The historic Square House tells its construction story through its materials: In the 1880s, it was built from lumber hauled by ox-drawn wagons from Dodge City, Kansas. The Carson County Square House Museum presents the history, natural history, and art of the Texas Panhandle. The museum complex includes 21 buildings, galleries, an outdoor diorama, and large outdoor objects. The Pioneer Dugout is an exact replica of a Carson County half-dugout.
Buildings and Historical Memories
The Thomas Cree Homesite offers a different construction story: Thomas Cree and his wife built an earth shelter there in 1888 because there was no lumber on their land in the High Plains. The contrast with the Square House is clear: there, building materials were hauled in, while at the earth shelter, the lack of lumber was the deciding factor. The Thomas Cree Homesite is also associated with a historic commemorative stone honoring the first tree in the Panhandle. Governor John Connally dedicated the stone in 1963.
The Conway Community Church was completed in 1912 and held regular services until 1968. Former congregation members and local volunteers restored the church and moved it to the Square House Museum complex in 1991. Its history thus spans its completion, the years of services, and its later restoration and relocation.
White Deer and Other Local Stories
Polish settlers moved to White Deer in 1909 in response to offers from the White Deer Land Company. The settlers’ recorded history includes a nine-week sea voyage across the Atlantic and the subsequent 200-mile journey from Galveston to Panna Maria. The first Catholic church of the Polish settlers in White Deer was completed on May 13, 1913. White Deer was also the headquarters of the White Deer Land Co.
Trade and remembrance are also part of local stories: The Jackson General Store was moved to White Deer’s present-day town center in 1908; the store housed J. C. Jackson’s general merchandise business. The grave of Howard Milhoan, dating from 1915, is the oldest marked grave at White Deer Cemetery. These dates offer different glimpses of settlement, religious life, commerce, and remembrance without reducing these stories to a single timeline.
After a change in railroad plans, Panhandle developed into a major shipping center. Groom was founded as a railroad town in 1902 and named after cattleman Colonel B. B. Groom. These local stories emphasize different things: Panhandle’s development was shaped by the change in railroad plans, while Groom was explicitly founded as a railroad town.
Route 66 and Notable Places to Visit
A 7.2-mile stretch of Route 66 west of Conway passes a windmill, agricultural concrete buildings, and expansive open pastureland. The stretch between State Highway 207 and Interstate 40 is in the Conway area and is considered the longest and best-preserved stretch of Route 66 in Texas. The landscape features mentioned also make the stretch west of Conway interesting for travelers who want to take in the open pastureland as well as historic buildings.
The Britten Leaning Tower was deliberately built in the early 1980s to lure motorists away from the interstate. Visitors can stop alongside the access road to photograph the tower, but they cannot get close to it. The Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ is 19 stories tall. Visitors can walk along the Stations of the Cross around the Cross at any time of day or night. These two experiences differ in specific ways: photography at the tower is limited to the side of the access road, while walking along the stations is possible at the Cross.
Discover more destinations: Panhandle, Robertson County, Dawson County, Angelina County, Gaines County, Jim Wells, Matagorda County, Galveston.
For the broader travel overview: Texas.
