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J.M. Borden House Built in
1908 of lumber hauled 75 miles. Boren was first county judge, a
rancher, bank director, civic leader. Hospitality of home was well
known to area pioneers and cowboys visiting town. Recorded Texas
Historic Landmark, 1967.
Close City School Built 1908
as a commissary school in colony of C. W. Post, cereal magnate.
Named for his son-in-law, E. B. Close. In 1910, moved to this site.
Became a common school district, 1916; independent district, 1918.
First story was built 1919; second, 1921. Recorded Texas Historic
Landmark, 1968.
Dry Land Farming This low
rainfall area, limited usually to grazing, was colonized in 1907 by
C. W. Post, creator of Post Foods and a philanthropist. By
introducing new agricultural techniques, he was able to make farming
profitable for colonists. Cotton, milo maize, Indian corn, and oats
were grown here. Post also experimented with several types of fruits
and vegetables. Men of small means could buy farms on easy terms
from Post. He provided good houses, fences, windmills, and
electricity. Also built Post Textile Mill to provide supplemental
work and income for the colonists. 1967
Duffy's Peak Height so
prominent it was Garza County's earliest bench mark, designated by
peg-legged surveyor Jasper Hays, who in 1877-1878 was marking bounds
of Llano Ranch, first property to be occupied by settlers in county.
Hays began at a corner established for the Houston and Great
Northern Railroad Company near the White River in Crosby County, and
shot west toward this peak. Tradition has it that a member of Hays'
crew died and was buried near this peak, which was afterward named
for him. Local heights named for natural wonders include "The Ice
Cream Cones," "Cow Head Mesa," "Indian Head Point," and "The
Chimneys," Other interesting uplands are "Two Bush Hill," "The
Devil's Breakfast Table," "Needlepoint Peak," and "Buffalo Point."
Two balanced rocks known to early settler have now disappeared
because of wind and weather erosion. Duffy's Peak, like most of the
scenic formations, is sandstone, clay and sand. It still figures in
local land transactions, as Hays' original notes (unearthed from
Mason jars he buried on the peak) formed basis for later surveys--
including those of A. L. Marhoff in 1906, establishing boundaries
for the farm colony of "Cereal King" C. W. Post. 1969
Faith Lutheran Church - Post
Height so prominent it was Garza County's earliest bench mark,
designated by peg-legged surveyor Jasper Hays, who in 1877-1878 was
marking bounds of Llano Ranch, first property to be occupied by
settlers in county. Hays began at a corner established for the
Houston and Great Northern Railroad Company near the White River in
Crosby County, and shot west toward this peak. Tradition has it that
a member of Hays' crew died and was buried near this peak, which was
afterward named for him. Local heights named for natural wonders
include "The Ice Cream Cones," "Cow Head Mesa," "Indian Head Point,"
and "The Chimneys," Other interesting uplands are "Two Bush Hill,"
"The Devil's Breakfast Table," "Needlepoint Peak," and "Buffalo
Point." Two balanced rocks known to early settler have now
disappeared because of wind and weather erosion. Duffy's Peak, like
most of the scenic formations, is sandstone, clay and sand. It still
figures in local land transactions, as Hays' original notes
(unearthed from Mason jars he buried on the peak) formed basis for
later surveys-- including those of A. L. Marhoff in 1906,
establishing boundaries for the farm colony of "Cereal King" C. W.
Post. 1969
Garza County Courthouse - Post
After Garza County's creation in 1876, it was not until 1907, at
the initiative of cereal producer C. W. Post, that the county was
formally organized. In 1922, when the population had grown to about
4500 and the cotton industry had spurred economic growth, citizens
approved the sale of bonds to finance a new courthouse. The
commissioners court selected prominent regional architect Guy
Carlander of Amarillo to design the courthouse, and awarded the
construction bid to the Fred T. Bone Company, also of Amarillo.
Built in 1923 of reinforced concrete with brick exterior and cast
stone details, the Garza County courthouse is a late, but fine,
example of Prairie School architecture. Recorded Texas Historic
Landmark - 2000
Garza Points - Post Chin,
triangular arrow points 2 to 4 centimeters long. Of fine
workmanship, with central basal notch and deeply serrated edges,
discovered and named here, site 41GR40, an archeological highway
salvage dug in 1959 by South Plains Archeological Society. With
these fine, thin arrow points, left near 6 hearths for cooking, were
found 238 stone and bone artifacts: awls, wolf teeth pendants,
tubular bone beads, chipped stone knives, scrapers, drills, choppers
and 3 types of arrow points. The Garza people, roving hunters, lived
here before 1500 A. D. 1965
Graham Chapel Methodist Church -
Graham Organized 1915. Pastor, the Rev. T. C. Willett,
rode bicycle from Tahoka to preach here. Church met for two years in
Graham School building, then in Gossett School building, which it
bought in 1930. Moved here, structure has been enlarged. 1969
Graham Church of Christ - Graham
In 1908, Settler J. I. Wilbourn, aided by church in Fluvanna,
arranged for earliest Church of Christ services in Graham. Organized
September 21, 1908, with Elders J. F. Maxey and Wilbourn, Graham
Church is now ministering to fourth generation of membership. 1969
Graham School - Graham
Second school in the county. Established in 1904 as Graham Chapel
School; named for local settler Newt Graham. A school was built on
land given by Joe McMahon. Early trustees: McMahon, J. F. Maxey, and
J. I. Wilburn. Second building was erected 1915. Upon consolidation
with Gossett School in 1930, a brick building was constructed here
and named Graham School. It had first gymnasium in the county. It
consolidated 1957 with Post School. The building was used as a
community center 1959-1963, and was then razed; the present building
was erected in 1964. 1969
Llano Estacado - Post
Stretching across the horizon as a range of flat topped mountains is
the Cap Rock Escarpment, eastern boundary of the vast Llano Estacado
or "Staked Plains." The Llano, one of the world's most perfect
plains regions, is an elongated oval extending from north to south.
Some three quarters of it, 20 million acres, are in Texas. The
remainder is in eastern New Mexico. Its naturally treeless surface,
unbroken except for several canyons, slopes gradually from an
altitude of 2,700 feet at its eastern edge to more than 4,000 feet
along the New Mexico border. The Cap Rock Escarpment is the result
of surface erosion that began in the early pleistocene period some
750,000 years ago. Composed of tough caliche, the Cap Rock has
protected the softer materials underlying it, thus resisting the
erosive factors with varying success. The escarpment begins in
Borden County 25 miles south of this point and extends northward in
a sweeping arc 170 miles into the Texas Panhandle. It rises from 300
feet to 1,000 feet above the lower plains at its base, giving the
impression of having been thrust upward out of the surrounding land.
First white man to visit the Great Plains was the Spanish
Conquistador Francisco de Coronado who crossed them in 1541 on his
search for the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola. He was especially
impressed by the sea of grass which covered the soil so completely
that the tracks of his expedition left no permanent mark. The
Spaniards, it is said, staked their route so they would be guided on
the return-trip-- hence the term "staked" plains.
The Llano Ranch - Post The
Llano Ranch containing 192 sections of land was established in 1880.
Known as the "Curry Comb" from their cattle brand, two bars over the
letter T. The first dwelling was a half dugout covered with buffalo
hides. The first frame house in the area, a two story, built in
1883, was the center of social activities. Here in 1884, a baby girl
was born to Jim and Della Browning McCommis. The infant's grave is
nearby. This was the first birth and first death recorded in Garza
County.
Mason Memorial Building - Post
Dedicated to the people of Garza County in memory of Marshall and
Gladys Mason, Garza County pioneers. Donated by the families of a
son and a daughter, Marshall Mason, Jr., and Mrs. James L. Minor,
for use as a museum. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1967.
Kate McCommis - Post A victim of
frontier privations. Died in Feb. 1884 on day of birth -- attended
only by her young cowboy father. Recorded -1968.
Old Algerita Hotel - Post
Post, the county seat of Garza County, is located in the northwest
section of Texas some three miles east of the Cap Rock, the
rock-like section of Texas some three miles east of the Cap Rock,
the rock-like layer which underlies the High Plains region, the
Llano Estacado. Named for C. W. Post, the town's founder and
benefactor, the town was designed by Post to be the center of a
community of farmers who owned their own land and homes. A large
number of homes for settlers were quickly built in the town and on
farms laid out around it. Scottie Samson and Jimmy Napier, Scottish
stonemasons who had answered Post's advertisement for town builders
in 1907, constructed most of the cut stone buildings with stone
quarried at the edge of the Cap Rock. Construction of the Algerita
Hotel was begun shortly after the town was founded in 1907 and the
building was already underway when Samson and Napier were hired to
do the stonework.
The Algerita Hotel is a
two-story masonry building 40 by 160 feet. White sandstone quarried
from the edge of the Cap Rock was used in the simple vernacular
stone construction. The principle (north) facade has a three bay
arrangement. The first floor contains a central door flanked by
large display windows with transoms on each side. The most
decorative feature of the building is the arched main entrance
framed by carved stone pilasters, narrow entablature, smooth round
stone arch and a small fanlight. Above this level are three sets of
coupled windows. Crowning the roofline is a narrow cornice line
broken by a central pediment with a parapet on each side.
The east facade facing the
street contains five large display windows and adjacent doorways on
the first floor, while twelve wide segmental arched windows open up
the second floor. A series of seven battlements project along the
roofline visually organizing the long facade into seven bays.
Originally a one-story gallery extended across the north and east
facades, evident from the series of exposed notches which once
supported gallery joists.
The building is devoid of
fine architectural detail, for the foreman Mr. Bob Pugh constructed
the major portion of the sandstone building. When the stonemasons
Samson and Napier arrived they located some fine building stone at
the quarry and had quarried huge stone slabs of uniform thickness
from which the building stones were cut. They used the fine stone on
the front of the hotel and for the trim. The lumber used in the
structure was hauled by mule train from Big Spring 80 miles to the
south as were the furnishings after the building was completed
Mr. Post was specific in
his requirements concerning the construction, furnishing, and
operation of the hotel as he considered it a practical advertisement
of the new town. Prospective land purchasers arrived daily as did
those seeking business location, visitors, and others. Although the
hotel was elegantly furnished by the standards of the area, Post
urged the hotel manager to run the hotel and restaurant in a simple
and unpretentious manner. Concerning he food served at the hotel Mr.
Post wrote, "When you have roast beef with juice, say so, and don't
say `aux jus'... Let the hotel be run as a practical, good,
old-fashioned, common-sense place, and don't try to make the
cowpunchers out in that country think we are a lot of frog-eating
French."
The hotel contained thirty
rooms with baths, a dining room and barber-shop. The second floor
continued in its original use as hotel rooms and later for
apartments. However, the first floor was converted into office
spaces and a large portion of the front was rented to the First
State Bank in 1917. In 1932 the bank merged with the First National
Bank of Post and moved from the building. The Corner Grocery moved
into the large portion at the front of the building and remained in
operation there until 1958. The back part of the first floor was
used for offices of various kinds including the electric power
company and doctors' offices. Dr. D. C. Williams and Dr. A. C.
Surman, who began their careers in the Post Sanitarium, occupied the
building for 40 years. The building has been vacant for several
years and due to a roof leak, continued to deteriorate. The city of
Post is responsible for the building and the Garza County Historical
Survey Committee is trying to raise funds to restore the building to
its original use as a hotel.
The old Algerita Hotel is
historically significant to the city of Post as one of the first
buildings constructed in the town and is perhaps the earliest
tangible reminder of the city's heritage. Built in the first year of
settlement in 1907, the Algerita Hotel became the center for most
social and business activities of the area. Not only does the hotel
represent an important historical link with the settlement of Post,
it reflects the visions and ambitions of the town's creator and
promoter, C. W. Post.
Born in Springfield,
Illinois, in 1854, Charles William Post became a successful
businessman and inventor before he was thirty years old. However, in
1885, Post suffered from a severe stomach disorder and nervous
breakdown. He resigned his position as head of the Illinois
Agricultural workers in August of 1886 and when his health improved
he made his first trip to Texas. Seeking opportunities in the
western frontier and a suitable climate for his health, Post
traveled to Fort Worth in September, 1886, and became associated
with a real estate firm. From his many hunting trips in the Texas
Panhandle, Post began envisioning the development of western real
estate. After two more nervous breakdowns, Post moved his family in
1891 to Battle Creek, Michigan, where he could receive better
medical attention. While a patient in a Battle Creek sanitarium in
1891, he was served the various health foods which had been
developed there and began to study foods and their relationship to
health. During this period he developed his own theory of dietetics.
Impatient to be cured, he left the sanitarium to cure himself.
While he had traveled in
Texas, Post met several farmers' wives who had been mixing chicory
with roasted wheat and other ground grains combined into a
makesshift coffee. He experimented with it trying to find a coffee
substitute which had much of the same taste but no ill effects upon
the body. Opening his own Battle Creek sanitarium in 1892, La Vita
Inn, he continued to experiment with the warm cereal drink and
eventually perfected it in 1894 and called his product Postum.
Through his own successful promotion, the mixture of wheat, bran and
molasses, brought him his fortune. As Postum had a seasonal demand,
Post quickly developed a second cereal, Grace Nuts, in 1897 and put
it on the market the following year. Numerous other trade marked
cereals were to follow, such as Post Toasties and Post Bran.
Post was a
multi-millionaire by 1906 when he returned to Texas and purchased a
quarter-million acre tract which stretched along the Cap Rock
Escarpment. T. P. Stevens, a veteran rancher, assisted him in
purchasing the West Texas ranchland and W. E. Alexander became the
manager for his colony in January of 1907. Situated near the center
of his vast lands, Post kept a close watch over this settlement for
the next six years. Surrounding properties were broken up and fenced
into 160 acre tracts on which he built a five or six room house on
each one. These improved properties were sold at a low interest rate
on a long term note to the farmer who settled there. He also founded
the hotel, the cotton mill, the bank, a telephone company, and the
sanitarium. He brought the Santa Fe railroad to Post, tried to
establish Texas Tech in the community, became the father of West
Texas irrigation, and continued to drill unsuccessfully for oil. One
of his most spectacular experiments was his persistent attempts to
force rain with dynamite during the West Texas droughts.
The Algerita Hotel is an
integral part of the early heritage of the planned community of Post
City. Construction of this massive building began in the first year
of the development of this city. It was designed by an architect
employed by C. W. Post at the company office in Battle Creek. The
Algerita Hotel symbolizes the dream of C. W. Post for his model city
becoming an urban center. During the most populated years of Post
City, it served as the social and cultural center of the region.
Opened to the public on July 17, 1908, it was named the "Algerita"
for the algerita bush, a native shrub of the area.
The Algerita Hotel was
constructed with hand cut stone from a local quarry at the edge of
the Cap Rock Escarpment on the edge of the High Plains. The white
sandstone was quarried and shaped by George "Scottie" Samson and his
assistant Jimmy Napier. Samson and Napier immigrated to New York
from Scotland in 1905. Although Napier is deceased, Samson continues
to reside in Post.
Since the hotel was
elegantly furnished by the standards of the era and area, guests
often complained of the rates. Reflecting the wry sense of humor and
the practical mind of C. W. Post, he had a sign printed behind the
cashier's desk which read: "The rate of this hotel is $2.50 a day.
There are plenty of good boarding houses in town and plenty of room
in the mesquite. Four-flushers, kickers, and other suspicious
characters find board with the sheriff. When in doubt, hit the
mesquite."
Waiters in the hotel
restaurant were to tell guests that Postum was available instead of
coffee; and Grape Nuts was kept in a covered dish on the dining
table.
The building continued to
be used exclusively as a hotel until this operation became
financially unprofitable. In 1917, the first floor was converted
into office spaces and a large portion of the front lower floor
space was rented to the First State Bank. The second floor retained
its original function for an additional number of years, but
increasingly evolved into rental rooms and apartments. In 1933, the
banking activities moved from the lower floor and was replaced by a
grocery store. In 1958, both the upper and lower floors were
vacated. It is currently unoccupied.
BIBLIOGRAPHY ON FILE IN THE
NATIONAL REGISTER
Old Sanitarium - Post Post,
the county seat of Garza County, is located in the northwest section
of Texas some three miles east of the Cap Rock, the rock-like layer
which underlies the High Plains region, the Llano Estacado. Named
for C. W. Post, the town's founder and benefactor, the town was
designed by Post in May, 1907, to be the center of a community of
farmers who owned their own land and homes. A large number of homes
for settlers were quickly built in the town and on farms laid out
around it. Scottie Samson and Jimmy Napier, Scottish stonemasons who
had answered Post's advertisement for town builders in 1907,
constructed most of the cut stone buildings with stone quarried at
the edge of the Cap Rock. Interested in providing medical services
for the Post City settlers, C. W. Post contracted Samson and Napier
to build a hospital in 1913.
The Post Sanitarium is a
two-story stone veneer, rectangular structure with basement. A large
pedimented gable supported by two story fluted concrete columns
dominates the main (east) facade. The gallery formed on the second
floor is somewhat smaller in proportion to the first floor gallery
and contains a balustrade of wooden cross hatching. The columns
support a small entablature which forms the base of the gabled
pediment. The wide overhanging eaves and the exposed framing of the
gable are reflective of the stick or bungalow styles. The segmental
arched, central entrance contains a large double door with transom
and is flanked by two segmental arched windows on each side. On the
second level the central entrance is a single door with transom
flanked by two windows on each side identical to the openings on the
lower floor.
On the north and south
facades a series of segmental arched openings are located along the
first floor, while the windows on the second floor are cut across
the top by the overhanging eaves of the roofline. The size of the
windows on both floors vary in size and do not necessarily
correspond vertically as did the openings on the main elevation.
From the low pitch of the gabled roof, three wide shed dormers
project.
The plan of the building
has two wide central halls on each floor with rooms on either side.
A stairway wide enough to accommodate a stretcher was located about
midway down the hall. The sanitarium had a reputation as one of the
finest and best-equipped hospitals in the area. A large coal burning
furnace in the basement furnished steam heat to each room through
steam heated radiators. Each private room and the two wards
contained a private bath.
The operating room had a
tile floor and sky light and a large sterilize and scrub room
adjoined. The addition, the hospital maintained a laboratory and
specimen room as well as an x-ray room and developing room. For
electric power in this remote West Texas hospital, a private
electric light plant was operated and powered by a gasoline engine
in connection with the sanitarium, until electricity was made
available through the local cotton mill. For further convenience,
patients, trays and supplies were elevated from the lower floor to
the upper floor by a hand-propelled dumb waiter.
The Post Sanitarium was one
of the earliest hospitals in the Panhandle and South Plains region
and was exceptionally well-equipped for a small Texas settlement
only five years old. The sanitarium also represents a tangible link
with the city's founder, C. W. Post, and his conception of the model
city. Post became interested in health and dietetics while a patient
in a sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan, in the 1890's, and his
concern for health influenced the establishment of the Post
Sanitarium in 1912.
Born in Springfield,
Illinois, in 1854, Charles William Post became a successful
businessman and inventor before he was thirty years old. However, in
1885, Post suffered from a severe stomach disorder and nervous
breakdown. He resigned his position as head of the Illinois
Agricultural workers in August of 1886 and when his health improved,
he made his first trip to Texas. Seeking opportunities in the
western frontier and a suitable climate for his health, Post
traveled to Fort Worth in September, 1886, and became associated
with a real estate firm. From his many hunting trips in the Texas
Panhandle, Post began envisioning the development of western real
estate. After two more nervous breakdowns, Post moved his family in
1891 to Battle Creek, Michigan, where he could receive better
medical attention. While a patient in a Battle Creek sanitarium in
1891 he was served the various health foods which had been developed
there and began to study foods and their relationship to health.
During this period he developed his own theory of dietetics.
Impatient to be cured, he left the sanitarium to cure himself.
While he had traveled in
Texas, Post met several farmers' wives who had been mixing chicory
with roasted wheat and other ground grains combined into a makeshift
coffee. He experimented with it trying to find a coffee substitute
which had much of the same taste but no ill effects upon the body.
Opening his own Battle Creek sanitarium in 1892, La Vita Inn, he
continued to experiment with the warm cereal drink and eventually
perfected it in 1894 and called his product Postum. Through his own
successful promotion, the mixture of wheat, bran and molasses,
brought him his fortune. As Postum had a seasonal demand, Post
quickly developed a second cereal, Grape Nuts, in 1897 and put it on
the market the following year. Numerous other trade marked cereals
were to follow, such as Post Toasties and Post Bran.
Post was a
multi-millionaire by 1906 when he returned to Texas and purchased a
quarter-million acre tract which stretched along the Cap Rock
Escarpment. T. P. Stevens, a veteran rancher, assisted him in
purchasing the West Texas ranchland and W. E. Alexander became the
manager for his colony in January of 1907. Situated near the center
of his vast lands, Post kept a close watch over his settlement for
the next six years.
Surrounding properties were
broken up and fenced into 160 acre tracts on which he build five or
six room house on each one. These improved properties were sold at a
low interest rate on a long term note to the farmer who settled
there. He also founded the hotel, the cotton mill, the bank, a
telephone company, and the sanitarium. He brought the Santa Fe
railroad to Post, tried to establish Texas Tech in the community,
became the father of West Texas irrigation, and continued to drill
unsuccessfully for oil. One of his most spectacular experiments was
his persistent attempts to force rain with dynamite during the West
Texas droughts.
Post's interest in health
led to the founding of the Post Sanitarium in 1912, but the hospital
also represents the man's personal conflict in the field of
medicine. When medical treatment did not result in immediate
recovery from his physical and mental breakdown in 1890, he joined
the Church of Christian Scientist. He remained a member of this
religious faith for the duration of his life. Consequently, it is
ironic that he was responsible for the first hospital built in Garza
County. This irony of his personality was also evident in the
circumstances connected with his death in 1914. In need of an
emergency appendectomy, he agreed to the operation which proved to
be medically successful. However, due to his despondency caused by
his acceptance of medical treatment which violated his religious
principles, he committed suicide at his home in Santa Barbara,
California.
The Post Sanitarium was
built with hand cut stone from a local quarry at the edge of the Cap
Rock Escarpment on the edge of the High Plains. The white sandstone
was quarried and shaped by George "Scottie" Samson and his assistant
Jimmy Napier. Samson and Napier immigrated to New York from Scotland
in 1905. Although Napier is deceased, Samson continues to reside in
Post.
Dr. Arvel Ponton opened the
Post Sanitarium in 1913. The hospital had the very best of- medical
facilities. Among numerous other modern facilities, it contained an
x-ray laboratory, operating and sterilizing rooms, elaborate diet
kitchen, and a nurse's training program. The sanitarium originally
operated a private electric plant, which was powered by a gasoline
engine. Each patient had a private bath. Steam heat was provided
from a large coal burning furnace in the basement to steamheated
radiators in each room.
The building served as a
hospital through the period of World War I, but ceased operations in
1920. The Post Estate sold the building in 1928 and from 1928 to
1953 the structure was used as an apartment house. Vacated for 13
years, the building was finally bought in 1966 by Garza County and
has since been used as a museum.
BIBLIOGRAPHY ON FILE IN THE
NATIONAL REGISTER
OS Ranch - Post
Founded on
open range, 1878, brand was owned in 1881 by R. H. Overall. Acquired
1901 by W. E. Connell, who had about 200 sections of land. Ranch
house a community center - for barbecues, roundups, parties. In 1907
it was site of election organizing Garza County. Recorded Texas
Historic Landmark, 1966.
Pioneer's Well - Post
County's first hand-dug rock-walled well. Dug 1883 by Llano Ranch
workmen. Well is 5 feet square, 40 feet deep and lined with
sandstones placed without the use of mortar. Original wood curb was
destroyed by fire, 1937. Present curb is replica. Well was used 45
years. 1968
Old Post High School - Post
Built 1928, incorporating in lower walls native Garza County stones
from the town's first (1909) school, erected soon after the founding
of city of Post. This historic preservation occurred under
leadership of Supt. John E. Watson, outstanding educator, veteran of
World War I service in the heroic Rainbow Division. The
Parent-Teachers' Association backed Watson's stand, and bond issue
passed in spite of adverse circumstances. When later growth called
for a larger educational complex, to meet community needs, this
became Post Junior High School. 1968
Post Picnic of 1906 After
this area was freed of Indians, Garza County was created and named
in 1876 for a patriotic family of early Texas. With its ranching
population rising from 36 in 1880 to only 180 by 1900, Garza
remained attached for judicial purposes to Borden County. In 1906
Charles William Post (1854-1914), "the cereal king" from Battle
Creek, Mich., sought Texas land for development. In the month of
March, he and his wife and daughter visited here at the OS Ranch,
where a barbecue picnic was given in their honor. In the gathering,
Post made a speech suggesting the county be organized for
self-government, as he proposed to establish a model farm colony and
a modern town. Cowboys from a wide area were at the OS that day
working in spring roundup. Immediately they called an informal
election in the bunkhouse. A boy who had won all the money gaming
the previous evening now gave a dollar to each voter, to be placed
in a fund to defray expenses of a future, legal election. It is said
that even the horses voted in favor of the Post proposal. After a
petition was filed on May 13, 1907, the election was held and the
county organized on June 15, 1907. By that time Post city was being
built as county seat. County and city still prosper. 1972
C.W. Post Home - Post Home
built 1912 by C. W. Post, Cereal Foods millionaire, founder of town
of Post, who promoted Texas settlement and agriculture by selling
land on liberal terms, founding industries. With theme, "I Want
Quality", Post installed solid oak doors, woodwork, redwood' floors,
leather wallpaper. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1964.
Mrs. Meriweather Post - Post
Daughter of C. W. Post. Lived in Texas 1888-1891. Had part with
father in locating colony here 1906; rescued local economy by aid
after 1917 drought. Co-donor, site for Post Recreation Center.
Donor, South Plains Council Boy Scouts Camp; books and paintings to
South Plains College. A leading philanthropist in arts and
humanities. Benefactress, C. W. Post College, Long Island
University; founder "Music for Young America." Recipient of 30
citations for service, 3 honorary degrees, 6 foreign decorations. A
woman endowed with true virtues of generosity and compassion. 1968
Post-Hundley House Charles
W. Post (1854-1914), famed cereal manufacturer who founded this
community as a model town, occupied this residence during his
frequent visits here. Employees of the Double U Company constructed
the cottage in 1907 using native stone hand-quarried in the nearby
caprock. The design was drawn by a member of Post's staff in Battle
Creek, Michigan. After 1917, the J. L. Stewart and Jim Hundley
families occupied and preserved the structure. Recorded Texas
Historic Landmark, 1976
Postex Cotton Mill - Post
Established 1912 by C. W. Post, creator of Post Cereals and a
philanthropist. Mill was a part of Post's dream of diversified
income for Garza County farmers and prosperity for town of Post.
Mill--one of world's first to process cotton from raw state to
finished product--had cotton gin and bleachery plus spinning,
weaving and sewing rooms. At first it had 10,000 spindles and 480
broadlooms, employing about 250 workers. "Garza" brand textiles were
marketed many years. Since expansion program in 1956, mill works on
consignment to companies around the world. 1967
Rain Battles - CW Post - Post
Site of 1911-1914 dynamiting to produce rain, carried on by C. W.
Post, Texas farm colonizer and cereal foods millionaire. After
reading that rain often accompanies cannonading in war, Post planned
"battles" to relieve droughts. He thought vertical air currents
would condense vapor in atmosphere and cause rain. He first used
dynamite airborne by kites, but soon replaced this dangerous method
by setting off explosions on edge of Caprock. Post's experiments
were said to have been 40% effective, and cost $50,000. He battled
drought on farms until his death, 1914. 1967
Terrace Cemetery Gateway - Post
From "Double U", "Lazy S", Conneil and Currycomb Ranch canyons,
round rocks were collected and made into gate piers in 1908 when
cereal king C. W. Post founded Post City. George Samson designed and
with fellow Scotsman James Napier built the gateway. Samson was a
community leader 50 years. 1964
Twin Chimneys - Post 100
Yards North) Used as a landmark in the 19th century by surveyors
sighting from Duffy's Peak, located ten miles northeast. Jasper
Hays, earliest recorded surveyor of this area, used the peaks during
1877-78 for charting the Llano Ranch, later bought by C. W. Post,
the cereal king. Hays established, in addition, lines from which
section surveys were made. Civil engineer A. L. Marhoff, using the
original field notes and book of Hays, surveyed the land bought by
Post, 1906. This included the section on which the town of Post was
founded, 1907, as well as other property. 1970
Verbena Community Church - Post
100 Yards North) Used as a landmark in the 19th century by surveyors
sighting from Duffy's Peak, located ten miles northeast. Jasper
Hays, earliest recorded surveyor of this area, used the peaks during
1877-78 for charting the Llano Ranch, later bought by C. W. Post,
the cereal king. Hays established, in addition, lines from which
section surveys were made. Civil engineer A. L. Marhoff, using the
original field notes and book of Hays, surveyed the land bought by
Post, 1906. This included the section on which the town of Post was
founded, 1907, as well as other property. 1970 |
