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Ochiltree
County Historical Markers
Ochiltree County
Ochiltree County Courthouse, Perryton
Ochiltree Townsite (Bordering this Highway)
Old Blasingame Home
Sheriff James Sidney Talley
Site of Trading Post, Perryton
Ochiltree County
Marker Location: from Perryton take US 83 about 2 miles,
north
Year Marker Erected: 1936
Marker Text: Formed from Young & Bexar Territories:
Created, August 21, 1876 Organized, February 21, 1889.
Named in honor of William Beck Ochiltree, 1811-1867,
Associate Justice, Supreme Court of Texas, 1842,
Secretary of the Treasury, 1844, The Last Attorney
General of the Republic of Texas, member of the Texas
Legislature, 1855; Delegate to the Secession Convention
of 1861, Colonel in the Confederate Army. County Seat
Ochiltree, 1889 Perryton, since 1920.
Ochiltree County Courthouse,
Perryton
Current Use: Active Courthouse
Construction Date: 1928
Architect: Corlett and Welchons; Hutchinson, Kansas
Style: Art Deco
Substantial Modifications: In 1974 an addition designed
by Terrence Doane was completed by contractor Tom Badrow.
Ochiltree Townsite (Bordering this
Highway)
Marker Location: from Perryton take SH 70 about 8 miles,
south
Year Marker Erected: 1976
Marker Text: This county was created in 1876 and named
for noted Texas jurist William Beck Ochiltree
(1811-1867). In 1876 it was attached for judicial
purposes to Clay and later to Wheeler County. In 1886
pioneers began to settle in dugouts here on the prairies
near Wolf Creek, saying they lived "in
Ochiltree."
For convenience in making land and tax transactions, and
establishing law and order, they organized the county in
1889, making their village the county seat. First elected
officials were William J. Todd, county judge; Dave C.
Kettell, sheriff and tax collector; George M. Perry,
county clerk; Myrtle L. Daily, treasurer.
In 1891 a 2-story courthouse was built (100 yards
southeast) of lumber freighted from Dodge City, Kansas.
This also served as church, schoolhouse, and social hall
for the town. By 1903, Ochiltree had 600 people,
churches, a high school, a newspaper, bank, flour mill,
and other facilities.
In 1919, the Santa Fe Railway founded a new town between
Ochiltree and Gray, Oklahoma, and induced people from
both places to relocate by offering free lots. In 1919
steam engines and heavy equipment hauled the improvements
from Ochiltree to the new site (8 miles north), called
Perrytown, in honor of veteran County Official George M.
Perry. (1976)
Old Blasingame Home
Marker Location: 1001 S. Cedar, Perryton
Year Marker Erected: 1967
Marker Text: Built about 1912 in Ochiltree. Designed by
Mrs. John Blasingame; 19th Century English, German
influence. Constructed by Sam Whittaker; lumber and red
brick hauled from glazier. Luxurious home had attic, full
basement. Heavy embossed picture moulding. Contained much
intricate glass work -two leaded stained glass windows,
of Bavarian design, on sides of living room mantels. Was
moved to Perryton, 1961, by the Willard McLarty family.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1967.
Plainview Hardware Company
Building, Perryton
Address: 210 S. Main St.
Architect: Berry,Joseph Champ
Architectural Style: ART DECO
Historic Function: COMMERCE/TRADE
Narrative: The 1930 Plainview Hardware Company Building
is a 2- story, masonry Art Deco commercial building with
a rectangular plan and a flat metal-covered roof.
Constructed of reinforced concrete frame and floors, the
building has a steel trussed roof. A veneer of dressed
limestone on the front and common-bond brick on the sides
and rear finish the exterior of 25 by 140 feet enclosing
more than 10,000 square feet of floor space. The building
fronts east onto South Main Street in the central
business district of Perryton, Texas.
Sheriff James Sidney Talley
Marker Location: Ochiltree Cemetery, in southwest section
of old cemetery, Block 133, Lot 4 -Section A
Year Marker Erected: 1967
Marker Text: Born near Washington-on-the-Brazos; moved
1901 to Ochiltree County. As sheriff, 1908-1944, he used
free-wheeling methods and never carried a gun. It was
said that generosities kept him poor. At retirement he
held record for longer continuous service than any other
Texas sheriff. An expert judge of livestock, also ranched
throughout career. Did considerable welfare work in
retirement years. A Mason, he married Mamie Richardson.
Recorded, 1967.
Site of Trading Post, Perryton
Marker Location: from Perryton, take US 83, about 10
miles south; turn east onto Fryer Lake Road and continue
1.6 miles to marker
Year Marker Erected: 1936
Marker Text: Established by C.E. Jones in 1874 on the
Jones & Plummer Trail which extended from Dodge City,
Kansas, to Mobeetie. Here food and cloth were traded to
Indians for hides and later ranchmen purchased general
supplies hauled from Dodge City. (1936)
Texas Historical Commission
http://www.thc.state.tx.us/index.html
Texas Historic Sites Atlas - Search Frames Page
http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/Atlas/atlas_search_frame.html
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was last updated March 17, 2003.
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