Seeking to improve the town's dirt streets, the Stephenville City Council in 1929 authorized paving by the Thurber Construction Company. High-quality bricks from Thurber (26 mi. NW), popular with builders around the state, were laid over a macadam base and bonded with a tar-like substance. Individual property owners bore most of the cost, despite the economic hardships of the Depression, and viewed the brick thoroughfares with pride. Although some of the streets have since been covered with asphalt, the brick pavement remains handsome and durable. (1978)