My grandfather Joe
Phillips on the Farmall Tractor that the one Mexican farm hand used to
plow the fields. I was told that the fellow tied the tractor to a pole
and then the wheel and let the tractor wind itself around the pole. He
knew exactly when to return to the tractor before it ran into the pole.
My grandfather Joe
Phillips, Mr. T.A. Knight and son Marvin whose family had lived on the
360 half-section of land near Plainview, Texas for over 30 years. My
grandfather bought the farm after his father died in 1914. Barbara Carr
of Tazewell had owned it since the late 1800's. My father, Al Payne
bought half the farm sometime about 1948.
Grandfather Joe Phillips
retired from the U.S. Treasury Department in 1949 and moved primarily
to Brownsville, Texas. He traveled between there, Plainview and
Tennessee many times during the next 10 years of his life.
Looking from the back of
the farm towards the South East from feed lot in back of the farm house.
T.A. Knights son Marvin
and his dog looking east from back of house.
Records, 1912-1950 - 1 microfilm reel (15 ft.): negative
Contains financial and legal materials, conference reports, a church register, and scrapbook material. The church was organized in 1911 by Reverend T.A. Knight in the O'Donnell schoolhouse with twenty-eight members.
During the years 1955
and 1956 the farm produced the largest water well in the panhandle of
Texas. My father and grandfather sold the property in 1956. Texaco
bought 7/8th of the mineral rights and the family held on to 1/8th.
Before the water was found there was a large gas pocket found on the
farm which my father said was capped with a large disc from a tractor
plow. Gas was not near as important at that time.
More irrigation ditches.
A look at the field
before water was pumped into it. You can see the plum from the pumping
station in the background.
My grandfather's 1955
Belair Chevy which he probably put over 200,000 miles on.
The Mexican farmhand
that worked the farm for Mr. T.A. Knight and my grandfather. He is
starting a 2 inch tube in furrow.
Mr. T.A. Knight also
placing a tube in the main feed ditch.
The selling of the farm
after two of the best years of cotton it produced was a blessing for
all involved. It would have been much more rewarding to all my
grandfathers grandchildren had it not gotten involved in Scott County,
Tennessee courts after his death in 1959.
Several pictures taken in 1982 when my father and brother Eddie traveled back to Abernathy - Plainview to see what if anything they could find of the Old Homestead. The located the original water wellhead and the house that was barley standing. An older picture taken in the late 1930's as compaired to 1982. Somewhere is the plow disc that capped a large gas well.
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View Larger Map
Hale County, Texas. If you look real close you'll see "THERE IS A WELL HEAD IN THE UPPER LEFT HAND CORNER OF THIS PICTURE". The landmarks to look for are Farm to Market Road 2060 and County Road R.. Yes, Google has updated their satellite images and I can visit my Royalty Rights without leaving my house. Any "WILDCAT" drillers out there?
If you want to look up the particular section to make sure there have been no wells drilled then all you need to do is visit the RRC, Railroad Commission of Texas and then click on Public GIS Map Viewer for Oil & Gas Wells, Pipeline Data and LP Gas Sites. Our section is below, current as of 2010. Only one Dry Well No. 80092.
