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A TXGenWeb Project Page
About Lipscomb County
(Lipscomb County Courthouse)
Lipscomb, the county seat of Lipscomb County, is
on State Highway 305 in the central part of the county.
Originally its site in Wolf Creek Valley was deemed a
cattleman's paradise. In 1886 J. W. Arthur, anticipating
the arrival of the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway,
established a combination store and post office at the
site. Arthur named his townsite Lipscomb, after pioneer
judge Abner Smith Lipscomb. Frank Biggers, the county's
leading developer, organized the town company, which
sold land for three dollars an acre.
The next year, Lipscomb was elected county seat
after a heated contest with the rival townsites of
Dominion and Timms City. John Howlett operated a general
store; John N. Theisen took over the Gilbert Hotel after
its move from Dominion; H. G. Thayer managed a saddle
and harness shop. A school district was established for
the community. Liquor flowed freely at the Alamo Saloon
until 1908, when the county voted to go dry.
As it turned out, the railroad routed its tracks
south of the townsite. Subsequent attempts to get a
railroad line to Lipscomb were unsuccessful, as was the
attempt of local businessmen to develop a coal mine in
1888, after a five-inch vein was discovered in the area.
The present courthouse was built in 1916. The
community's position as the county seat, coupled with
the success of W. E. Merydith's real estate ventures,
has enabled the town to survive.
By 1910 several churches, a bank, a drugstore,
and various other businesses had been established there.
Lipscomb has had two newspapers, the Panhandle
Interstate and the Lipscomb County Limelight. Only two
businesses and the post office remained at the community
by 1980.
Nevertheless, the importance of the town as a
farming and ranching center, along with oil and gas
explorations in the vicinity, kept Lipscomb's economy
alive. For most of the twentieth century, its population
level has remained fairly stable: population was
reported as 200 in 1910, 175 in 1930, 200 in 1940, and
190 in 1980. By 1990 it was estimated as forty-five.
Though in the early 1990s Lipscomb remained the smallest
town in the county, was off the main highways, and
lacked rail facilities, it was still the permanent
county seat.
(Source: The Handbook of Texas Online)
A Poem About Lipscomb County
Written by the Lipscomb Fourth & Sixth
Grade - 1968
An Essay About Lipscomb County
Written by the Lipscomb Sixth Grade
Hello! As
the County Coordinator for Lipscomb
County, I welcome you to share your own
research information and help others with
their searches by contacting me at [email protected].
If you would like to
contribute your information
to this page, please
let me know.
If you are interested
in hosting another county
in Texas for the TXGenWeb Project,
please visit the Orphan
Counties page.
If you have questions
regarding the TXGenWeb Project,
please contact:
TXGenWeb State Coordinator - Gina
Heffernan
Asst State Coordinators - Jane
Keppler, Carla
Clifton, Laura
Gregory Roberts
For more information, you
may also visit
the Texas
Counties page.
If you like what
you've seen here, please cast your vote.
County
of the Month
-Eireann Brooks
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Search
The Lipscomb County Site
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World
War
I
and
World
War
II
Texas Panhandle Casualties
and Missing in Action
World War
I
World War
II
Source:
Amarillo Globe-News
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NARA -- Access to Military
Service and Pension Records
The National Archives
and Records Administration (NARA) is the
official repository for records of military
personnel who have been discharged from the
U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and
Coast Guard.
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Lipscomb County Family
Genealogies
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Descendants
of
James R. WILSON
submitted by Cathy
Powers
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If you would like to
submit your Lipscomb County Family Genealogy
for inclusion on this page, please send it
as an e-mail attachment
to me at WebEire@aol.com.
Plain
text-only (.txt) formatting is preferred.
Your
information can also be submitted in one
or two e-mails.
Your genealogy does
not have to be exclusive to Lipscomb County,
but your family should have been residents
of the county
for a period of time.
Photos can be added to
your family page.
Submit them in .jpg, .gif, or .bmp format
only.
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Wolf Creek Heritage
Museum
Museum
Photos
courtesy of Virginia Scott
The museum collection includes the following
exhibit areas:
1. The Ranch Room display features exhibits
of J.W. Beeson and the Great American Cattle
Drive of 1995, exhibits from the King Ranch,
Barton Bros. Ranch, Box T Ranch, 7K Ranch,
Frass Ranch, Jones and Jones Ranch, and many
others. There is a display of various
saddles, and a barbed wire collection.
2. The prehistoric area features prehistoric
bones of mammoths and other animals. Dee
Phelps, a local retiree, has a display of
Indian Artifacts found within 7 miles of
Higgins. Another exhibit includes two
buffalo skulls that washed up in Wolf Creek.
This display includes other Indian artifacts
found in this area featuring the collections
of Deam Turner and Lance Bussard.
3. The Farm area features farm implements
used by early settlers such as the early day
plow, a scythe, a corn sheller, a grinder to
sharpen knives, are shown. Photos accompany
the exhibit showing the implements in use.
4. The Medical area exhibits the early day
Lipscomb County doctors featuring the drug
store cabinet from Dr. Smith. A photograph
and story of housewife Lucy Owens, who with
very little training, practiced dentistry at
her home in Lipscomb during the week. Every
Saturday she would travel to Darrouzett and
administer to people who came to the
Darrouzett barber shop for her dental
services.
5. The Military display exhibits Uniforms
from every war and conflict that the United
States has been involved and includes an Air
Force, Army, Navy, and Marine .A Memorial
wall featuring Medal of Lipscomb County
Veterans serve as centerpiece for the
exhibit.
6. The school room displays the teacher's
desk and pupil's desk for the Lipscomb
School and features photo and equipment and
instruments of early day sports and music
activities.
7. The communication area features the type
set used for the last issue of the Lipscomb
County Limelight and Follett Times, dated
9-1-77. The exhibit also features the
Lipscomb Telephone Exchange Switchboard and
the mailboxes from the early Lipscomb Post
Office.
8. The Pioneer Homes features articles from
early clothes, furniture, kitchenware,
radio. All items belonged to early Lipscomb
County families.
9. The German Heritage area features photos
of early German Weddings, german cookbooks,
and German Religious items.
10. The Church Exhibit features Articles and
/or photos of past and present churches
throughout Lipscomb County.
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If
you
are interested in sponsoring a Texas
County in the TXGenWeb Project, please
visit the Orphan
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If you like what
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County of the
Month
Thank
you!
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This page is
maintained by
Eireann Brooks,
Lipscomb County Coordinator, TXGenWeb
&
LaRae Halsey-Brooks,
Lipscomb County Co-Coordinator
This
page
was last updated February 19, 2023.
Bluebonnets - Texas State Flower
� 1997-2023 by the Lipscomb County
Coordinator
for the TXGenWeb Project
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