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BOWIE, TEXAS
Montague
County, Central
Texas North
33° 33' 36" N, 97° 50' 40" W (33.56, -97.844444)
Highway 81, Just E of Highway 287
15 Miles SW of Montague
the county seat
29 Miles SE of Henrietta
34 Miles NE of Jacksboro
28 Miles NW of Decatur
ZIP code 76230
Area code 940
Population: 5,448 (2020)
5,218 (2010) 5,219 (2000) 4,990 (1990) |
Downtown Bowie
Photo courtesy Mike
Price, October 2007 |
History
in a Pecan Shell
Settled in the early 1860s, the town, like many in Texas,
didn’t really get started until the arrival of the railroad.
In Bowie’s case the year was 1882 and the railroad was the Fort
Worth and Denver. In August of that year a townsite was laid out
and a post office applied for. Bowie almost instantly became the most
important market and banking center between Fort
Worth and Wichita
Falls.
The population reached 1,000 by 1885 and eight years later the town
got its second railroad, the Chicago, Rock Island and Texas.
The population for the 1900 census was estimated at 2,600.
Bowie had around 3,000 people during the 1920s and by the 1950s, it
was approaching 7,000. It reached its zenith in the late 1980s with
5,818 residents, making it the largest town in Montague
County. It dipped to 4,990 for the 1990 census and rose to 5,219
in 2000 and the present 5,218 (2010). |
Historical Marker:
At Pelham Park, along the World War II marker
City of Bowie
The history of
the City of Bowie has been molded by forward-thinking pioneers of
business, education and industry in the late nineteenth century. Situated
along many significant trade and travel routes that traversed the
State of Texas, permanent settlements in this area began in the 1850s
in an area known as Queen’s Peak, four miles north of Bowie.
The City of Bowie was established when the Fort Worth and Denver Railroad
purchased acreage here in the 1870s from Mrs. A. Lavonia (Stallings)
Lindsay, J.I.G. Cowan, James W. Stallings and J.G. Cummins which became
the downtown site of Bowie.
As the workers laid the tracks from Decatur
to Bowie, tents were erected to live alongside the tracks, which led
to the name “Tent City.” Once the railroad was completed, permanent
houses and buildings were constructed. The courageous, hardy and resourceful
settlers decided to name the town Bowie after Texas hero James
Bowie, a name synonymous with courage, strength and faith.
The town incorporated in 1883 and became a market and financial center
for farmers and ranchers between Fort
Worth and Wichita
Falls. Churches, schools and fraternal organizations were established
for the citizens and their children. During the Great Depression,
the Public Works Administration constructed rock walls and buildings
in Elmwood Cemetery and Pelham
Park. By the mid-twentieth century, Bowie was the largest city
in Montague County.
From its humble beginnings as a railroad and farming community, Bowie
has grown into a diverse city that embraces its strong heritage.
2015 |
Bowie, Texas
Landmarks
Photo Gallery &
Historical Markers |
Another view
of Downtown
Photo courtesy Mike
Price, October 2007 |
Bowie City Auditorium
Photo courtesy Mike
Price, October 2007 |
Downtown building
painted windows
Photo courtesy Mike
Price, October 2007 |
1895 Building
Photo courtesy Mike
Price, October 2007 |
"This style
of building was common in 50's or so for car dealerships."
- Mike
Price, October 2007 photo |
Historical Marker:
101 Tarrant, Bowie
First National
Bank of Bowie
The oldest financial
institution in Montague
County, this bank was chartered on March 10, 1890, eight years
after the town of Bowie was created on the line of the Fort Worth
and Denver City Railway. Beginning with an initial capital of $50,000,
it was the town's only surviving bank by 1931. Maintaining a strong
civic commitment, the bank has provided financial assistance to local
charitable organizations and provides a gathering place for local
community groups. It has been an important part of county history
for over one hundred years.
(1990)
[ More Texas Banks » ] |
Bowie, Texas
Old Photos
Photo Gallery &
Historical Markers |
First Methodist
Church
Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/ |
Historical Marker:
307 N. Lindsay, Bowie
First Baptist
Church of Bowie
On December 24,
1882, Baptist ministers H.M. Burroughs and W.A. Mason, a missionary
from the Baptist General Convention, met with fourteen local Baptists
to organize the first Baptist Church at Bowie with Burroughs as its
first pastor. To celebrate their new church, the congregation sang
“Am I a Soldier of the Cross?” From 1883 to 1902, the congregation
worshipped in the masonic lodge building, also known as Rosser’s school
for its weekday usage, located at the corner of Pecan and Lindsay
Streets. Purchased from the masons in 1886, that building burned in
1902. The congregation rebuilt on the site, only to see the new building
burn in 1909. The next church building lasted until 1943 when the
newly renovated structure burned. The congregation consecrated a new
white brick sanctuary on Easter Sunday in April 1944. In 1966, the
church campus expanded to include an education building. Members worshipped
in the 1944 church until 1981 when a new sanctuary on the corner of
Tarrant and Lindsay Streets was dedicated. At that time the 1944 sanctuary
became the fellowship hall. The third church pastor, J.C. Ward, preached
at as many as seventeen churches in the north Texas circuit, sometimes
being paid in eggs, chickens, and flour. In the early twentieth century,
church member and author Fannie C. Potter wrote histories of both
Montague County and the church. From its inception, the church’s congregation
focused on missionary work, a focus that engendered several other
local Baptist churches and community missions, including the multi-denominational
Bowie mission.
(2014) |
Historical Marker:
806 North Lindsay, Bowie
Saint Peter
Lutheran Church
German Lutheran
immigrants who settled in this area in the late 19th century were
added to The Rev. John C. Schulenberg's North Central Texas Mission
itinerary in 1893. St. Peter Lutheran Church was organized in 1894.
That year a small wood frame sanctuary was built on land (5 mi. NE)
donated by Henry Husfeld. In 1903 The Rev. H.B. Wurthmann became St.
Peter's first resident Pastor and in 1919 a new sanctuary/school building
was erected. One service a month was conducted in German until 1940.
Church facilities were moved here in 1948. The church continues to
serve the local community.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
(1993)
[More Texas Churches
»] |
East Ward School
Building
Postcard
courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/
[More Texas
Schoolhouses » ] |
Bowie Post Office
Postcard
courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/
[More Texas Post
Offices » ] |
Bowie Street
Scene in 1904
Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/ |
Bowie Clinic
and Hospital
Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/ |
Bo-Tex Motel
Hi-way 287 & 81
Postcard
courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/
[ More Rooms
with a Past » ] |
Cattle
Postcard
courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/
[ See Texas Ranching
» ] |
Historical Marker:
900 -1000 East Nelson St., Bowie
Elmwood Cemetery
Early settler James
W. Stallings donated the first portion of land for the establishment
of a cemetery for area residents at this site in 1880. Two years later,
the town of Bowie was platted near the cemetery site, along the route
of the Fort Worth and Denver Railroad. The first burial at
Elmwood Cemetery was that of Willie B. Nelson (d. June 10, 1880),
son of Francis M. and Mary Nelson. Stallings later buried several
of his own family members at the site, including his wife Sarah E.
(Parker), his granddaughter and his daughter, all in 1882. In 1884,
1901 and 1905, G.W. and Emily Tinkle conveyed additional land to the
cemetery, and further additions were made to the site in later years.
The Bowie Cemetery Association formed during the early years of the
cemetery’s existence, although the exact date of its organization
is unknown. The association handled the business of the cemetery until
1938, when the cemetery association officially deeded the burial ground
to the city of Bowie. In 1981, due to the expansion of Lake Amon G.
Carter, the graves located at Tarter Cemetery were relocated to Elmwood.
Portions of a native stone wall that was constructed along Patterson
and Nelson Streets by employees of the Civilian Conservation Corps
1935-1937 remain today. The cemetery contains burials of veterans
from the Civil War, Spanish-American
War, World War I,
World War II,
Korea and Vietnam. Today, Elmwood Cemetery continues to serve the
citizens of Bowie and the surrounding area while reminding them of
the early pioneer settlers of the community.
2010
[More Texas Cemeteries »
] |
Historical Marker:
Pelham Street, Bowie
Pelham Park
Before Bowie was
incorporated in 1883, Confederate Captain John J. Carter purchased
160 acres in 1878. As early as 1879, veterans of the Confederate Army
would meet on land owned by Captain Carter. The Carter Property was
situated near the new cemetery and was a place to congregate before
or after a burial. Captain Carter died on Jan. 29, 1882, but his wife,
Charlotte Jane Carter, permitted the veterans to continue using the
property. Bowie Pelham Camp, No. 572, United Confederate Veterans,
was organized in 1895 with over 100 members. The veterans purchased
26.5 acres from Charlotte Carter in 1901 for $450 with stipulations
that the property would always be dedicated to veterans, past, present
and future. In 1905, a pavilion was built in the park along with three
water wells, a barbeque pit, mess house and a long dining shed. Land
was paid in full by 1910 and the group grew to over 300 members. Over
the years, membership declined and the remaining camp members decided
to transfer the property to the city of Bowie, which was finalized
on August 14, 1923. On Jan. 6, 1931, the city fathers officially named
the park Bowie Pelham Park. The confederate monument located elsewhere
in bowie was moved to the park in 1936 as well as the WWI marker.
The first Jim Bowie Days celebration and rodeo to promote the community
was held in 1967. “Second Monday,” a popular meeting of farmers and
ranchers to barter livestock and goods near the railroad tracks, was
eventually moved to Pelham Park in 1970. In 1989, the city of Bowie
purchased 28 adjoining acres from the Hill Family for expansion of
the park to continue the historical and community legacy of Pelham
Park.
2016 |
 |
Bowie Texas
Centennial marker
Photo courtesy Holly Gibson, April 2015 |
Montague
County 1907 postal map showing Bowie on Chicago, Rock Island and
Texas Railroad
From Texas state map #2090 showing
Courtesy
Texas General Land Office |
| Texas
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