History in a Pecan Shell
Annie Graham, daughter of pioneer settler J. M. Keen is the town’s namesake. Keen
was an ex-Confederate who started ranching and amassed a herd estimated to number
1,500. Cattle needs to go to market and in 1908 Anarene was founded alongside
the tracks of the Wichita Falls and Southern Railroad.
The town was a
cooperative effort between the railroad and Charlie Graham with help from J. H.
Kemp and Frank Kell, two of the most successful men in the county (and railroad
Anarene was platted and received a post office as well
as a two-story hotel. Success seemed guaranteed. Facilities for handling the cattle
were built – including dipping vats, pens and loading ramps. A demand for beef
during WWI drew thousands of head
from Anarene – some of the steers selling for over $300 a head – a record price.
In 1929 with a population estimated at 100, Anarene never realized its potential.
The Great Depression hit the town hard and in 1933 it was reported there were
only 20 residents left. The town lost its post office and the railroad station
in the mid 1950s.
Anarene Tidbit:Anarene was the name they
gave to Archer City as
being the town in 'The Last Picture Show'. - Mike
Town of AnareneLandowner
Charles E. Graham (1872-1937) in 1908 granted the Wichita Falls and Southern Railroad
a route across his property and platted a town at this site. Anarene was named
for his wife Annie Lawrence Graham, daughter of pioneer cattleman J. Marion Keen.
Graham built a hotel and obtained a post office, cattle pens, dipping vat and
other facilities. The town schoolhouse was used for religious services. In 1921
oil was discovered nearby. A refinery was built in 1938. When oil production ceased
and the trains stopped running in 1954, Anarene quickly declined.