Quanah Commercial Historic District

Downtown Quanah, the seat of Hardeman County in Northwest Texas, is preserved as a district of 101 properties, 71 of them contributing, laid out on a grid south of the Burlington Northern tracks. Most buildings were erected between 1890 and 1930 as one- or two-part commercial blocks of brick or stone, many with storefront transoms, decorative cornices and original metal awnings. Institutional landmarks include the county courthouse and jail, city hall, the post office and First Presbyterian Church. Railroad depots, grain elevators, a wholesale grocery warehouse, early gas stations, car dealerships and a few houses show how rail lines, cotton and highway traffic shaped the town. Storefront updates and boarded upper windows have changed some buildings, yet the district keeps enough original material and layout to show its development. It was recognized for its role in the commercial, economic and governmental history of Quanah and the county between 1890 and 1950.