who is james?

Walking across campus I noted the weather vane atop the Dairy Barn and wondered "who is James and why is he on the Dairy Barn?" A little research provided some answers. The James Manufacturing Company was established in 1912 in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin and supplied dairy equipment, including weather vanes and lightning rods. Early 20th century vanes featured cut-outs of cows, horses or chickens and may have had glass bulbs. All that is left of this weather vane is the trademark "James" arrow - assuming there ever was other decoration.

The Texas Tech Dairy Barn was constructed in 1926. The first dairy students even brought their own cows to college and profited from a horse-drawn milk run around town. The barn served as a teaching facility for 40 years but was abandoned in 1964 when dairy operations moved elsewhere. The building sat neglected for many years and plans for re-use never materialized. A student movement in the 1970s prevented razing and the Dairy Barn was declared a historical landmark in 1985. Earlier photographs of the Dairy Barn in the Southwest Collection don't show the weather vane or roof vents. These may be additions from the 1990 efforts to weatherize and preserve the building. Now I know who James is but still don't know why he's on the Dairy Barn.