The other 5 caches in this series with letters and numbers inside are: GC6YMYB, GC6YMYQ, GC6YMYX, GC6YMZ0, GC6YMZ5.
Windmill Historical Marker
The Thweatt Farm windmill sits at the corner of Coppell’s Heritage Park. In 2003 it was donated to the City and relocated from the Thweatt family farm at the northwest corner of Denton Tap Road and Bethel School Road. In 1868, three years after the end of the Civil War, Joseph Thomas Thweatt came to this area from Mississippi and acquired a large section of land on the northwest side of what would five years later be named Gibbs, and then seven years after that named Coppell.
The windmill was manufatured by Dempster Industries. Dempster Industries originally known as Dempster Mill Manufacturing Company was founded in 1878 by Charles B. Dempster and located in Beatrice, Nebraska. During this time the Civil War was over and many American and Immigrant families were heading west to take up a new life where the U.S. government was offering them homestead land. Mr. Dempster was aware of these homesteaders would need water pumps, machinery and tools to survive and prosper. A manufacturing plant was built to produce windmills, hand pumps, water well products and agricultural implements. During the years following, Dempster produced hundreds of various products and machines for the water and agricultural industries.
Kirkland House
Originally located 474 feet to the west, Kirkland House was built in 1904 for John M. and Edna Jeanette and their seven children. Kirkland House is the oldest house in Coppell. After its relocation and restoration in 2011, the house today is an excellent example of a turn of the century home with its Victorian parlor, ornate wallpaper, tall ceilings, and wood burning stove.
Minyard Grocery Store
Originally 1720 feet due west, the Minyard Grocery Store is a small grocery store that was remodeled to resemble the first Minyard store in East Dallas. The store was moved to the Minyard Corporate Offices in Coppell in 1980. In 2011, it was donated to the City of Coppell by the Minyard family and relocated to its current location in 2011. The store is full of items from a grocery store of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s with its ornate cash register, weighing scales, storage bins, period signs, and a multitude of other items. The store is representative of Coppell’s own stores.
The W.O. Harrison dry good store was built in 1874 and was located where the Coppell Barber Shop and the Ivy Cottage are located today.
The J.H. Cozby and Co. drugstore was a typical early building with a tall frame façade. It was located where Kirkland House sits today.
For more information on the history of Coppell, and it's residents, these books are available on Amazon:
- 'Coppell, Texas: A History (Brief History)' written by Jean Murph and Lou Duggan
- 'Legendary Locals of Coppell' by Shaun M. Jex.
The Coppell Historical Society meets regularly at the Kirkland House and can be contacted by email at info@coppellhistoricalsociety.org. Their website can be found at www.coppellhistoricalsociety.org.
About the cache: black bison tube
Congrats to arlingtontrains7 for FTF!