De Leon Peanut Company
De Leon, Comanche County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Cotton was the major cash crop for farmers in Comanche County until the early 20th Century. The combined effects of distastrous weather conditions in 1908-09, a national economic downturn, and a major infestation of the Mexican boll weevil in 1914 caused many Comanche County farmers to abandon their decades-long reliance on cotton and turn to the more lucrative prospect of peanut farming. Because shipping peanuts to Fort Worth for processing reduced local farmers' profits, N. T. Haskins organized the De Leon Peanut Company in 1912. Its first board of directors included R. W. Higginbotham, W. H. Williams, B. T. Higginbotham, Jr., J. B. Wilson, A. E. Hampton, and W. E. Lowe. By 1914, peanuts were the leading cash crop in the county, and the company enlarged its operations to meet growing demand. A six-story main building was completed in 1917; soon the plant was processing up to ten railroad carloads of peanuts per day. The business survived an economic crisis in the 1920s and remained a strong force in the local community, which has been called "The Peanut Capital of the World." Acquired by a national company in 1967, the De Leon Peanut Company has played a vital role in Comanche County history. (1994)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When boll weevils, bad weather, and a national downturn broke Comanche County's long reliance on cotton, farmers turned to peanuts—and in 1912 N.T. Haskins organized the De Leon Peanut Company so growers wouldn't have to ship their crop all the way to Fort Worth. By 1914 peanuts were the county's leading cash crop, and a six-story plant completed in 1917 could process ten railroad carloads a day, helping earn De Leon the nickname "The Peanut Capital of the World."
Why it matters
The company's rise from agricultural crisis is a classic story of American resilience, showing how a farming region reinvented its entire economy when its old cash crop failed.
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Related people
- · N.T. Haskins
Themes & tags
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