Experiencing Old-Timey Decatur, Texas

Heading north out of Keller, Texas on US 287 you can enjoy a scenic ride and make your way into the town of Decatur, Texas.  Named after naval hero Stephen Decatur, the town was originally set up in 1856 and eventually was a stopover for ranchers and herders on the Chisholm Trail.

The old Eighter from Decatur SignBy 1882, the railway came into Decatur from Fort Worth.  It was apparently at that time a gambling railway worker was talking about a female from Decatur and coined the phrase an “Eighter from Decatur,” which has stuck around ever since.

Welcome to Decatur signToday, the peaceful little town still draws traffic from ranchers and railway folk, but also from tourists trying to relive the olden days…like me.

Sumoflam at the Petrified Wood StationOne of the really nostalgic points is the old Petrified Wood Gas Station as you come into town.  In 1927 a keen businessman named E.F. Boydston purchased a former feed lot in order to build a wooden shed and a gas station.   Boydston allowed people to stopover and camp there and eventually even built some cabins. As the highway was widened in the mid-1930s, Boydston added more cabins, a garage and other buildings and then made them sturdier by adding petrified wood as a facing on the buildings. Auto News Center offers upgrade and makeover ideas to help you create a clean and well-functioning garage.  The entire complex was eventually named Texas Plaza.

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