- 10 a.m., Saturday, May 24, 2025
- Meet at the Old Jail Museum and Historical Buildings Complex, Palo Pinto, Texas 76484; hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; view a map
- St. Barbara’s Catholic Church, Thurber, Texas
- Summer is here: be sure to stay hydrated, wear a hat and sunscreen.
Find photo ops in the collection of historical buildings and furnishings maintained by the Palo Pinto Historical Commission. Above, complex workshop by Ken Spencer.
Buildings include the jail and holding cells, hitching post, corn and wheat cribs, thresher, wagon, and ranching and farming implements. The rock fence was built by the Works Progress Administration 1935-1937. Also in Palo Pinto, find an historical United Methodist Church and the county courthouse.
Master photographer Ken Spencer, whose photos of historical buildings and churches regularly win awards in club competition, will be there. The complex is self-guided. Palo Pinto is about 70 miles west of Fort Worth.
Nearby Thurber is a ghost town, with a few buildings remaining from its time as a coal mining and brick producing company town. Historic St. Barbara’s Church and a miner’s cabin are in Thurber.
Participants may wish to eat at New York Hill restaurant, Exit 367 south of Interstate 20 West, also in Thurber.
Learn more:
- Old Jail Museum and Historical Buildings Complex
- Palo Pinto County Courthouse, courtesy of Texas Escapes
- Thurber History, courtesy of Texas State Historical Association
- St. Barbara’s Church