OZONA, TEXAS

"The Many Layers of Ozona"

Crockett County Seat, West Texas

30°42'32"N 101°12'15"W (30.708972, -101.204069)
I-10 and Hwy 163
82 miles SW of San Angelo
37 miles W of Sonora
200 miles W of San Antonio
108 miles E of Fort Stockton
344 miles E of El Paso
Population: 3,225 (2010) 3436 (2000) 3,181(1990)

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View of the square and the courthouse
Photo Courtesy Jason Penney

History on a Pecan Shell

Ozona is unincorporated. It was once called Powell's Well after the surveyor who donated land to built the courthouse, school and municipal buildings. The town of Emerald had been considered for the county seat.

The town dates from 1891 and has withstood a fire in the 20s and a flood in 1954 that washed away half of the houses in the city.

"Named for David Crockett, the county had existed on paper since 1875, first attached for judicial purposes to Kinney County and by 1885 to Val Verde County. Finally, on July 7, 1891, Crockett County's all-male electorate cast ballots for the first time. Residents voted in the county's first office holders. But more important for posterity's sake, they picked the county seat..." more (From Eureka by Mike Cox "Texas Tales" Column)

Crockett County Courthouse
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Photo courtesy Terry Jeanson, October 2011

Ozona, Texas Landmarks

The shadiness of Ozona is a welcome surprise as is the remarkable architecture for a town of 3,200. Like Honey Grove, Texas, locally quarried limestone and good architects have left an enduring legacy.

The Ozona Hotel is used as a haunted hotel for Halloween.

Davidson Memorial Gymnasium
c. 1931
A fine example of Regional Romanesque Architecture.
TE Photo

The Ozona High School c. 1912
Designed by Oscar Ruffini
TE Photo

The Ozona National Bank
TE Photo

Monuments
The shady square has two sculptures, one of the county's namesake, Davy Crockett (in stone) and one of a pioneer family (in bronze).

"The Tie that Binds" by Judy Black (Detail)
TE Photo

Davy Crockett
TE Photo

Across the street from the Crockett County Museum is the West Texas Utility Building, a simple but elegant building that exhibits traces of the Pueblo Revival Style of Architecture.

Other examples of this style in West Texas are the Paisano Hotel in Marfa and the former El Capitan Hotel in Van Horn.

West Texas Utility Building
TE Photo

Crockett County Museum
TE Photo

More Ozona Attractions

Murals on the Square by Alfredo Tobar >

Fort Lancaster State Historic Site >
33 miles west on Hwy 290

Scenic Drive
(Take I-10 west to) Lancaster Hill, US 290

Ozona Tourist Information
Ozona Chamber of Commerce - 325-392-3737

Take a road trip

Ozona, Texas Nearby Towns:
Sonora
See Crockett County
Schleicher County | Pecos County | Val Verde County
West Texas

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