Goodnight in Armstrong County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Site of Old Goodnight Ranch
Photographed By Timothy McDaniel, November 5, 2011
1. Site of Old Goodnight Ranch Marker
Inscription.
Site of Old Goodnight Ranch. .
First ranch in the Texas panhandle Established in 1876 by Charles Goodnight 1836- 1929 Noted scout, Indian fighter, trail blazer and rancher The Burbank of the range.
First ranch in the Texas panhandle
Established in 1876 by
Charles Goodnight
1836- 1929
Noted scout, Indian fighter, trail blazer
and rancher
The Burbank of the range
Erected 1936 by State of Texas. (Marker Number 4850.)
Location. 35° 1.838′ N, 101° 10.979′ W. Marker is in Goodnight, Texas, in Armstrong County. Marker can be reached from County Road 25, 0.2 miles south of U.S. 287, on the right when traveling south. Marker is at the northeast corner of the Goodnight ranch house. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Clarendon TX 79226, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Photographed By Timothy McDaniel, November 5, 2011
3. Goodnight Ranch House
The Goodnights moved in this spacious, two-story house on December 27, 1887. Records show that he hired a carpenter for $100 a month to travel to Louisiana to select cypress wood for the house, which became the first home in Goodnight, Texas. The 2,900 square foot, two-story Victorian style home contains hardwood floors made in Trinidad, Colorado, and has leaded stained glass in the windows. The house contains a 361 square foot basement and a 268-square foot sleeping porch on the south side. Two out buildings still stand on the property. Over the years , plumbing and bathrooms, were added, but the house remains essentially as Goodnight had it built and was occupied until 1998. The house was state of the art in its day, a graceful structure with five chimneys and a three color paint scheme. It included wide porches and bay windows. inside, beneath 9'4" ceilings, were four bedrooms, a parlor, Goodnights office, a dining room, a kitchen and a ballroom where Molly Goodnight entertained. The house was bought by the Mattie Hedgecock estate in 1933, and used as ranch headquarters until 1998. Mr. and Mrs. Brent Caviness, and Mr. and Mrs. Marsh Pittman bought the house in 2004. In 2005, they donated the home and 30 acres to the Armstrong county museum. In 2007 the house received Historical designation from the state of Texas and the national register of historical places.
Photographed By Bill Kirchner, November 16, 2016
4. Bison
Nearby bison herd, descendants of the herd raised by Charles and Mary Ann Goodnight.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 15, 2016. It was originally submitted on November 8, 2011, by Timothy McDaniel of Lewisville, Texas. This page has been viewed 1,902 times since then and 59 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on November 8, 2011, by Timothy McDaniel of Lewisville, Texas. 2. submitted on December 14, 2016, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. 3. submitted on November 8, 2011, by Timothy McDaniel of Lewisville, Texas. 4. submitted on December 14, 2016, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.