Carson County Square House Museum
a.k.a. Square House
5th and Elsie Sts., Panhandle, TXThe Square House Museum, although a modest building in size and architectural detail, is an important example of domestic architecture for Northwest Texas in that it represents one of the earliest frame residences (1887-1888) constructed during the period of settlement on the Staked Plains. At the time this residence was constructed (the lumber was brought from Kansas City) to house an official of the Southern Kansas Railroad a majority of the Panhandle settlers were housed in dugouts. Consequently, this building, among the oldest extant structures in the Texas Panhandle, represents a significant milestone in the history and development of Northwest Texas.
The Square House was built as the residence of an official with the Southern Kansas Railway when a terminal track was laid from Kiowa, Kansas, to Panhandle, Texas. This, the oldest house in Panhandle, was the home of several notable Panhandle pioneer families, including Judge James Christopher Paul, Judge J. L. Harrison, James B. Wilks, and Sheriff Oscar L. Thorp.
Judge James Christopher Paul and his family occupied the Square House in the early 1890s. Paul and several business partners opened the Panhandle Bank in 1888. This was the oldest bank in Northwest Texas, and from 1888 until it voluntarily closed in 1942, was highly instrumental in the economic development of the Panhandle area.
Judge J. L. Harrison and his family moved to the Square House in 1896 and lived there for several decades. Harrison was a prominent cattleman in the Panhandle area, and later, around 1900, was elected county judge.
Oscar L. Thorp bought the Square House in 1920. Thorp, originally a rancher, was elected sheriff in 1922 and served in that office for eight years during the oil boom days - a chaotic period for law enforcement.
The Square House was occupied as a private residence until 1965, when, in order to save it from destruction, the building was moved to its present site. The restored building is operated as a regional museum and has been accredited by the American Association of Museums.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1966.
Bibliography
chronicle of Carson County. Panhandle: Carson County Historical Survey Committee and Pioneer Press. Vols. I & II
Texas State Historical Survey Committee marker files.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.