Sweetwater Commercial Historic District

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

From the record

One of 4 National Register listings published here for Nolan County · listed in 1984 · category: District.

Sources: the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

Address. Roughly between 1st and 5th, and Ash and Texas and Pacific RR tracks, Sweetwater, 79556
When was it listed? June 1984
Category. district
Census division. Sweetwater
Architectural style. Neoclassical architecture
National Register reference number. 84001915 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

125 since 2006

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 125 fires within 5 miles of Sweetwater Commercial Historic District between 2006 and 2020, burning about 876 acres in total. 3 started naturally. 4 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	46
Equipment and vehicle use	28
Debris and open burning	17
Power generation/transmission/distribution	9
Railroad operations and maintenance	8
Recreation and ceremony	4
Smoking	4
Arson/incendiarism	4
Natural	3
Misuse of fire by a minor	2

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
9 September 2009	Natural	5.0 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	MM 253 PASTURE FIRE
6 September 2013	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	1.0 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	BLUEBONNET FIRE
26 September 2013	Smoking	1.0 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	20 248 FIRE
22 September 2011	Power generation/transmission/distribution	1.0 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	900 RUNNELS FIRE
20 September 2011	Equipment and vehicle use	200 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	170/443
2 September 2010	Debris and open burning	2.0 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	COUNTRY CLUB GRASS FIRE
16 September 2013	Smoking	1.0 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	15TH FIRE
12 September 2019	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	12 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	USG

Every fire recorded in Nolan County

Mines and quarries near this property

10 of 11 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 11 workings within 5 miles of Sweetwater Commercial Historic District: 8 producers, 3 occurrences. 8 still produce. What was taken out: Gypsum-Anhydrite, Strontium, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Perlite. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status	Recorded
Lonestar Clay Pit	Clay	Producer
Hillsdale Pit & Plant	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Stevenson Property	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Sweetwater Gypsum Plant	Gypsum-Anhydrite, Perlite	Producer
Sweetwater Gypsum Quarry	Gypsum-Anhydrite, Perlite	Producer
Hopkins Prospect	Strontium	Occurrence	Celestite
Scott and Roy Occurrence	Strontium	Occurrence	Celestite
Somnerville Occurrence	Strontium	Occurrence	Celestite
Sweetwater Plant	Gypsum-Anhydrite	Producer
Unnamed Quarry	Gypsum-Anhydrite	Producer	Sedimentary

Every working recorded in Nolan County

Storms near this property

60 of 146 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Sweetwater, the town this property stands in, in 146 storm reports between 1993 and 2024: 82 hail, 43 thunderstorm wind, 14 flash flood, 4 tornado. The reports record 2 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
May 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	1 hurt, $1,000,000	no account filed
March 2007	Tornado (EF0)	Sweetwater	1 hurt, $10,000	The tornado began on Interstate 20 at Stink Creek Road and overturned a tractor trailer rig on the interstate.
May 2004	Hail	Sweetwater	$1,500,000	Several homes and businesses on the south side of Sweetwater received significant damage due to golf ball size hail in combination with 80 mph winds.
May 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	$1,500,000	Significant damage was noted in the southern portions of Sweetwater due to 80 mph winds and golf ball size hail.
May 1995	Hail	Sweetwater	$300,000	no account filed
March 2004	Tornado (F1)	Sweetwater	$100,000	Numerous manufactured homes were damaged or destroyed by a tornado around Lake Sweetwater.
July 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	$50,000	Severe thunderstorm wind gusts produced damage to several buildings and blew down several trees.
August 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	$50,000	Winds blew down several trees and power poles. One pole fell on a house. There was also damage to a barn. Car windows were blown in.Single cell thunderstorms developed over the western Big Country in the mid summer daytime heating. Although deep convection was inhibited by very warm air aloft, the thunderstorms collapsed quickly and produced microburst winds.
June 1997	Flash Flood	Sweetwater	$50,000	Street flooding occurred on the south side of Sweetwater while Highway 70 just north of the town was flooded. About two to four inches of rain fell but some nearby locations received much more. Farm Road 1170 between Mayneal and Blackwell was more than six feet under water from nine inches of rain.
May 1993	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	$50,000	The Nolan County Sheriff's Office and the public reported downburst winds to 70 miles an hour in Sweetwater. The wind damaged roofs and downed power lines and trees.
June 1997	Flash Flood	Sweetwater	$50,000	no account filed
October 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	$50,000	no account filed
June 1997	Flash Flood	Sweetwater	$40,000	Many roads were impassable.
May 2002	Hail	Sweetwater	$30,000	Several motorists on Interstate 20 east of Sweetwater encountered baseball size hail that produced damage to their vehicles.
March 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	$25,000	no account filed
April 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	$10,000	Strong thunderstorms knocked down trees and power lines in Sweetwater. There were numerous windows blown out of homes and businesses.
April 2007	Hail	Sweetwater	$8,000	The hail Size increased to Baseball size on Ranch Road 419 near the Fisher and Nolan County line.
May 2002	Hail	Sweetwater	$8,000	Golfball size hail produce roof and window damage to a house near Lake Sweetwater.
May 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	$5,000	High thunderstorm winds blew down several trees at the Lake Sweetwater Country Club. One house had some slight damage due to the winds.
June 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	$5,000	Thunderstorm winds downed trees, ripped shingles off roofs, and knocked down power lines across the city of Sweetwater.
May 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	$5,000	Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 to 80 mph severely damaged a carport and broke large limbs off of trees in the Lake Sweetwater area. One house also suffered minor roof damage.
June 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	$5,000	Damaging winds swept through the community of Sweetwater. A brick wall was toppled and a carport suffered minor damage. A radio tower was also blown over, with tree limbs snapped throughout the city.
July 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	$5,000	The roof of a commercial building was ripped off by high winds, with debris from the roof damaging a passing car.
September 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	$2,000	Several power lines and small trees were blown down across the city.
May 2002	Tornado (F0)	Sweetwater	$1,000	The fire department reported a narrow debris path crossing state highway 70 south of Sweetwater.
March 1993	Hail	Sweetwater	$50	As the Mitchell County storm moved east, dime-size hail fell at Sweetwater. No significant damage resulted.
April 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	-	Public reported a cotton storage warehouse was heavily damaged by a downburst.
April 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	-	The Nolan County Sherriff's Office reported multiple power poles down in Sweetwater.
April 2024	Hail	Sweetwater	-	Public reported quarter size hail.
November 2024	Hail	Sweetwater	-	Public reported penny size hail.
April 2023	Hail	Sweetwater	-	A report of baseball size hail from mping, 2 miles east of Sweetwater.
April 2023	Hail	Sweetwater	-	Law enforcement reported golf ball size hail in Sweetwater.
April 2023	Hail	Sweetwater	-	A report of hen egg size hail from mping in Sweetwater.
April 2023	Hail	Sweetwater	-	The public reported golf ball size hail 4.3 miles east-northeast of Sweetwater.
April 2023	Hail	Sweetwater	-	The hen egg size hail report from mping was located 2 miles east-northeast of Sweetwater.
June 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	-	The public reported trees uprooted and snapped. Also, a roof was blown off.
June 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	-	A Facebook post of a uprooted medium size tree in Sweetwater. The time was estimated off radar.
June 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	-	A trained spotter reported part of a roof blown off a house and power lines were blown down in Sweetwater.
June 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	-	Public reported trees uprooted and snapped. Also, a roof was blown off.
June 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	-	There were tractor trailers blown over on I-20 near mile marker 244 in Sweetwater.
June 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	-	A trained spotter reports multiple power poles and large trees blown down in Sweetwater.
July 2021	Flood	Sweetwater	-	The Sweetwater Police Department reported flooding along a portion of an I-20 service road.
May 2021	Hail	Sweetwater	-	Public reported this 1.25 inch hail report on the north side of Sweetwater using the Mping App.
July 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	-	The Sweetwater Fire Department reported that a couple of semi-trucks were jackknifed by strong thunderstorm winds, on Interstate 20 in Sweetwater.
June 2019	Hail	Sweetwater	-	The public reported quarter size hail along Interstate 20, on the south side of Sweetwater.
May 2019	Hail	Sweetwater	-	A trained spotter reported golf ball size mixed with ping pong ball size hail in Sweetwater.
May 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	-	Law Enforcement reported trees down across Sweetwater.
May 2019	Hail	Sweetwater	-	The public reported quarter size hail in Sweetwater.
May 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	-	The Fire Department reported a large tree blown down in Sweetwater.
March 2018	Hail	Sweetwater	-	A trained spotter reported quarter size hail near Sweetwater.
June 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	-	A wind gust of 60 mph was reported.
August 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	-	Sweetwater Police relayed reports of winds knocking down a few trees near the 1000 Block of Pines Street in Sweetwater.
October 2017	Hail	Sweetwater	-	Law enforcement reported golf ball size hail in Sweetwater.
April 2016	Hail	Sweetwater	-	A trained spotter reported quarter size hail at the intersection of I-20 and State Highway 70.
September 2016	Flash Flood	Sweetwater	-	Numerous streets were barricaded throughout Sweetwater due to high water over the roads. A couple of stranded vehicles had to be towed out of high water.
October 2015	Heavy Rain	Sweetwater	-	Two inches of heavy rain fell in 30 minutes across Sweetwater. This heavy rain resulted in street flooding with water over the curbs and traffic nearly at stand still.
June 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	-	Local police in Sweetwater estimated a thunderstorm wind gust at 60 mph.
May 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	-	A tree was blown down in Sweetwater.
May 2013	Hail	Sweetwater	-	Law Enforcement reported two inch hail at the TA Truck Stop along Interstate 20 at Mile Marker 242.
June 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweetwater	-	Law enforcement reported trees and power lines were down in Sweetwater.

Every storm recorded in Nolan County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

3 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Property	Distance	Listed
First National Bank Building	0.5 miles	1983
R. A. Ragland Building	0.5 miles	1979
I.M. and Margaret Newman House	0.9 miles	2003

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 84001915 in Record Group 79.
Nolan County	All 4 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.