With no formal parishes established in Lubbock in the late 19th and early 20th century, traveling priests celebrated mass in the homes of the first Catholics who settled in the area. Starting in 1905, priest Joseph Keller started celebrating mass at a hotel. St. Joseph's Church was founded in 1924 by the Diocese of Dallas. The next year, the university parish was organized serving students and people in the western part of the growing city. As a result, the need for a new church structure became apparent. This building was completed in 1935 and dedicated the following year and was named St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church. The congregation and parish complex grew gradually over the coming decades and became the university parish in the early 1980s.

St. Elizabeth University Parish was established in 1935 as St. Elizabeth Catholic Church. 

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Constructed in 1935, St. Elizabeth University Parish is the second Catholic church built in Lubbock following the 1924 completion of St. Joseph's. The building was designed in the Spanish Mission style and incorporates Spanish Colonial and Byzantine elements. Notable features include elaborate stonework, tile roofs, a bell tower, and arched windows. The parish consists of a complex of buildings and serves students, faculty, and community members who live near Texas Tech University. 

St. Elizabeth University Parish

This short drive through Lubbock includes several museums as well as monuments, markers, and historic landmarks. New entries will be added to the tour very soon. 

Lubbock Texas Driving Tour

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The Plains Museum Society established the museum in 1929 as the West Texas Museum. Plans for a three-story building, called Holden Hall, were developed but initially only the basement was completed in 1937; the rest was finished in 1950. The museum was expanded in the coming years to include an art gallery, auditorium, and planetarium. The museum changed its name to Museum of Texas Tech University in 1969 and in the following year it moved to the present site. Since then, the museum has increased the size of its collections and expanded its educational programs. Long-term exhibits, as of November 2019, include Ice Age on the Southern Plains, which features remains of ancient megafauna; Southwest Indian art; A Changing World, which explores how dinosaurs evolved and eventually disappeared; and an art gallery displaying works of art created by western artists.

Established in 1929, the Museum of Texas Tech University explores a number of areas including anthropology, fine arts, clothing and textiles, natural sciences, history, and paleontology. The museum contains over seven million objects and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. As an organization run by the university, the museum's primary purpose is to conduct scientific, cultural, and research, and to share this work with students, researchers, and the general public. The museum consists of the main museum building, the Moody Planetarium, and the Natural Science Research Laboratory. The museum also manages the Lubbock Lake Landmark, a  National Historical Landmark and important archaeological site a little north of the university (the site includes a visitor center and museum). 

Museum of Texas Tech University

History and Historical Buildings The National Ranching Heritage Center dates back to 1966, when Texas Tech University asked a planning committee to investigate the feasibility of preserving evidence of ranching history. Initial fund raising throughout 1967 and ’68 raised over $50,000, and by 1969, the Ranching Heritage Association organized to assist in the development of the museum.&nbsp;The planning and fund raising came to fruition in 1970, as the Renderbrook-Spade Blacksmith Shop became the first historical structure moved to the site. School trips and weekend tours become popular in the mid-1970s and the museum gathered more structures, and by 1976, the National Ranching Heritage Center officially opened&nbsp;to the public. At the time, the museum featured 18 buildings, windmills, and corrals.1Some of the historic structures that are&nbsp;featured at the heritage center include the J.J. Gibson Memorial Park, El Capote Cabin, the one-room Bairfield School, Spur Granary and Stables, and many others. These structures were moved from their original locations, and although renovations were sometimes made, the historical buildings often feature original furnishings and each carries a profound history.2Collections at the Heritage Center 







In addition to the historic homes and structures featured throughout the 27.5-acre facility, visitors to the heritage center can also explore a massive collection of art and artifacts. The majority of the art collection features oil paintings and photographs that add new dimensions of appreciation regarding ranching life, while the artifacts showcase the real tools ranchers used as a daily part of their lives.3&nbsp;Containing both art and artifacts, the exhibitions at the heritage center display central historical themes regarding ranch life, and these collections include over&nbsp;180 antique firearms and accessories, horse saddles, over 1,000 spurs, clothing items, and much more. Young people should also keep an eye out for the variety of youth programs sponsored by the heritage center, including the Junior Rough Riders association, the summer youth classes, and even a Ranch Day.4&nbsp;

As settlers continued moving into Texas and the westward plains during the second half of the 18th century, ranching grew to become a prominent and respected occupation, and some of the wealthiest and poorest landowners were ranchers. Furthermore, as ranching predates Texas history, dating back to the 1690s with the Spaniards and their entradas, ranching is central to Texas history. 

Capturing and displaying this rich history is the National Ranching Heritage Center, a ranching history museum located on the grounds of the Texas Tech University in Lubbock. The variety of exhibits at this spacious museum hopes to educate both students and the public about the crucial role ranching played with regards to the Western cultural and economic experience. Visitors to the museum can discover everything from authentic horse saddles and lever-action rifles to nearly four dozen historic structures across the 27.5-acre facility.

National Ranching Heritage Center

Lubbock-area residents began to lobby the state to establish a college in the early 1900s. The town and surrounding region were thriving economically thanks to the large amount of ranch land available and the increasing number of railroads. Lubbock was one of several towns in the region that wanted a new college but in the end the state chose Lubbock (it is not readily apparent why). The barn and manufacturing facility were built in the second phase of the of college's construction. As noted above, the students were allowed house three of their own cows in the barn. They quickly established the Student Dairy Association and began producing and selling milk (and ice cream), an enterprise that was very successful. Another benefit was that they were allowed to pay tuition using milk sales. This ended, however, in 1935 when the college herd grew too large and the students had to remove their cows.The barn and the manufacturing buildings were used until 1964 when a new facility opened. The manufacturing building was demolished and the barn was abandoned. Over the years, there were calls for the barn to be torn down but it survived and in 1992 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Texas Technological College's Dairy Barn is one of the four original buildings of Texas Tech University still standing. Constructed in 1926 and designed in a combination of the Spanish Renaissance style and typical American barn construction, this was home to the college's Dairy Manufactures Department. For many years, students were allowed to house their own cattle in the barn and sell milk to the community. The barn was accompanied by a manufacturing facility that was eventually demolished. The university restored the barn and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Texas Technological College Dairy Barn

<div>Legislation signed by Governor Pat Neff on February 10, 1923 created Texas Technical College. During the following July, a committee began searching for a site to establish the new West Texas university. When the committee visited Lubbock, they were met with people gathered in the streets to show support for establishing a university in their community. Lubbock was chosen as the site for the university the following August. Lubbock was chosen over other considered area towns, such as Floydada, Plainview, Big Spring, and Sweetwater.&nbsp;Legislation&nbsp;signed by Governor Pat Neff on February 10, 1923 created Texas Technical College. The school's offerings had expanded well beyond just technical courses by the sixties. The name changed to Texas Tech University in September 1969 after being approved by legislation in June of that year. The university was integrated in 1961 with the admission of three African American students. The initial reaction was negative, resulting in the threat of a lawsuit. However, following this the university established a policy to admit "all qualified applicants regardless of color." In 1967, Danny Hardaway, a football player, became the first Black student to be offered an athletic scholarship. The first Black student to earn a doctorate was Hortense W. Dixon, who graduated in 1970. &nbsp;</div>

The Mast House was constructed in 1925 for Dr. Clarence S. Mast and his family. Mast, a physics professor, was an original faculty member of Texas Tech University. The home was built by A.M. Hensley, a prominent area builder. The house has Doric columnns on the porch and exhibits some features of the Colonial Revival Style. This style incorporated elements of the Georgian and Neoclassical styles. The Colonial Revival style mimics American Colonial architecture around the time of the Revolutionary War and often features elaborate front doors, a common feature of colonial times. The Colonial Revival architectural style was in part a result of The Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reacquainted Americans with their past. 

The Mast House-Historical Marker

Warren Bacon was born in Missouri and arrived in Texas in 1893. He found work as a shepherd in Lubbock County and eventually acquired his own herd of sheep. He also started to buy land and over time acquired more land, including ranches. In addition, he dug one of the first wells in the county, demonstrating that irrigation could in fact work. Warren also invested in other other activities. He became president of a lumber company, vice president of a wholesale grocery, and played a role in organizing the Citizen's National Bank of Lubbock and served on its board of directors. Warren was also a civic leader. He was a member of the first Board of City Development in 1926 and the first City Planning Commission in 1931. During the Great Depression, thanks to efforts of Warren and other business leaders, no banks failed in Lubbock. Warren died of a heart attack in 1938 at the age of 66.Myrta was born in 1878 in the Quaker colony located in Estacado. Her father was George M. Hunt, who first arrived in Estacado in 1884. George started to manage a hotel in what was first location of Lubbock (called "Old Lubbock") in 1891. The town was moved to its present location in 1890. Warren and Myrta got married in 1900. Before she passed away in 1967, she was believed to be the oldest surviving original resident of Lubbock. After she died, the house was leased to the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity of the nearby Texas Tech University. The Episcopal Diocese of Northwest Texas bought it in 1981 and has remained here ever since.

This historic home is significant for its architecture and association with its builder, Warren Bacon, who erected it in 1916, and his wife Myrta. The house is a fine and one of the few examples of the Colonial Revival style in Lubbock. Notable architectural features include the two-story porticos with Tuscan columns. Warren was a successful businessman, real estate developer, and civic leaders. Myrta was born to a prominent Quaker family who settled in what was the first Anglo settlement in the county. Today, the house is now the Sam Byron Hulsey Episcopal Center of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwest Texas. 

Bacon House

Born September 7, 1936 as Charles Hadin Holley, Holly, much like Johnny Cash and other now famous musicians of the time, grew up during the Great Depression, learning to play guitar and sing with his family at home. Many of Holly’s songs remain famous to this day, including “That’ll Be the Day” and “Peggy Sue.”

&nbsp;Due to differences with the band’s manager, Holly left “The Crickets”, the group he’d been with at Brunswick Records, and started a new band to embark on a Midwestern US tour. Included in this new band was now famous country music legend Waylon Jennings. Holly’s career was cut short by a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, where Holly had played and chartered a plane to travel to another show in Moorhead, Minnesota. The crash also killed fellow musicians Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper, as well as the pilot.Holly’s influence to the early rock and roll movement and to later rock musicians is vast and immeasurable. The standard rock and roll lineup of two guitars, bass, and drums is credited to Holly. Teenagers John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who at the time had just recently met and begun exploring their shared interest in music, saw Holly for the first time on the British variety television show Sunday Night at the London Palladium. The then seventeen-year-old Bob Dylan attended Holly's show on January 31, 1959, just two days before Holly died. Other legendary musicians listing Holly as a major influence include the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, and Elton John.

This Lubbock city historical marker commemorates music legend and Lubbock native Buddy Holly. Widely considered to be one of rock and roll’s founding musicians, Holly was a contemporary with the likes of Elvis Presley and Bill Haley and His Comets. He’d opened for both of these bands before being noticed by Eddie Crandall, a Nashville talent scout who boosted Holly’s career by helping him secure a contract with Decca Records.

Buddy Holly Historical Marker

Before Lubbock was established in 1890, mail service to the South Plains region was quite limited. However, as more people settled in the area and Lubbock and other communities were established, mail service gradually increased. Lubbock became the primary mail distribution center in the South Plains after the Santa Fe Railway built a line to the town. A small post office building was erected on what is now the intersection of Main Street and Texas Avenue. Eventually, a larger and more fire-resistant building (a brick structure) was built in 1919. During the next decade, Lubbock's population grew significantly—17,500 by the end of 1926—largely due to the discovery of oil and natural gas in the region. In 1927, postal receipts exceeded $90,000, which was a significant sum at the time. It became apparent early in the 1920s that the the city and South Plains needed a larger post office. As a result, local leaders began to correspond with federal post office officials requesting a new building in 1923. Additionally, on two occasions, in 1925 and 1926, heavy rains collapsed the roof of the 1919 post office, providing further rationale for a new building. Also during these years, local leaders were trying to convince the federal government to establish a federal court. These two efforts were combined and the current structure was finally built in 1932.The federal government used the building until the late 1990s when the post office and courthouse moved to new buildings. The 1932 building was left vacant until 2018 when a developer converted it to apartment lofts.

Constructed in 1932, the Lubbock Post Office and Federal Building is the oldest surviving federal building in the city. It is significant for its architecture and the role it played in Lubbock's emergence as the economic center of the South Plains region. It symbolizes the federal government's recognition of this development. In terms of architecture, it was designed in the Classical Revival style and resembles an Italian Renaissance palazzo. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995, it is now a residential building called the Courthouse Lofts. 

Lubbock Post Office and Federal Building

The Burlington Railroad decided to build the depot for two reasons. One was the growth of the cotton market in the region after World War I, which the railroad wanted to take advantage of. The other reason was that other railroads—such as the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway company—were expanding in the South Plains, and the Burlington Railroad wanted to compete for the same markets. The depot was built when the city was growing and its construction helped establish Lubbock as the main economic center in the region. The railroad by this time was the most successful in the South Plains as it had more connections to Dallas, Witchita Falls, and Fort Worth than the other railroads. The depot operated until 1953 when it was abandoned. By then, train service had declined as car and trucks became the preferred choice for transportation. Local businesses then used the depot for storage. It became a restaurant in 1976 and designated Lubbock's first historic landmark in August 1979. It was was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. The restaurant operated until 1997. Within the next few years, it was converted to the Buddy Holly Center. Buddy Holly was born Charles Hardin Holley in September of 1936. His rise to rock and roll fame in the 1950s was influenced by local acts he viewed and participated in in the town of Lubbock. Holly’s big break was in 1955, when he opened for the Rock and Roll legend Elvis Presley. Despite originally leaning more towards Country music, after performing with Elvis, Buddy Holly devoted himself to Rock and Roll.   In 1959, Buddy Holly passed away in a tragic plane crash with a number of other influential musicians, which led to the day of his death being referred to as “the day the music died,” by musician Don McLean. Buddy Holly is widely credited with establishing the guitar-centric format of Rock and Roll bands that is still common to this day. The Buddy Holly Center now serves as a permanent landmark to the young musician’s influence and reach. Every year there is a Day of Remembrance for the “day the music died,” in which Holly and his fellows are celebrated and studied. In recent years, the Center has attracted the patronage of other music greats, such as Paul McCartney of the Beatles, who has long credited Holly for his influence on the music of the band that lead the British Invasion and set Beatlemania into motion. McCartney played at the center in 2014.

Located in a historic railroad freight center, the Buddy Holly Center serves as a center of the arts for residents in Lubbock. The building was constructed to service freight trains in the early 20th century.  The building was later put to use for a variety of industries, an example of Lubbock’s adaptive use of buildings. In the 1950s, for example, the building served as a business warehouse and salvage yard. In the 1970s, the building was adapted to hold a restaurant. The Lubbock City Council named the building among their inaugural class of Lubbock Historical Monuments. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places near the time when the restaurant closed in 1997. The City of Lubbock purchased the building and began the process of renovation and restoration/ A few years later, the Buddy Holly Center opened as a cultural center, art gallery, and a museum that offers exhibits about the famous musician. Art exhibitions cover a variety of topics and the Center holds a permanent gallery devoted to the artists and musicians of West Texas.

The Buddy Holly Center

Stubbs moved to Lubbock in 1930 to pick cotton with his family as sharecroppers, and he began working in restaurants. During the Korean War, he received significant fame for cooking meals for over 10,000 troops. After returning to Lubbock, he opened his own restaurant in 1968. The restaurant quickly became well-known for its food as well as the music and atmosphere.  The restaurant quickly became the center of the Lubbock music scene, with the jukebox full blues and even live performances by blues legends Stevie Ray Vaughan, Willie Nelson, B.B. King, Johnny Cash, Muddy Waters, and other musicians.

This memorial honors Christopher B. "Stubbs" Stubblefield, Sr. who opened the original Stubb’s Bar-B-Q Restaurant at this location in 1968. The restaurant quickly became famous for live music and BBQ sauce. Stubbs' restaurant was destroyed in a fire in 1980 and he died in 1995. However, Stubbs' BBQ sauce can still be purchased at most grocery stores.   

Stubb’s Memorial

Establishment of the American&nbsp;Wind Power Center and Museum The history of the American Wind Power Center and Museum can be traced back to Billie Wolfe, a faculty member of Texas Tech’s College of Home Economics. In the mid-1960s, Wolfe&nbsp;discovered that historical windmills were rapidly disappearing. During the next 30 years, Wolfe traveled all over the United States searching for different windmills, interviewing farm and ranch owners, and securing and shipping windmills to Lubbock.&nbsp;In 1993, Wolfe and Coy F. Harris, a Lubbock native and CEO of Wind Engineering Corporation, established the National Windmill Project as a non-profit organization. Just 4 years later, the City of Lubbock offered a permanent stretch of land south of MacKenzie Park, and by 1998, a formal opening was held for the American Wind Power Center. Since then, this center and museum has received international recognition for the work that Billie Wolfe started way back in the 1960s.1Features of the Museum 







Visitors coming to the American Wind Power Center and Museum will undoubtedly notice the Vestas V47 wind turbine, which dominates the windmill grounds. Standing at over 50 meters tall, this windmill turns about 660 kW of power, which is enough to fully power the museum. In fact, excess power that this windmill produces is sold to the local power grid.&nbsp;The other highly popular windmill is the Flowerdew Hundred Postmill, a highly accurate recreation of the first windmill ever constructed in North America in 1621. The original windmill was located in Virginia on Sir George Yeardley’s plantation and was destroyed in a storm, and the recreated windmill at the American Wind Power Center has incorporated features that illustrate English windmill technology in the 18th century, and it is one of the few working Post-Mills in the Western Hemisphere.3







A side room of the center also features the world's largest windmill mural. This mural stands at over 34 feet high and 172 feet long, and it includes a 15-minute recording that details the history and development of this mural. The mural, produced by artist LaGina Fairbetter, depicts the history, present, and future of the windmill.&nbsp;Another important sight to see at this museum is the last remaining “twin-wheel” windmill, which was a model infamous for killing more workers that other types of windmills.4&nbsp;

Wind power endures as a prominent energy source that has given humans electrical and machine power for hundreds of years, and some argue that the future of energy rests in wind power and other natural energy sources. Located east of downtown Lubbock on 28 acres of city park, the American Wind Power Center and Museum showcases over 160 American-style windmills as well as windmill history and any windmill-related information an enthusiasts would like to know.

Most of the windmills on these grounds are the water-pumping styles, and nearly 60 windmills are actively pumping water. Additionally, museum-goers can discover wind electric windmills, some of which date back to the early 1920s. In addition to displaying a variety of water pumping and wind electric windmills, including the 50-meter, 660kW Vestas V47 wind turbine, the American Wind Power Center focuses on interpreting and displaying the relationship between humans, the environment, and technology through the medium of this museum.

Lubbock Texas Driving Tour

St. Elizabeth University Parish

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information