Silverton

Silverton, Texas

Silverton, Texas

Image of the Silverton City Hall located in the town of Silverton, the seat of Briscoe County, Texas Photograph by Charles Henry.
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Promotion: Nearby Map of Briscoe County

Silverton, the county seat of Briscoe County, is on State Highway 86 in the central part of the county. In August 1890 Thomas J. Braidfoot filed claim on the section of land that would later contain Silverton. He soon built a house in the area. In the spring of the following year he and his associates, most of whom had arrived from Della Plain in Floyd County, formed a townsite company. The name, submitted by his wife, was reportedly derived from the silvery reflections of the shallow lakes in the area. A post office, three stores, a blacksmith shop, and a school were established by the fall of 1891. Thomas J. Briscoe started the first newspaper, the Silverton Light. When the county was organized, a special election was held on March 15, 1892, in which Silverton beat out two rival townsites, Linguish and Tarlton, as the county seat. A two-story, frame courthouse was erected in 1893. The following year a jail built of stone from Tule Canyon was completed; its first occupant was the county sheriff, Miner Crawford, who was jailed as a joke during the opening ceremony. Tom Braidfoot's two-story house served as the town's first hotel. A community church was used by various denominations until they built their own houses of worship.

Silverton quickly prospered as a trade center for area ranchers and farmers. The population was 400 in 1900 and 500 in 1910. The first bank was opened in 1909, and a new brick schoolhouse was constructed in 1911. The town has had several newspapers, including the Silverton Enterprise and the Silverton Star. The present paper, the Briscoe County News, has been in operation since 1912. The present county courthouse was built in 1922. Mail was brought to Silverton from Tulia by stagecoach before 1928, and later by automobile. In 1928 the town became the northern terminus of the Fort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway from Lubbock. Silverton was subsequently incorporated, and it grew. Natural gas was introduced in 1929 by the West Texas Gas Company. By 1940 Silverton had thirty-five businesses and a population of 684.

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H. Allen Anderson | © TSHA

Handbook of Texas Logo

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.

Belongs to

Silverton is part of or belongs to the following places:

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Silverton is classified as a Town

Location

Latitude: 34.47137180
Longitude: -101.30404000

Has Post Office

Yes

Is Incorporated

Yes

Population Count, 2021 View more »

613