Historical Markers in Midland, Texas

Midland County · 1936

Created organized March 4, 1885. March 25, 1885 Named for its location which is halfway between Ft. Worth and El Paso County seat, Midland First named Midway

Dorsey Home · 1962

Z. Taylor Brown, builder. Ornate trim, art glass window. Two fireplaces, oak mantels. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1965

Midland County · 1965

Midland County (Created and organized, March 1885) First known as the junction of many trails and site of the last Comanche raid into Texas. In 1881 the Texas and Pacific Railroad was built; equi-distant between El Paso…

Midland's First House · 1965

Of concrete blocks, 1908. Western Ranch style. Home of Raymond and Edith Lawrence. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1965.

W. F. Scarborough Home, · 1965

1908. Ranch style architecture characteristic of west Texas cattle men. Later enlarged. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1965.

Midland Man · 1966

Oldest human remains in new world. Found 1953 on ranch near here by pipeline welder Keith Glasscock. Fossilized skull, rib and hand bones had been exposed by weather conditions. Tests indicated these were bones of a…

Marcy Trail · 1967

Plotted in 1849 by a U. S. Army surveying expedition under Capt. Randolph B. Marcy. Guided by Manuel, a Comanche Indian, Marcy crossed the dreaded staked plains of West Texas, proving their feasibility for travel, and…

Midland & Northwestern Railroad · 1967

Standard gauge 66-mile line built by David Fasken, Sr., to carry cattle, ranch supplies, passengers. Operated 1916 to 1920 -- critical era of World War I and world starvation aftermath. Linked towns of Fasken, Florey,…

Midland County · 1967

(Created and organized, March 1885) First known as the junction of many trails and site of the last Comanche raid into Texas. In 1881 the Texas and Pacific Railroad was built; equi-distant between El Paso and Fort…

W. B. Anglin · 1967

A member, Company B, Frontier Battalion of Texas Rangers. Killed near here while trailing Comanche Indian raiding party on July 1, 1879. He was buried on the spot where he fell. A native of Virginia, member of one of…

Greenwood Baptist Church · 1968

Organized 1907 in unused saloon in Slaughter. Named for two missionaries, the Revs. Green and Wood. Services were later held in various schools. Present structure built 1926 on land donated by John M. King, an…

Site of Old Midland Army Flying School · 1968

Old Sloan Field, built 1931, in 1942 became Midland Army Flying School, for bombardier cadets. At one time it was called largest bombardier training center in the world. One of over 25 World War II airfields in Texas,…

Site of Early Water Well · 1969

County's first well; dug by hand, 1884, it supplied the entire town. Formerly water had been shipped by rail from Monahans (50 mi. W). Well--6 feet wide, 50 feet deep--was equipped with a hand pump and a bucket rest…

Site of Midland County's First Bank · 1969

First National Bank of Midland. Organized June 16, 1890. First officers were A. W. Hilliard, president; W.H. Cowden, vice president; and W. E. Connell, cashier. Its financial stability has saved its customers from ruin…

John Valentine Pliska · 1970

Mechanical genius who made and flew first locally-owned aircraft. Born in Austria, Pliska came with parents to Texas, and after 1903 followed blacksmith trade in Midland. He built (1912) and flew at intervals up to 15…

Midland Christian College · 1970

2 blocks west to site of Midland Christian College A 2-year, coeducational college that functioned 1910-1921. H. R. Garrett was first president. Students rode horse-drawn bus to campus; edited yearbook, "The Sandstorm."…

Staked Plains · 1970

First newspaper published in Midland County. Printed in 1885 in frame building once on this site. Copies were hand-set and hand printed at rate of 5 per hour on old-style press. County court proceedings were printed at…

Fairview Cemetery · 1972

In use by May 31, 1885, 10-acre southeast corner of this tract was accepted as gift of Midland Town Co., by commissioners of newly organized Midland County in their first meeting on Aug. 10, 1885. Veterans of the…

First Post Office in Midland · 1974

When first post office opened here Jan. 4, 1884, with Charles H. Welch as postmaster, settlers proposed to name the town Midway, because it was halfway between Ft. Worth and El Paso. Finding that another post office in…

The Yucca Theatre · 1981

Attracted by Midland's growing economy and the rapid development of the area's petroleum industry, T.S. Hogan announced plans for the construction of this facility in 1927. An oilman and former Montana senator, Hogan…

The Petroleum Building · 1982

T. S. Hogan, a Montana attorney, rancher and oilman, came to the Permian Basin in 1925, where he became active in the oil business. He was convinced Midland was situated in the center of the petroleum basin and that it…

Former Site of Midland National Bank · 1988

Organized in Odessa on August 22, 1902, as Odessa National Bank, this institution began with an initial capital of $25,000. In June 1903 the shareholders voted to move the bank to Midland and rename it Midland National…

Midland National Bank · 1988

Organized on August 22, 1902, in Odessa as Odessa National Bank, this institution began with an initial capital of $25, 000. Less than one year later the bank's shareholders voted to relocate to Midland and the…

First Christian Church of Midland · 1997

Chartered in 1890, the First Christian Church of Midland was organized by sixteen members who met in private homes until 1892. Tradition of service to the church and community began when charter member S. E. Townsend…

George Bush Family Home · 1998

George H. W. Bush, future President of the United States, moved to Texas in 1948 with his wife, Barbara, future First Lady, and their young son, George W., to begin work as an equipment clerk for the International…

George W. Bush Childhood Home · 2004

George Herbert Walker Bush and wife Barbara (Pierce) came to Texas in 1948, moving to Midland with son George Walker Bush in 1950. They bought this home in 1951 and while here faced the loss of daughter Robin and…

Midland County's First Producing Oil Well · 2005

The discovery of oil in the Permian Basin during the 1920s helped sustain the area economy during the Great Depression, and many oil and gas companies established headquarters in Midland. Not until the 1940s, though,…

First Baptist Church of Midland · 2006

The First Baptist Church of Midland began serving the city shortly after Midland's founding in 1885. That year, Baptists from Pecos, Big Spring and Midland agreed to hire the Rev. S.B. Callaway to serve the three…

Texas Petroleum in World War II · 2008

Brown-Dorsey House

Z. Taylor and Sara Brown moved their family to Midland in 1884. A rancher and merchant, Brown had this house built in 1899. Featuring carved wood details, an art glass window, and three fireplaces connected to a single…