Ochiltree County Historical Markers
Ochiltree County Historical Markers
Page 2
Ochiltree County
Ochiltree County Courthouse, Perryton
Ochiltree Townsite (Bordering this Highway)
Old Blasingame Home
Sheriff James Sidney Talley
Site of Trading Post, Perryton
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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.
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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.
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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)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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)
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Page last updated on April 9, 2000