De Leon Peanut Company

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the De Leon Peanut Company, right here in Comanche County. Now settle in, because this story starts with heartbreak and ends with something pretty remarkable. Cotton was king in Comanche County, the major cash crop for farmers here, and it held that throne for decades.

But kings can fall, and this one had some serious trouble coming its way. First, distastrous weather conditions hit in 1908 and 1909. Then a national economic downturn came along to twist the knife.

And then, as if the county hadn't suffered enough, the Mexican boll weevil showed up in 1914 and just about finished the job. After all that, a lot of Comanche County farmers did what any sensible person would do. They looked around, they weighed their options, and they turned to peanuts.

Now, peanuts were the more lucrative prospect, but there was a problem. Shipping those peanuts all the way up to Fort Worth for processing was eating into local farmers' profits, and somebody had to do something about that. That somebody was N.

T. Haskins. In 1912, Haskins organized the De Leon Peanut Company, and he put together a first board of directors that included R.

W. Higginbotham, W. H.

Williams, B. T. Higginbotham, Jr., J.

B. Wilson, A. E.

Hampton, and W. E. Lowe.

By 1914, peanuts had already become the leading cash crop in the county. The company enlarged its operations to meet the growing demand, and things moved fast from there. A six-story main building was completed in 1917, and before long the plant was processing up to ten railroad carloads of peanuts per day.

Ten carloads. Per day. Let that sink in for a mile or two of road.

The business hit turbulence during the economic crisis of the 1920s, but it survived. Held its ground. Remained a strong force in the local community.

A national company acquired the De Leon Peanut Company in 1967, but that company's roots run deep in this county's soil. And the community it helped build? Well, it's been called the Peanut Capital of the World.

Cotton was king once. But in Comanche County, the peanut had the last word.

What the marker says

Cotton was the major cash crop for farmers in Comanche County until the early 20th Century. The combined effects of distastrous weather conditions in 1908-09, a national economic downturn, and a major infestation of the Mexican boll weevil in 1914 caused many Comanche County farmers to abandon their decades-long reliance on cotton and turn to the more lucrative prospect of peanut farming. Because shipping peanuts to Fort Worth for processing reduced local farmers' profits, N. T. Haskins organized the De Leon Peanut Company in 1912. Its first board of directors included R. W. Higginbotham, W. H. Williams, B. T. Higginbotham, Jr., J. B. Wilson, A. E. Hampton, and W. E. Lowe. By 1914, peanuts were the leading cash crop in the county, and the company enlarged its operations to meet growing demand. A six-story main building was completed in 1917; soon the plant was processing up to ten railroad carloads of peanuts per day. The business survived an economic crisis in the 1920s and remained a strong force in the local community, which has been called "The Peanut Capital of the World." Acquired by a national company in 1967, the De Leon Peanut Company has played a vital role in Comanche County history. (1994)