B. B. Paddock Family Papers

Buckley B. Paddock (1844-1922) was a Fort Worth businessman and promoter. Collection materials include correspondence, legal documents, clippings, genealogical information, printed material, sheet music, photographs, artifacts, and an account book. The bulk of the collection is family correspondence dating from 1864 to 1929. Early letters from Paddock to his wife relate his Civil War experiences and impressions of Texas and Fort Worth; others were written during Paddock's business trips in search of backing for railroads. Legal documents consist primarily of subscription notes and other items (1908-1909) regarding the proposed Fort Worth-Springtown and Mineral Wells Interurban Railway Company, and a few agreements pertaining to other railroads. Clippings include several articles and obituaries about Paddock and his family, and a copy of his "tarantula map" predicting the development of Fort Worth railroads. Genealogical information pertains to Paddock ancestry. Printed material consists of two bound volumes of sheet music for piano as well as a few other items. Photographs include family portraits, shots of Paddock with military and other groups, and views of the Texas Spring Palace and Paddock's home.

Finding aid available here. Materials provided by Special Collections and Archives at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Printing is not supported at the primary Gallery Thumbnail page. Please first navigate to a specific Image before printing.

Switch View to Grid View Slideshow

Letter from B.B. Paddock to wife Emmie

Letter from B.B. Paddock to wife Emmie, dated 04/16/1865.
Letter from B.B. Paddock to wife Emmie

A four-paged Letter from B.B. Paddock to wife Emmie, dated 03/20/1864.
Letter from B.B. Paddock to wife Emmie

A four-paged Letter from B.B. Paddock to wife Emmie, dated 03/20/1864.
Portrait photograph of seven Civil War veterans

Seven Civil War veterans photographed B. B. Paddock is standing second from right while General William Cabell of Dallas is seated center front. The mean are wearing a mix of suits and military uniforms and their Civil War medals. They are photographed in what might be a bedroom. There is a bed along one wall, a chandelier hanging from the ceiling and gas lights with a picture on another wall. The walls are wall papered and there is carpet on the floor. Behind the men is a window with large drapes on it.
A Confederate veterans reunion

A group of Confederate veterans attend a reunion. Most of the men are wearing their Army uniforms. Three women in white dresses and very large hats stand behind the men. The women have long ribbons affixed to the fronts of their dresses. One of the women if holding a Texas flag. B. B. Paddock is in the front row, center. The group is standing in front of a brick building with large windows.
Cabinet card photograph of Captain B. B. Paddock

Edward Smith

Cabinet card photo of Captain B.B. Paddock. The picture was taken in a photographer's studio. Mr. Paddock is wearing a coat that is buttoned up. His left leg is bent at the knee and is resting on top of a short pedestal. In his right hand he is holding a cane.
Texas Spring Palace, Fort Worth, Texas, June, 1889

G. C. Rhine

An exhibit of food canned in glass containers at the 1889 Texas Spring Palace in Fort Worth. The containers are arranged on several tables. The tables are skirted with what look to be dried corn leaves.
The father of the Texas Spring Palace

C. L. Swartz

Portrait photograph of the "Father of the Texas Spring Palace." This is not B. B. Paddock, but it could be general R. A. Cameron. The gentleman sits in a formal pose wearing a suit. He has a long beard and a mustache.
Edge Hill, also known as the Hurley Building, was the original home of B. B. Paddock

D. H. Swartz View Company

Edge Hill, also known as the Hurley Building, was the original home of B. B. Paddock [Southeast corner of West Terrell Avenue and South Jennings Avenue, near 901 South Jennings, Fort Worth]. It was built in the 1880s and demolished in the early 1900s. The home is a very large two story wood building. Lightning rods and a chimney may be seen on the roof. A man and a woman are standing on the large covered porch, perhaps Mr. and Mrs. B. B. Paddock. The house has a large number of large windows. In the yard are a number of cedar bushes, some of them sculpted into curving shapes.
Texas Spring Palace, Fort Worth, Texas, June, 1889

G. C. Rhine

Corner room inside the Texas Spring Palace. On two walls of the room are very large windows. Between them is a fireplace. Elsewhere in the room are scattered a few chairs and other pieces of furniture.
Framed photographic portrait of Emmie Harper Paddock, wife of B. B. Paddock

Copy print of framed photographic portrait of Emmie Harper Paddock, wife of B. B. Paddock.
Cabinet card photo of B. B. Paddock

Swartz Photographers

Cabinet card of B. B. Paddock by Swartz; annotated with "Fort Worth, Pres. Spring Palace." Mr. Paddock is attired in a buttoned suit coat, a high, starched white collar and his hair severely parted in the middle.
Carte de visite of Emmie Harper Paddock, wife of B. B. Paddock

Carte de visite of Emmie Harper Paddock, wife of B. B. Paddock. A portrait photograph or Mrs. Paddock. She is wearing a white lace collar and a dark jacket.
Texas Spring Palace, June 1889

G. C. Rhine

Exterior of the Texas Spring Palace, June 1889; photograph made by G. C. Rhine of Fort Worth, official photographer for the Spring Palace. The three-block wide building featured eight towers and a massive dome.
B.B. Paddock illustration of railroad lines into and out of Fort Worth

Fort Worth Register newspaper, dated 09/28/1902; article and map showing fictional map drawn by B.B. Paddock showing railroad lines into and out of Fort Worth, made in July 1878.
Texas Spring Palace invitation

Invitation by The Homer Lee Bank Note Co., New York: Texas Spring Palace, Fort Worth, Texas, May 29 to June 20, 1889.