Stinnett
City of Stinnett, Texas
Stinnett, the county seat of Hutchinson County, is at the junction of State highways 152 and 207, in the central part of the county. It was established in the summer of 1926 to be a shipping point on the Amarillo branch of the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railway. It was named for Albert Sidney Stinnett of Amarillo, who had helped purchase the right-of-way for the railroad. Within four months the town promoters, led by A. P. (Ace) Borger and J. T. Peyton, sold $400,000 worth of lots by holding special "Dollar Day" picnics for interested buyers. Almost overnight the population rose to around 2,500. In September 1926 the promoters petitioned for a special election that changed the Hutchinson county seat from Plemons to Stinnett. In 1927 the town was incorporated with a mayor-commission government. A post office was opened, and on December 15, 1928, the present county courthouse was dedicated.
Although Stinnett was not a characteristic oil boomtown, it profited greatly from the fields around neighboring communities, as well as from the railroad. Many residents who sought the "black gold" lived in boxcar shanties and canvas tents. Stinnett had its share of lawlessness and violence, for example, the shooting death of the notorious bootlegger W. J. (Shine) Popejoy at the city jail in 1933. During the Prohibition era many restaurants, rooming houses, and drugstores in town sold illegal whiskey and beer in their back rooms. In 1930, when the Great Depression hit and the price of crude oil fell, the population in Stinnett dropped to 500. The number of businesses decreased from seventy-five in 1928 to fewer than twenty in 1930. Nevertheless the town's school system, established in 1926–27, and several church congregations helped Stinnett to survive. The population increased from 635 in 1940 to 2,695 in 1960. Much of this growth resulted from the industrial development of natural gas and petroleum, which provided a new source of employment. In the 1960s the town reported eight churches, a school, a bank, a branch library, and a newspaper.
H. Allen Anderson | © TSHA
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.
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Belongs to
Stinnett is part of or belongs to the following places:
Currently Exists
Yes
Place type
Stinnett is classified as a Town
Location
Latitude: 35.82311000Longitude: -101.44362000
Has Post Office
Yes
Is Incorporated
Yes
Population Count, 2021 View more »
1,638