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Weatherford, Texas
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Weatherford is a city in Parker County, Texas, United States. The population was 19,000 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Parker County and is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
The city was named by the Texas Legislature as the Peach Capital of Texas due to the peaches produced by area growers. As such, the peach is celebrated each year at the Parker County Peach Festival, which is Weatherford’s largest event and one of the best-attended festivals in Texas.
Weatherford also has a number of historic homes and buildings.
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Encyclopedia
Weatherford is a city in Parker County, Texas, United States. The population was 19,000 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Parker County and is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
The city was named by the Texas Legislature as the Peach Capital of Texas due to the peaches produced by area growers. As such, the peach is celebrated each year at the Parker County Peach Festival, which is Weatherford’s largest event and one of the best-attended festivals in Texas.
Weatherford also has a number of historic homes and buildings. More than 60 Queen Anne, Victorian and other architecturally significant homes built at the turn of the 20th century sit along the tree-lined avenues. Several of these homes are open for tours, arranged by the Parker County Heritage Society, during the Christmas season.
Another landmark is the Second Empire style Parker County Courthouse, which is located in the geographical center of the county in downtown Weatherford. The building is surrounded by buildings which served other purposes at the turn of the 20th century, including saloons and cat-houses.
In recent years, both the interior and exterior of the courthouse structure have been restored to its original character and attractiveness.
Geography
Weatherford is located west of Fort Worth on Interstate 20. It is the county seat for Parker County.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.7 square miles (58.7 km²), of which, 20.9 square miles (54.1 km²) of it is land and 1.8 square miles (4.6 km²) of it (7.86%) is water.
Demographics
The population of the City of Weatherford, Texas is 24,000. The population grew by 958 (4.15%) from 2005 to 2006. The racial makeup of the city is 90.90% White, 10.20% Hispanic, 2.10% Black, 0.90% American Indian, 0.70% Asian, 4.10% other.
According to the 1999 census, 25.0% of the population is under the age of 18, 10.6% is 18 to 24, 26.3% is 25 to 44, 21.8% is 45 to 64, and 16.4% is 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years.
Education
The City of Weatherford is served by the Weatherford Independent School District and Weatherford College.
Weatherford ISD
Weatherford ISD has classes from pre-kindergarten through high school serving 7,200 students throughout at 11 campuses. They enjoy wasting all their money on the high school football team.
Mary Martin Elementrary
Located at 719 Oak Ridge.
Weatherford College
Weatherford College is a 130 year old community college. There are more than 35 study areas and 19 professional/technical programs. Financial aid packages and scholarships are also available. The College was originally built by masons and was one of the first in Texas.
History
Beginnings
In 1855, Parker County was created by the Texas State Legislature and named for pioneer and State Representative Isaac Parker. Parker was the uncle of Cynthia Ann Parker, a little girl who was stolen from her home by Indians during the Texas Revolution. Cynthia Ann lived among the Comanche and became the mother of Chief Quanah Parker. Later, when she was overtaken in flight with an Indian raiding party, Isaac Parker who recognized her as his long-lost niece.
The Town of Weatherford was named for the State Senator for this district, Jefferson Weatherford of Dallas. According to his cousin, Senator Weatherford never set foot in the town.
The first settlers had arrived less than ten years earlier. They were many Native American attacks between the years of 1846 and 1874. There are several headstones in Parker County that read "Killed by Indians."
The railroad arrived in June 1880. The Santa Fe Depot (which today houses the Weatherford Chamber of Commerce) was built in 1908 under Jim Crow laws, with waiting rooms segregated and separated by the ticket office. Weatherford now is the home of the Texas Railroad Museum.
In 1895, the town’s still existing newspaper, the Weatherford Democrat, began publication.
Parker County Courthouse
Parker County’s first courthouse was built of rough pine lumber in 1856. It was replaced with a brick one in 1858. The Seth Thomas Clock was installed in 1897 for $957. The Courthouse has recently been restored on the inside to bring back its classic beauty and original splendor from the turn of the century.
Western Heritage
Cattle drover Oliver Loving is buried in Weatherford’s Greenwood Cemetery. After being attacked by Indians in New Mexico in 1867, Loving’s dying wish to his friend, Charles Goodnight, was to be buried in his home, Parker County. Goodnight brought the body back six hundred miles by wagon for burial. The story is the inspiration behind Texas author Larry McMurtry’s novel, Lonesome Dove.
A year earlier, Goodnight had invented the first chuckwagon which catered to cowboys on a cattle drive that would later become known as the Goodnight-Loving Trail.
Boze Ikard, who served with Goodnight and for whom the McMurtry character “Deets” was modeled, was also laid to rest in the Greenwood Cemetery.
Now known as the Cutting Horse Capital of the World, Weatherford is home to hundreds of professional trainers, Hall-of-Fame horses and a life-size bronze cutting horse. “Cutters” from all over the country send their horses here for training or breeding. Several National Cutting Horse Association affiliates hold local competitions on a regular basis. One of Weatherford’s greatest attractions for the cutters in the native sandy loam soil that is cushioning for a horse’s feet.
Peach Capital of Texas
Named by the State Legislature as the Peach Capital of Texas, Weatherford and Parker County growers produce many peaches. The Peach is celebrated each year at the Parker County Peach Festival, Weatherford’s largest event and one of the best-attended festivals in Texas. More than 35,000 visitors come to Weatherford for the festival.
Famous Natives
Lieutenant General William Hood Simpson (May 18, 1888 – August 15, 1980) was a U.S. Army officer who commanded the U.S. Ninth Army in northern Europe, during World War II, among other roles.
Weatherford is the place in which one of Texas' greatest authors, Edwin Lanham, was raised, and the slightly-veiled setting for his most critically acclaimed work "The Wind Blew West."
Weatherford is also the birthplace and was the home of Mary Martin, a Broadway star, known for her portrayal of Peter Pan. Her son, Larry Hagman, became a TV star, best known as J.R. Ewing on the television melodrama Dallas. Hagman still makes appearances for special occasions and to assist many Weatherford charities.
Former U.S. Speaker of the House Jim Wright grew up in Weatherford and wrote a book about his youth, Weatherford Days…a Time of Learning.
Portrait artist Douglas Chandor moved to Weatherford to be with the love of his life, Weatherford native, Ina Kuteman. Known for his portraits of the rich and famous including Queen Elizabeth II, Winston Churchill, and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Chandor created gardens that are now open to the public.
Col. John E. Krebs maintained temporary residence in Weatherford from 1942 until 1991 through his stepfather and mother, Joe and Ennis Barnett. Col. Krebs was a highly decorated tank captain during World War II serving in the U.S. Army, 760th Tank Battalion, B Company. He experienced dramatic action serving as a key leader in the Battle for Montecassino, arguably the most dramatic battle in Italy for that strategic location's importance for the capture of Rome. Col. Krebs has published an account of his experiences, To Rome and Beyond, Trafford Publishing, 2007.
Two state representatives
Parker County has been represented in the Texas State House since 1985 by two Republicans, Richard F. "Ric" Williamson (1952-2007) and Phillip Stephen King. Originally a Democrat, Williamson switched parties and served until 1999, when he was succeeded by King, one of the more conservative members of the legislature. Williamson's old friend and former legislative colleague, Governor Rick Perry, appointed him to the Texas Transportation Commission, of which he became the chairman in 2004. Williamson died of a third heart attack on December 30, 2007. He had been a champion of Perry's controversial Trans-Texas Corridor toll road project.
External links
- View from the Weatherford College Library, hosted by the
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