The next stop on our journey north was Childress. Established in 1887, it was named for George Campbell Childress, the author of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Initially, there were two towns that were created about four miles apart. Once was Childress City and the other was a town called Henry. They both fought to be the county seat but Childress City won as it already had a couple of businesses.
Not only was the Fort Worth & Denver Railway going through Childress but the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific railway did as well making Childress a distribution hub for cattle and other things. This is Engine 501 from the Fort Worth & Denver Railway. I believe this is where the train depot was but it has since been demolished.
The greetings sign (where you, too, can be the "I" in Childress) is right off of US 287. You don't have to do much other than pull over.
The original courthouse built in 1891 was outgrown and was demolished to make way for a new courthouse in 1938.
On the same site is the second county courthouse built in 1938. You drive right by it when traveling through Childress on US 287.
This building sits on the corner of the Courthouse lawn with it's back to US 287. It used to be the Childress County Jail and Sheriff's residence. Now it's the Adult Probation Center. I'd love to get a look at the inside of that building.
You have to turn on to one of the side streets, Main Street, for example, to actually get into Childress proper. As you head that direction, you see this cool mural depicting Childress in 1902. Apparently, 1902 is when the town really got going. Brick structures, businesses, etc.
This is Childress City Hall. The building was erected in 1926 and is still in use today. The little blue box in front of the building is a payment drop box for utility payments. Wow. I thought everyone paid their bills on line. It's a cool building.
Another cool old building in Childress is the old US Post Office Building. The post office was established in Childress in 1887 but this building was erected in 1935. In 1987, the postal service moved to a newer more modern building and this became the Childress Historical Museum. We hurried to get here only to find that it was locked. No explanation. Foiled again!
This is the Palace Theater at the end of Main Street. It opened in 1926. Then a fire in 1936 burned it to the ground. The new theater was rebuilt and opened in 1937. It remained in operation until the 1980s. It also housed a newspaper and a barber shop. I guess the people in these small towns don't go to the movies. Today if they want to see a movie they have to drive two hours to Wichita Falls. Now this theater is the home of the Childress Theater Company and has live performances.
The Childress Hotel was located a block from the railway depot. Built in 1928, it was considered a first class hotel, the most luxurious in northern Texas. Catering to visitors, salesmen and ranchers, the hotel offered luxurious rooms, dining facilities and event rooms. It closed in the 1960s as rail travel decreased. Now the building has office space and apartments and retail on the first floor.
This is kind of cool. It's an old Sinclair gas station building was converted into a residence.
This is the Michie Building built in 1926 as an automobile service station and potentially sales. The Port Cochere allows for cars to pull through from either side. The building has garage bays that would be used for service and a large area that could have been a showroom. Now it looks like it houses a glass company.
At the corner of Commercial and Avenue C is this old Ford Sales and Service Building. You can see old Ford cars inside. Maybe someone is a collector? If so, they should probably fixed the boarded windows and give the glass company in the Michie building some business.
Downtown Childress was pretty quiet. I don't recall seeing anyone out and about. I was pretty disappointed that the museum was closed without explanation. I don't seem to be having much luck with these small town museums.
About 5.800 people live in Childress these days. We've stopped here many times to eat while traveling up and down US 287. They have all your standard fast food joints along with a Walmart and a United Supermarket for your grocery needs. The nicest hotel is a Hampton Inn (a far cry from the luxurious Hotel Childress). The biggest employers are the Childress ISD, Childress County and perhaps other commute to Wichita Falls.
It was an interesting little town but don't take my word for it. Check it out! You might have better luck with the museum.
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