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Wichita County approves $100 sponsorship for marker at former county farm
Summary
Wichita County Commissioner’s Court voted 5-0 to pay a $100 application fee to the Texas Historical Commission for a marker application documenting the county farm site after a presentation by the Wichita County Historical Commission.
Wichita County Commissioner’s Court voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a $100 sponsorship fee to the Texas Historical Commission for an application to place a historical marker at the former Wichita County Farm site.
The vote followed a presentation by Becky Trammell of the Wichita County Historical Commission, who described the county farm’s history and the commission’s recent work. "Not many people know that Wichita County had a poor farm that existed for nearly 70 years starting in 1912," Trammell said. She told commissioners the commission has 29 members who together "put in 5363 volunteer hours."
Trammell said the farm once included several houses, barns, a cannery and a county-run "pest house" for tuberculosis; the only visible remnant today, she said, is the cemetery where indigent burials continue. The marker application narrative submitted to the Texas Historical Commission describes the Jernigan family’s long supervision of the farm and notes significant building loss after the 1979 tornado.
Trammell also outlined the marker process and costs: the initial application requires a $100 nonrefundable fee, and, if approved by the Texas Historical Commission later this year, the production cost of a marker is currently $2,400. She said the historical commission is in its spring marker cycle and has eight marker applications this round.
Commissioner Beauchamp moved to approve issuance of the $100 check to the Texas Historical Commission to be paid from county contingencies with lines to be determined by the county auditor. Commissioner Mahler seconded. The motion carried, 5-0.
The court’s action covers the application fee only; final approval and the physical marker remain subject to review and approval by the Texas Historical Commission. Trammell told the court she is also working on other marker nominations, including one for Hector Basie, an African American cowboy she described as buried at Riverside Cemetery.
Votes at the meeting were voice votes after the motion was called; the clerk recorded the motion as carried 5-0.
