DUANE
Duane's take
The way the marker in Carson County tells it, here's the story of the Weatherly family — and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, when folks talk about the Texas Panhandle pioneers, they mean people who showed up before the land had much of anything going for it. John F.
Weatherly was one of those people. Born in Tennessee in 1865, he made his way out to this wide-open stretch of country and became among the first landowners in the area. In 1898, he started a ranch twenty-five miles to the north.
Twenty-five miles out into that flat, wind-scoured Panhandle country. And he didn't just ranch. He ran a country store.
He ran a post office. He ran a phone exchange. The man was practically a one-family civilization out there on the prairie.
Then in 1915, the Weatherlys moved to Panhandle. Settled in, put down roots, the kind of family that a community builds itself around. And then came 1924.
That year, oil was discovered on their ranch — and that discovery led to the founding of Borger. Let that sit with you a moment. One family's land, one year, one strike, and a whole town comes into being.
The Weatherlys didn't hoard what came next, either. They gave land to every church and school in Borger, and for a park there too. John himself was a church leader, a civic leader, a Masonic leader, and one of the organizers of Hutchinson County.
He died in 1944. His wife, Maggie Marie Deahl Weatherly, born in West Virginia in 1875, kept right on going. She built Weatherly Hall at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth — a place that educates missionaries and others.
She endowed churches. She endowed Girl Scout work. Some families leave a mark on one place.
The Weatherly family left a mark on just about everything they touched.
What the marker says
Among first landowners in area. In 1898 started ranch 25 miles to the north. Ran country store, post office, phone exchange. Moved 1915 to Panhandle. The 1924 discovery of oil on their ranch led to the founding of Borger. They gave land to every church and school, and for a park, there. Weatherly (b. 1865, Tenn.) was a church, civic, Masonic leader; one of organizers of Hutchinson County. He died in 1944. His wife, Maggie Marie Deahl Weatherly (b. 1875, W.Va.), built Weatherly Hall at Texas Christian University, Fort Worth; educates missionaries and others; endows churches and Girl Scout work.