Thurber, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Thurber Historic District
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Thurber Historic District
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| Nearest city | Mingus, Texas |
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| Area | 1,006 acres (407 ha) |
| Built | 1886 |
| Built by | Texas Pacific Coal Mining Company |
| NRHP reference No. | 79002936 |
| Added to NRHP | August 17, 1979 |
Thurber is a small, unincorporated community in Erath County, Texas, located about 75 miles west of Fort Worth, Texas. An "unincorporated community" means it's a place with a shared identity but no official local government.
Between 1888 and 1921, Thurber was a very important place. It was one of the biggest producers of bituminous coal (a type of coal) in Texas. It was also the largest "company town" in the state, with over 10,000 people living there at its peak. A company town is a place where one company owns most of the homes, stores, and services. Today, Thurber is much smaller, with only 48 people counted in the 2010 census.
The Story of Thurber
Coal mining started in Thurber in 1886. The town grew very quickly, reaching its largest size around 1920. At that time, between 8,000 and 10,000 people lived there. These residents came from many different countries, including Italy, Poland, and Mexico.
Thurber became one of Texas's biggest coal-mining towns. Since it was a company town, the Texas and Pacific Coal Company owned and ran almost everything. This included stores like grocery, dry goods, hardware, and drug stores. They even had saloons and other businesses.
In 1903, the miners in Thurber joined a union. This made Thurber the first "closed shop" town in the country. A closed shop means that all workers in a company or town must be part of a labor union.
The Texas and Pacific Coal Company also made strong paving bricks. These bricks were used to build roads and buildings all over Texas and the southern United States.
However, things changed around 1920. Trains started using oil instead of coal for fuel. This meant less demand for coal, and prices went down. Because of this, many miners left Thurber during the 1920s.
The company that owned Thurber later found oil in the Ranger, Texas area. This was a big part of the Texas Oil Boom. The company then changed its name to Texas Pacific Coal and Oil Company, and later to Texas Pacific Oil Company.
Thurber Today
Even though Thurber is small now, thousands of people across the country have family roots there. You can still visit several important places in Thurber today.
- The Thurber Cemetery has over a thousand graves.
- St. Barbara's Catholic Church has been restored.
- You can see a restored coal miner's house, furnished as it would have been.
- A historic Thurber smokestack is still standing and can be seen from Interstate 20.
- The W. K. Gordon Center for Industrial History of Texas is a museum that tells the story of Thurber. It's run by Tarleton State University.
- There are also two restaurants: the historic Smokestack Restaurant and the New York Hill Restaurant. The New York Hill Restaurant is built where the town's Episcopal Church once stood.
Famous People from Thurber
Some notable people have connections to Thurber:
- Johnny Lucadello, a baseball player
- Tony Lucadello, a baseball scout
- Rex Trailer, a television cowboy star
- Tony Venzon, a baseball umpire
Photo gallery
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Thurber smokestack and fire station
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Thurber smokestack
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Miner's house
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Saint Barbara's Catholic Church
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New York Hill Restaurant
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Smokestack Restaurant
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Bandstand
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W. K. Gordon Center for Industrial History of Texas
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Thurber Cemetery
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Rail car
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Thurber fire station
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