - not
once but several times. It eventually found a home in 1902 on land belonging to
storekeeper David H. Davenport. Three years later Davenport purchased land just
north of his farm that had desirable water - perfect for town building. Moving
his store and post office in June 11, 1908, Davenport platted Lakeview #2.
The
town's first school opened in 1908 followed by a bank two years later. The Altus,
Roswell and El Paso Railroad built a roadbed through town, but financing fell
through and the rails were never laid. But despite this serious setback, Lakeview
grew. The town suffered back-to-back fires in 1918 and 1919.
Lakeview
was on a roll in the late 1920s and with a population over 1,000, the town's horizons
seemed limitless. But a third fire hit downtown Lakeview just as the Great Depression
was getting started. The Lakeview bank was forced to merge with the First National
Bank of Memphis
in the early 1950s - when the population had already shrunk to 244. It declined
further, reaching just over 200 in 1990 and remaining at 202 for the 2000 TxDoT
map of Hall County. |
 |
Closeup
of sink in abandoned barbershop in Lakeview
Photos courtesy Wes Reeves, October
2006 |
Photographer's
note: "The elements have claimed nearly all of
this barber shop, but like the wreck of the Titanic, porcelain and stainless steel
fixtures look almost new. My grandfather Don Wright was a gin manager in Lakeview
in the 1930s and no doubt spent time in this barber shop." - Wes
Reeves
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