Site of Celtic Post Office
Silverton, Briscoe County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(0.8 mi. E) The first two post offices in the area were established at Celtic and Luther on May 2, 1891, eleven months before formal organization of Briscoe County. Celtic was named by pioneer E.R. Thomas, who operated the post office and a store in his home near this site. In 1892 the post office was moved to the home of Hayden W. Savage, an organizer of the county. The following year it was consolidated with postal operations in Silverton. Although in service for a short time, the Celtic post office was vital to early settlers, which included cowboys from nearby ranches. (1983)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The Celtic post office opened on May 2, 1891 — nearly a year before Briscoe County was even formally organized — when pioneer E.R. Thomas ran it out of the store in his home. It moved the next year to the house of county organizer Hayden W. Savage before being folded into Silverton's postal operations in 1893. Though short-lived, it was a lifeline for the earliest settlers and cowboys working the surrounding Panhandle ranches.
Why it matters
Tiny frontier post offices like Celtic were the first threads of government and connection on the Texas Panhandle, marking where scattered ranch settlers began to knit a county together.
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Related people
- · E.R. Thomas
- · Hayden W. Savage
Themes & tags
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