Winding up in Whitney

Whitney is a small town in Hill County was named after, surprisingly enough, Charles A. Whitney. Although it

Dave and Vince, on the road

is near Lake Whitney, that’s not why the town appeared in its location. We took a ride out to Whitney just to get out of the city and to see if the trees had begun to reflect the change from summer to autumn. We were, of course, also looking for somewhere new for lunch.




Back in 1876 the Houston and Texas Central Railroad built a line through Hill County to Cleburne; that was the beginning of Whitney. The railroad

Farm

purchased land from I. E. Griffith, C. C. Hicks, and Lewis Raborn that was originally part of the Sterling Robertson grant. Standing on a wagon that marked the site of the future train depot, an auctioneer sold town lots. Rather quickly local merchants set up temporary storefronts, drawing dealers from nearby communities who anticipated the rapid growth of the community. Permanent buildings were erected drawing even more people, as well as a post office. The land around the railroad was used for farming, but crops failed in 1880 leaving people without food. The railroad stepped in and brought carloads of corn for food as well as to restore the farming. Two years later, Whitney produced 22,000 bales of cotton (this crop, apparently, was more profitable than the corn crops).

Whitney continued to grow, establishing banks, schools, churches, and a

Historic house

newspaper. However, after 1883 the population began to decline. To combat this, the people of the community decided to have a picnic, inviting people from all around the state. The speeches, sporting events, entertainment, and more than a ton of barbecue made the event a success. Nearly 1000 people moved to the area, boosting the population and bringing commerce back to the city. This boom lasted until about 1915 when the population began to decline, again. But it wasn’t until 1944 that Whitney began to grow once more.

The Whitney Dam and Reservoir Project required a bond election to raise taxes for improvement of city services. Two years later, the project began

Presbyterian Church

attracting workers, and businesses. One of these new businesses was the Blue Chip Ice Company that was built to provide ice for the building of the dam; the cement mix required ice in the summer. Lake Whitney was both a benefit and a detriment to the community. Once the lake was inundated, farm land was reduced by 15,800 acres, making the profitability of farming less likely. However, the lake attracted tourists and their dollars.



Although ranching still is popular in the area, Whitney has become a

Boutique and Masonic Lodge

‘bedroom community’ within easy commuting distance to Hillsboro and Cleburne; it’s a bit farther to Waco. The population has increased to more than 2,000 people, and the town boasts about 200 businesses. Tourism is still big business with Whitney labeled as the ‘Getaway Capital of Texas’, attracting folks interested in fishing, camping, and boating. There are several restaurants and places to stay. We didn’t spend the night, but we did sample some of the local cuisine. For information about my rating system, see Reading the Reviews.

Four carrots

The Texas Great Country Café and Pie Pantry (903 S Bosque St, Whitney, TX 76692, 254-694-3608) is billed as an ‘Unassuming American eatery serving breakfast, sandwiches, classic mains and homemade

Top L to R: Cornbread, Beef stroganoff,
Restaurant
Bottom L to R: Beef sandwich, Chicken fried
steak

pies’. And this is very accurate. What it doesn’t say is that what appears to be a tiny restaurant in a strip shopping center actually takes up most of the strip; there are three seating areas plus the area for the pie pantry. The waitresses are efficient, friendly, and can be silly (which we really liked). The food is good; the servings are large and the prices are good. Dave had the chicken fried steak; there was more meat than breading and the breading was well spiced rather than being doughy. The vegetables were fresh and well prepared. Vince ordered the lunch special; this day it was beef stroganoff. Although this is a fairly unusual dish for a country restaurant, he said it was tasty and exactly what he wanted. I had an open-faced beef sandwich. Of course it came with mashed potatoes, and I asked that my second side be fried okra; it was a good decision. Dave and Vince got okra, also; I was pleased not to have to share mine. We also got a basket of rolls. The cornbread, that was quite good, was in the shape of Texas.  Unfortunately, we were all too full to order pie – but next time, we will! This place made us all smile.

Old road

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