Stratford, Texas, Sherman County seat. (original) (raw)

Sherman County Seat, Texas Panhandle

36�20'10"N 102�4'17"W (36.336158, -102.071451)

Sister City to Streaky Bay, Australia
On Highways 287 and 54
On the top of the Panhandle
75 miles N of Amarillo
Second county to the right of New Mexico
Bordering on Oklahoma
ZIP code 79084
Area code 806
Population: 1,939 (2020)
2,017 (2010) 1,991 (2000) 1,781(1990)

Stratford Depot, Tin Man and Silos
Photos courtesy Barclay Gibson, July 2009

History in a Pecan Shell

Stratford had a dispute over it's right to be the County Seat of Government, even though there had been an election. Counties of Lavaca and Van Zandt, had had similar problems, except in this case, Texas Rangers were called in to settle matters. Stratford won, or you would be reading the Coldwater Town Page.

The name was after Robert E. Lee's boyhood home, although some say it was after William Shakespere's Stratford-on-Avon. Actually, Stratford-on-Coldwater has a nice ring to it. A Mr. Colton, manager for Aaron Norton, town developer, was the one to suggest the name.

The town laid out by Norton and Colton was on the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf railroad and a new post office was opened there. Before that, Coldwater had been the only post office in Sherman County. The election was held July 1901, and Coldwater lost the election and the county seat.

By 1904 only the post office, a store and the now-vacant courthouse were left in Coldwater. The post office closed in 1907 and the courthouse was occasionally used as a church. We were told that stones from the 1901 Stratford Courthouse were used to create a small dam on the Coldwater Creek.

Peak Population was 2,139 in 1970

Stratford Update
The chamber reports that there are over 25 residences in town dating to 1900-1910

In addition to the houses, Stratford retains its old railroad depot as the Sherman County Museum.

Stratford Landmarks/Attractions

Sherman County Depot Museum
Main Street and US 54 -
Hours: Monday through Friday 2 to 4.
While the History of Sherman County, God, Grass and Grit (Vol. One) is in it's third printing, copies of Volume II are still available at the museum.

Men, Women, and ?
Outhouse/Restroom
Photo courtesy Stephen Michaels, January 2008

Stratford billboard
Photo courtesy James Feagin, 2002

Stratford, Area Destinations:
Sherman County Towns ›
Texas Panhandle ›
Route 66 in Texas ›

The Stratford Chamber of Commerce
806-366-2260
318 North Third Street
Paula at the Stratford Chamber of Commerce points out that the citizens of Stratford are closer to the state capitals of three other states (Santa Fe NM, Denver CO, and Oklahoma City OK) than they are to Austin. She also would like to say that not everyone regards Dallas / Ft. Worth as "North Texas."

Texas Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, landmarks and vintage/historic photos, please contact us.