A Visit to the Saints Roost Museum / Texas

In this article we want to highlight a very interesting western ranching museum which has it's roots in the legendary JA Ranch, one of the largest cattle ranches in the Texas Panhandle.

Old Adair Hospital, now the Saints Roost Museum

The Saints Roost Museum located in Clarendon Texas will take you back to the days when Texas meant big ranching and cattle drives. Clarendon is located on U.S. Highway 287 about 60 miles east/southeast of Amarillo Texas. The cattle and farming industries still are key economic drivers.

Why Was the Settlement Called Saints Roost?

The answer to the question of how Saints Roost got it's name has everything to do with a Methodist  reverend in 1878.

 Reverend Lewis Henry Carhart wanted to establish a settlement where drinking, gambling and everything that went with it was frowned upon. A Christian utopia of sorts that defied the reputation of many western towns. The town was named Clarendon in honor of the Reverend Carhart's wife, Clara. An interesting side note to the story is that Clara spent little time in Clarendon opting to reside much of the time in Dallas.

The JA Ranch cattle brand

The town was officially named Clarendon but the local cowboys struck on the name "Saints Roost". The cowboys said it was the place where the saints roosted. The virtues of Clarendon were promoted to settlers and eastern capitalists as a place to make home and do business.As it turned out the reverend Carhart didn't make Clarendon a permanent home.

The Saints Roost Museum

The building that serves as today's Saints Roost Museum was at one time the Adair Hospital.The hospital was both built by and named for Cornelia Adair, the wife of broker John Adair of Ireland and the Adair of the JA Ranch. The ranch was operated beginning in 1877 as a partnership with Charles Goodnight, the legendary rancher and Father of the Texas Panhandle. Goodnight told Adair all about the Palo Duro Canyon, south and east of today's Amarillo. As far as Charles Goodnight was concerned, the Palo Duro Canyon was an ideal spot to raise cattle. There was good water in the summer and the canyon provided some shelter for the herd during the winter months.

Cornelia Adair was known as a prominent philanthropist donating to several Clarendon and Donley County area charities and projects. Cornelia Adair also built the first YMCA in Clarendon. In her latter years Cornelia Adair spent time at her late husband's residences in Ireland and England.

Cowboy bunk house from old JA Ranch

When Cornelia Adair, a naturalized British subject, passed away in 1921 at the age of 84 she willed money to help support the Adair Hospital as well as money to a children's home in Dallas. Money was also in her will to JA Ranch cowboys and several Irish church groups.

The Saints Roost Museum will give you a good glimpse of the history of the Texas Panhandle as well as Donley County Texas. Exhibits include pioneer and Indian artifacts and local Clarendon culture.There are also several excellent exhibits and photos regarding rancher Charles Goodnight.

On the grounds of the Saints Roost Museum is also the old 1887 Fort Worth & Denver Railroad depot. You'll see some interesting photographs showing how the train depot was moved from the tracks to it's current location.

Collection of various Texas cattle brands

The big fundraising event to support the Saints Roost Museum is the annual Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff held each September. It was Charles Goodnight who invented the chuckwagon.

The Adair Hospital

In 1887 Cornelia Adair assumed her late husband's role as partner in the JA Ranch with Goodnight.

Cornelia Adair built the Adair Hospital in 1910 for the care of Adair Ranch cowboys. In 1917 the JA Ranch covered some half a million acres.


Below are links to more Western Trips photo articles you may enjoy...

Goodnight Ranch House

The Fascinating Panhandle-Plains Museum in Canyon Texas

Battle of Gonzales / Start of the Texas Revolution

Old Fort Worth & Denver Railroad Depot

Texas Ranch Country

If you want to visit several interesting Texas cattle ranching museums, Saints Roost Museum being one of them, the stretch of highway between Wichita Falls Texas and Amarillo, U.S. Hwy 287, is a good road to travel.

The famous Waggoner Ranch which was located around and just east of Witchita Falls is highlighted at the Red River Valley Museum in Vernon Texas, along U.S. Hwy 287 and about 50 miles northwest of Wichita Falls. The Waggoner Ranch had it's beginnings in the 1850's.

Another good stop along this highway is the newly restored Goodnight Ranch House which is in Goodnight Texas about 43 miles southeast of Amarillo. Goodnight Texas is just north of Palo Duro Canyon. Add to this a stop at the Armstrong County Museum in Claude Texas, on U.S. Highway 287 about 30 miles east of Amarillo.

If you have time while traveling through Amarillo you'll want to make a stop at the Panhandle-Plains Museum in Canyon Texas, about 18 miles south of Amarillo on Interstate 27.

(Article and photos copyright 2013 Western Trips)


View Larger Map