Special Places
Long-time Strawn residents fondly recall memories of the Texas and Pacific depot, such as riding the passenger trains to other cities, picking up freight deliveries, shipping cattle, and riding bikes on the depot ramp. Much of Strawn’s early history centers around the railroad. Stephen Bethel Strawn, for whom the city of Strawn was named, laid off his property for the new town in 1879-1880. According to historical accounts, Mr. Strawn gave every other block to the Texas & Pacific Railroad to encourage the company to bring their rails through the new settlement.
View and print a list (PDF) of Palo Pinto County, Texas Cemeteries.
View a website with photos and up-to-date Palo Pinto County cementery information.
Open Dates & Times
Open 1st weekend of March to 2nd weekend of December
Every Thursday thru Saturday
10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Location
5th & Elm
Palo Pinto, Texas
The Old Jail Museum Complex features many buildings, artifacts, and their fascinating history.
The Buildings Include
- The Old Jail
- The Yard
- The Dog Tro Moseley Cabin
- The Johnson Cabin
- The Roe-Maddox Cabin
- The Carriage House
- Barrows-Edgin Log Cabin
- Fort Black Springs
- Jean Price Welcome Center
Hours of Operation
Tuesday 10 am - 6 pm
Wed - Fri 10 am - 4 pm
Saturday 12 noon - 4 pm
Contact Information
254.693.5680
204 South Main
Gordon, Texas
www.GordonLibrary.org
The old rock building that houses the Gordon Community Library & Museum is possibly the oldest structure in Gordon. According to John Boyd Harlin, son of the man who once operated a store in the building, the building was built sometime between 1880 and 1900 from sand rock taken from a quarry on top of Swank Mountain (the mountain that is on the northern edge of Gordon just east of Highway 919). It was built by Silas Graves, a local man who operated a store there, probably groceries. In about 1922, John Bunyan Harlin opened a store in the building, handling mostly grocery staples: flour, sugar, coffee, lard, beans, canned goods and tobacco.
The Davidson Cemetery located east of Strawn on the old Johnson mine spur, is one of the largest and most picturesque family cemeteries in Texas.
Davidson started the cemetery in July 1864. It was on Davidson’s original farm and ranchland that a man by the name of James Reed was killed by the Indians. James Reed’s decendents placed a permanent marker on his grave in 1989.
Lover's Retreat is one of the most scenic spots in Palo Pinto County. Back when it was open to the public, it was utilized by everyone in our county as a meeting ground or picnic area for many of the annual events. Families met here for reunions, churches held tent revivals and held in Palo Pinto County and many families report that it was the gathering place for their family reunion every year especially back in the '50's.