Born in 1880 during the railroad era, Strawn never quite became the oil boom town that many of its Eastland County neighbors did. Surrounded by oil fields and the nearby Thurber coalmines and brick-making plant, Strawn benefited from both, but never boasted a high-rise hotel or a theater like Eastland, or even a population over 1,500. Routing of the Bankhead Highway through Strawn encouraged new businesses, like the Bankhead Hotel and Apartments, catering to travelers. The Bankhead also inspired Marche “Zim” Zimicki. A former mine worker, Zimicki built an all-in-stop for travelers along the Bankhead Highway. He and his father-in law began construction on the brick complex in the 1920s, that eventually included a gas station, restaurant, ice house, bottling plant, and tourist courts. Billboards advertising fuel, food, drinks, and ice beckoned weary travelers to Zim’s. The roadside stop, much like the rest of Strawn, benefitted from the Bankhead Highway traffic, but construction of Interstate 20 in the 1970s bypassed the community.
More Locations in Strawn
Zim’s Gas Station
10990 SH 16
On the outskirts of Strawn you’ll find this unique collection of 1920s brick buildings. Formerly occupied by a gas station, café, a tourist court, and even a Dr. Pepper bottling plant, Zim’s was once a bustling operation where the traveling public could get everything they needed on their slow journey through central Texas.
Strawn/Bankhead
Hotel, N. Front St.
No trip along the Bankhead Highway is complete without a stop at the old Bankhead Hotel in Strawn. Opened in the 1920s as a direct response to the completion of the Bankhead through Strawn, the former hotel, facing the original Thurber brick street, acts as almost a symbol for the historic highway and the ensuing increase in automobile traffic and tourism.
Mary’s Café
119 Grant Ave.
The Bankhead remains the main artery through Strawn. In small communities, restaurants like Mary’s Café are places where business might be transacted over breakfast or lunch, and travelers stop in search of the best in local cuisine.