Eastland History
An oil-boom town with Art Deco landmarks, red-brick streets and a horned toad that became a local legend. This is Eastland, Texas.
An Oil-Boom Town
The Boom Left Its Mark
Eastland's downtown still carries the ambition of the oil-boom era. During the county's 1919 boom, investors began constructing a five-story bank building on the square. Today, that former bank houses the Eastland County Museum, connecting the town's commercial past with the stories it preserves.
The courthouse, theatre and surviving red-brick streets give that history a visible presence. They are not interchangeable small-town scenery. Each is part of the way Eastland grew, and together they give downtown its particular character.
History You Can Still See
Art Deco
The 1928 Eastland County Courthouse
Red-Brick Streets
Remnants of the Bankhead Highway
The Majestic
A Theatre With Oil-Boom Roots
Eastland's Unlikely Celebrity
The Legend of Old Rip
For all its substantial buildings, Eastland's most unusual story belongs to a horned toad.
According to the legend, Old Rip was placed inside the cornerstone of the 1897 courthouse and emerged alive 31 years later. The remarkable claim became part of the town's identity. Today, a statue at Old Rip Park near the courthouse commemorates the story.
Whether you come for the architecture or leave remembering the toad, Old Rip gives Eastland something distinctly its own: a local legend that is difficult to forget.
Your Eastland Visit
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The Hotel