Welcome to the W. K. Gordon Center for Industrial History of Texas!

The mission of the W. K. Gordon Center is to preserve, document, and research
the industrial history of Thurber and the State of Texas and to interpret its influence on the people of Texas.  The focus of the permanent exhibits in the W.K. Gordon Center is the development of the coal, brick, and petroleum industries in the Thurber vicinity. A special collections library and research area permits serious examination of life in Thurber and in other areas of industrial development in Texas and the Southwest.

The Gordon Center actively collects materials pertaining to the economic, political, and social history of Thurber and other centers of industrial development.  When donated to the Center, these manuscripts, photographs, artifacts, and oral histories are cataloged and become valuable resources for education and research.  Potential donors should contact the curator for additional information.

Tarleton State University Foundation, Inc. built the Center, with support from Mrs. W.K. Gordon, Jr., Erath County, and the Texas Department of Transportation. It opened to the public in November 2002 and attracts thousands of visitors each year to exhibits and special programs.  The Center represents the culmination of a long-standing relationship between the University and the town of Thurber, Texas. 

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