Two lots will be up for auction at the foreclosure sale, set for January 2, 2024, 10:00 a.m., at the Fisher County Courthouse (usually at the north side entrance).
Parcel 6299, at 601 East Mead in Rotan, has an estimated bid minimum of $15,200.00.
Parcel 6483, at 808 North Garfield in Rotan, has an estimated bid minimum of $2,000.00.
More information can be found on the Perdue Brandon website.
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| - Rotan Family Dollar - |
The photo taken today shows the store is empty and there is no sign of life.
A search on the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission website yields no result for a license filed by this store.
The Texas Secretary of State now reports five candidates running in the 2024 March Primary Election for Fisher County.
Sheriff Simon Wade, Commissioner Precinct 1 Gordon Pippin and County Tax Assessor Collector Jonnye Speck are all running unopposed.
Commissioner Precinct 3 Preston Martin will be in a race with newcomer Stuart Posey.
No one filed for county attorney.
All are running on the Republican ticket.
The Texas Secretary of State is not reporting any new candidates for Fisher County other than Gordon Pippin for commissioner precinct one and Jonnye Speck for tax collector-assessor at this time, but the appointment of campaign treasurer is a fair measure of who will run, and it looks like there is going to be a race for precinct three commissioner.
As of December 8, Stuart Posey has submitted an Appointment of Campaign Treasurer. A campaign treasurer must be named before a candidate files for office. Candidates are allowed to name themselves as campaign treasurer and it is common practice to do so. Appointment this close to the deadline for candidate filing would indicate intention to run for office.
The filing for Appointment of Campaign Treasurer in August by Damon Clawson, seeking the sheriff's seat, is not known to be a serious bid since it was filed so far back and there has been no mention of his intentions.
When the SOS clears all candidate filings, the Fisher County March 2024 Primary Election might make for an interesting race.
Candidates who wish to run for local offices have until December 11 to file for the March 2024 primary.
Positions being voted on are sheriff, commissioners for precincts one and three, county tax assessor collector and county attorney.
As of now only two positions have been filed for: precinct one commissioner by incumbent Gordon Pippin and county tax assessor collector by incumbent Jonnye Lu Speck.
Appointments for campaign treasurers have been made by five people: Sheriff Simon Wade, Commissioner Pippin, Tax Assessor Collector Speck, sheriff challenger Damon B Clawson, and Commissioner Preston Martin. If all five file for candidacy, the only position with a contest will be county sheriff.
There has been no candidate or treasurer filing for the position of county attorney, currently held by Michael Hall.
To file as a candidate, contact Fisher County Clerk Pat Thomson for forms and fees needed.
Resources for this article: Texas Secretary of State & Fisher County Election page
It is looking optimistically likely that the Family Dollar Store will reopen in Rotan, in the same place it was before, 110 West Sammy Baugh.
In the last issue of the Double Mountain Chronicle, there was a notice for application to sell alcohol at the Family Dollar. That's almost a sure sign.
The store has been sorely missed. It is as close to a department store as the town has. No more having to drive 20-30 miles to buy a package of socks, a waterhose and a lighter.
Welcome back, Family Dollar
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program is now available for Fisher County children. Once signed up, a child will receive a free book every month until the age of five.
Registration is available on-line, in person (Abilene Public Library branches), or by mail.
Other local counties eligible to participate in this program are Jones, Taylor, Callahan, Shackelford, Coleman and Runnels.
The Imagination Library is brought to these communities by The United Way of Abilene.
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| - Montour et al - |
If you'd like to see a completely over the top reaction to an oil boom, look at the September 30, 1937 issue of the Sweetwater Reporter on The Portal to Texas History site.
Along with sensational headlines (NEW GUSHER BOOMS ROTAN) and claims of how oil will make everything shiny and new, this forty page document is a rich collection of historical information, much of it regarding Rotan and Fisher County.
In this special Oil and Progress Edition of the publication, a frenzy of articles was unleashed after the discovery of the Montour, Abrahamson & Largent well in Fisher County. It was a 13,000 barrel "gusher" in the Robinson Pool.
Something interesting to note on page 18 is an article titled "Gas pressure determines life of many oil fields" that states "Wells in the Rotan field produce oil from gas pressure, and are not equipped with pumps."
There's a lot of information covered in the articles, along with photos and ads. Technical as well as entertaining writing makes this a well-rounded historical source.
On page 28, Elliott Howard, claiming to be a former director of the Rotan State Bank and Rotan citizen since 1890, said that the Rotan townsite was where three ranches, the O-Bar-O, Pitchfork, and Hitson, once converged.
The advent of electric and telephone service and many well-known businesses and buildings are documented in this newspaper.
Photo credit: The Sweetwater Reporter via The Portal to Texas History
Do you wonder how your county is doing in the management of your water? The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has many areas of public interest that can be searched online.
Facility information can be found by starting at the Home Page>scrolling down to Facility Site>County>Search. You can also search by name or permit.
To look at the status of an individual license, go to Home Page>Licenses>Individual Search>Enter Name.
There are multiple ways to search for information and see the status of water delivery systems in your community and around the state.
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| - Callan House, Rotan - |
The first result that comes up when using the search term "Rotan, Texas" on The Portal to Texas History website,which I look at nearly daily, is a photo and link showing the blueprint for the Dr. W. W. Callan residence, drafted by noted architect David S. Castle in 1923. I began to be curious if this house still existed.
After searching land records on Texas File, I got it into my head that the Murdoch house was the old Callan house. There was a transaction in 1990 from the Callan's to the Murdoch's, so I thought it must be. The problem was that a lot of renovation would have had to have taken place to make the house the shape it is now from the original plan.
According to Fisher County Appraisal records, the Murdoch house sits on block 217, lots 10, 11, 12, Inside Addition. A description of a brick veneer residence built in 1925 fit the timeline between the 1923 plan and Dr. Walter William Callan's death in 1928. Still, something was off to my mind's eye.
I searched Fisher County Records, Fisher CAD, The Portal to Texas and a lot of other websites trying to make the pieces fit. I looked for old phone books and perused Fisher County history books trying to find the specifics on the house. If I could have found an old phone directory or Polk Directory, I could have simply looked up the address, but I wasn't successful in that endeavor.
I looked more closely in Texas File, the holder of the oldest records, which go back to 1910 for the Callan's. I came upon a deed from the Duffer's to W. W. Callan, dated 1923. This property description is block 215, lots 10, 11, 12, Inside Additon.
There is a house that stands on that property, but appraisal records show it as being built in 1920, outside of the timeline. Also, again, the shape wasn't quite right. It was similar, but the porte cochere was on a different side.
I drove by these houses over and over again, trying to match up things by sight. Finally, I used satellite imagery, comparing it to the blueprint overview to find the shape of the building. There it was, a block over from where I had originally been looking, and a few houses down from the 1920 house. Property description block 215, lots 7, 8, 9, Inside Addition.
There was a real sense of satisfaction in figuring it out, this puzzle that could have easily been put together by asking any number of people in Rotan or Fisher County. It was fun to dive back in time, though, and read the articles and look at the maps from a hundred years ago of the town and community I inhabit.
Photo source: The Portal of Texas History, Google Earth