Everything Hawley is known for
Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Hawley.
On the evening of May 2, 2024, Hawley faced a significant event when a strong EF3 tornado struck southwest of the city. The Lambert family, consisting of Wes, Kasey, their children Lane and Allie, and their two dogs, survived a direct hit on their home, though they were seriously injured. Storm chaser Freddy McKinney drove them to Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene and supported a GoFundMe fundraiser to help them rebuild their lives.
Hawley's a quiet place, but it's got stories etched into the very soil. You're standing in the Brazos River watershed, land that's seen more than its fair share of Texas weather and hard work. Look around – those mesquite trees, the cotton fields stretching out – that's the Hawley most folks know. But there's more to it than meets the eye.
For most of its life, Huxley was a farm settlement that maps kept forgetting. It got a post office in 1903 and lost it in 1905. By 1945 it was a store, a church and fifty people. Then two things happened. First, the Sabine River was dammed in the 1960s and the Toledo Bend Reservoir came up over the low ground, and this forgotten crossroads suddenly found itself with shoreline. Second — and this is the part nobody guesses — the chicken farmers did the math. Huxley was broiler country, and broiler houses run on gas. To get out from under high petroleum gas prices, the local growers pushed to make Huxley an actual incorporated city, and in 1969 they got it done. They drew the city limits in loops and fingers across the countryside, reaching out to pull in every neighbor who wanted to be inside. The population went from fifty to three hundred. Today there are three marinas on the water. Huxley is a rare tale of civic rebirth — a town that incorporated itself over a utility bill and came out the other side a lake town.
Hawley is on U.S. Highway 277 twelve miles north of Abilene in south central Jones County. John R. Price was the first permanent settler in the area. He acquired land there in 1890 and was soon joined by other farmers and ranchers intent upon founding a town. In 1893 Mrs. J. P. Jackson started a school, and ten years later a post office was established in the neighboring community of Zelo, a mile north. The future of Hawley was assured late in 1906 when the Wichita Valley line surveyed a rail route through the area to Abilene. The railroad surveyor, Fletcher Scott, aided local citizens in promoting the townsite and suggested the name Hawley in honor of another railroad official, C. W. Hawley. With the arrival of the railroad in 1907, the town began to grow. The post office and a general store in Zelo were moved to Hawley, and soon other businesses were established. A newspaper, the Hawley Hustler , was published in 1907 and 1908. Hawley continued to grow and prosper despite a major fire that destroyed most of the downtown area in 1924. In 1926 the community acquired electrical power, and in 1929 its population reached 300. A major highway came through in 1930. During the 1930s abundant oil was discovered nearby, and by 1936 there were about fifty producing wells and a refinery in the vicinity. The town had a population of 241 in 1970, when it incorporated. In 1988, at a population of 884, Hawley was the fourth largest town in the county. During the 1980s Hawley was the nucleus of a large consolidated school district that served more than 600 students. In 1990 the town's population was 606, and in 2000 it was 646.
Hawley, known earlier as Deming's Bridge, was on the Tres Palacios River a mile east of what is now State Highway 71 and three miles northeast of Blessing in western Matagorda County. At one time the Tres Palacios may have been navigable as far north as Deming's Bridge. The area, used as a meeting place by local settlers as early as 1850, had a log church by 1852. Sometime after land was deeded for a cemetery and church in 1854, a frame building for the Tres Palacios Baptist Church was established. In 1857 Edwin A. Deming, a friend of Abel Head Pierce , had a bridge built nearby over the Tres Palacios. The next year Deming's Bridge, as the community was then known, received a post office, with Edwin Deming as first postmaster. In 1861, during the Civil War , the Confederate reserve infantry unit known as the Trespalacios Coast Guard, captained by one John Moore, had its headquarters at Deming's Bridge. Pierce and his brother Jonathan Edwards Pierce for a time based the headquarters of their cattle company just south of Deming's Bridge. The Deming's Bridge post office closed in 1866 and reopened in 1872. After an 1875 hurricane destroyed the frame Tres Palacios Baptist Church, a new two-story building hosted Baptist and Methodist congregations on the ground floor and Masonic lodge meetings on the second. By 1876 Jonathan Pierce was serving as postmaster at Deming's Bridge. The community reported a population of 300 in 1884 and 500 by 1892, when it had seventeen businesses, including five carpenters, one wagonmaker, and two general stores (one with a flour mill). After Jonathan Pierce donated land in 1893, a new multidenominational church building was built; it stood until the mid-1930s. In 1899 Jonathan Pierce successfully pushed to have the post office and cemetery names changed to Hawley, in gratitude to Robert Bradley Hawley for securing Pierce's son, Abel, an appointment in the United States Navy. A one-teacher school called Deming's Bridge, however, still served thirty pupils in 1904. In 1903 Jonathan Pierce was among those donating land to encourage the New York, Texas and Mexican Railway to build through the area. That year the town of Blessing was established on the tracks; it received Hawley's post office and its Masonic hall, which was given a Texas Historical Commission marker in 1965 and still stood at Blessing in the 1980s. Also extant in the 1980s was the Hawley Cemetery Association, chartered in 1940 by Adelaide Hall Pierce. Among the graves under the association's care at the otherwise abandoned Hawley townsite were those of Abel Head Pierce, who had a life-size marble statue of himself erected there before his death in 1900, and William Walter Heffelfinger, All-American guard on Yale University's football team during the late 1800s.
Abandoned 1850s frontier fort near Abilene that was never attacked by hostile forces but burned under mysterious circumstances after its garrison departed.
Established November 14, 1851 Abandoned April 6, 1854 Repaired and used by Southern Overland Mail, 1858-1861 Sub-post of Fort Griffin in 1871 and 1872 A thriving village which grew up in its vicinity after the Civil War served as temporary county seat of Jones County in 1881 but declined rapidly after county seat was located at Anson
Organized as Abilene Baptist College by cattlemen, preachers, and Sweetwater Baptist Association in 1891. Named for New York pastor, James B. Simmons, after he donated funds for completing the first building, which housed the president, classes, and women students during school's early years. Men lived in nearby barn-like structure, "Valhalla." Noted early presidents were the missionary-editor, O. C. Pope, Oscar Henry Cooper, renowned educator; and Jefferson Davis Sandefer, in whose term (1909-1940) the school made extensive growth. Approximately 44,000 students have been enrolled, and 10,000 degrees conferred. Ex-students enter business and the professions, including medicine, law, teaching, engineering; ministers and lay workers serve in hundreds of pulpits and on all continents. Students come from many states and foreign countries. Athletic teams are "Cowboys"; the "Cowboy" band, famous nationally, has played in 45 states and on 3 continents. Renamed Simmons University, 1925; and Hardin-Simmons in 1934, after generous benefactions by John G. and Mary Hardin. Since 1940, guided by the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Most of extant buildings have been constructed since 1945. (1967)
Football plays an important role in the culture of Texas. Local football teams create an identity for their communities. During the 1950s, the roll of football and community identity fit well with the political and cultural climate of America during the Cold War. Football came to be seen as the embodiment of the physical and mental characteristics of the country during a period of exceptional military and economic growth. To many Texans, a winning football team served as proof of a community’s prosperity, which in turn extended to all aspects of life. The Abilene High School Eagles (also known as the Warbirds) epitomized the nature of football in Texas and America in the 1950s. During that decade, the city of Abilene experienced significant economic and physical growth. The culmination of this growth occurred in the mid-1950s with the opening of Dyess Air Force Base just west of Abilene. At the same time, the Abilene High School Eagles (AHS) football team experienced unparalleled success. From 1954 to 1957, the team won a national record forty-nine straight games, three straight state championships, and six straight district titles. In the Abilene area, these accomplishments received more attention than national events, including the Cold War and civil rights movement. Led by second-year coach Chuck Moser, the Eagles won their first two games of the 1954 season and defeated Highland Park High School from Dallas and Sweetwater High School. The following week, though, AHS lost to Breckinridge High School 35–13 on October 1, 1954. The loss disheartened many Abilenians over their team’s potential success on the season. Little did the Abilene boosters know, their team would not repeat the loss for the next forty-nine games, a winning streak that lasted for more than three years. The success of the team dominated the minds of the people of Abilene. When Abilene High faced Odessa High in 1954, the Eagle Booster Club chartered a special train to carry 700 fans to the away game. Several weeks later, another charter train took 650 fans to a game in Midland. Sometimes local football could supersede world events in the minds of some Texans. When the Soviet Union undertook a series of atomic tests in 1954, for example, the topic paled in the level of concern for Abilene residents, as evidenced by the extensive coverage in the Abilene Reporter-News regarding Coach Moser and how he viewed his team’s depth as they prepared for the 1954 playoffs. The 1954 state championship game against Stephen F. Austin High School from Houston existed as the most important event in the city that year. The Abilene Reporter-News ran a full-page team photo following the victory. The paper also dedicated its first three pages to the game and included another photo of quarterback H.P. Hawking’s game-winning pass to Twyman Ash in the closing minutes of play. The 1955 team continued its winning ways. Led by star running back, Glynn Gregory, the Eagles became the focal point of the season for every team they faced as their opponents sought to be the ones to stop the winning streak. At the same time, Abilene’s growth from the new airbase led to the construction of a new campus for Abilene High and expanded seating at Fair Park Stadium. Another example of the prominence of the Eagles in the community occurred when the team played El Paso High School in the bi-district round of the 1955 playoffs. For the game, the Abilene school district chartered a plane to fly the team to El Paso. For many of the young men on the Eagle squad, the trip marked their first time to fly on a plane. A few weeks later, 7,000 fans traveled in a caravan to the 1955 state championship game in Fort Worth. Afterwards, many students declared the 33–13 victory over the Tyler Lions as the greatest day of their lives. The victory even pushed President Dwight Eisenhower ’s heart attack to the back of the Reporter-News . The team’s dominance in 1956 saw the Eagles average more points per game in their
Most recent: 54-28 over Refugio · 2022 2A Division 1 final
Hawley High School, a familiar presence in the heart of Texas, proudly represents Class 2A in football. The Bulldogs have established a strong tradition on the gridiron, reflecting the dedication and spirit found in communities across our great state. Their commitment to excellence has brought significant recognition to Hawley.
The Hawley Bulldogs' program stands as a point of pride, with its players and coaches putting in the work year after year. The team's journey through competitive seasons showcases the enduring appeal of high school football in Texas, bringing together fans and families for memorable athletic contests.
In 2022, Hawley High School captured the 2A Division 1 State Championship, defeating Refugio with a final score of 54-28.
177 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.
Hawley is on U.S. Highway 277 twelve miles north of Abilene in south central Jones County. John R. Price was the first permanent settler in the area. He acquired land there in 1890 and was soon joined by other farmers…
Hawley, known earlier as Deming's Bridge, was on the Tres Palacios River a mile east of what is now State Highway 71 and three miles northeast of Blessing in western Matagorda County. At one time the Tres Palacios may…
Hawley High School (Hawley, TX): Most recent: 54-28 over Refugio · 2022 2A Division 1 final.
Hawley has the best defensive line in Class two-A. State championship head coach Mitch Ables is switching up his defensive philosophy this season — and you do not put together a one twenty-six and thirty-one record over…
One last ride in Hawley for the father-and-son duo of coach Mitch Ables and his son Camden. Camden Ables is a preseason all-state tight end and a Tarleton State commit, and at six foot four and two hundred twenty pounds…
On the evening of May 2, 2024, Hawley faced a significant event when a strong EF3 tornado struck southwest of the city. The Lambert family, consisting of Wes, Kasey, their children Lane and Allie, and their two dogs,…
For most of its life, Huxley was a farm settlement that maps kept forgetting. It got a post office in 1903 and lost it in 1905. By 1945 it was a store, a church and fifty people. Then two things happened. First, the…
The very existence of modern Huxley owes something to a monumental feat of engineering: the Toledo Bend Dam and Reservoir. As you look out over the water, imagine the Sabine River as it was before the 1960s — a winding…
Look at a map of Hawley, and you'll see a town laid out on a grid, right next to a perfectly straight railroad line. That's no accident. In 1906 the Wichita Valley line was a machine for creating towns, and this one was…
Hawley is here because a whole community picked up and walked to the tracks. People had been on this ground since 1890, when John R. Price took land twelve miles north of Abilene. A school opened in 1893. By 1904 there…
For sixty-four years, Hawley existed as an unincorporated community. It had a post office, a school and stores, but no mayor and no city council. The town itself dates to December 9, 1906, born where the Wichita Valley…
Just a few miles south of Hawley lies a massive body of water that defines the entire area: Lake Fort Phantom Hill. Despite its spooky name, which comes from a nearby historic fort, the lake is a modern engineering…
Fort Phantom Hill was built in eighteen fifty-one along an eight-hundred-mile chain of Army outposts stretching across Texas. It sat on some of the harshest ground any of those soldiers had seen. The well they dug…
You're driving past the site of the old Truby School. Early education in this rural area began in the 1870s. This school district consolidated and moved to this site in 1916, educating children through the ninth grade…
You're driving past Truby Cemetery, established as a burial ground for early settlers. The Daughtrey family formally deeded these three acres for cemetery use in 1906, though the oldest marked grave here dates back to…
Abandoned 1850s frontier fort near Abilene that was never attacked by hostile forces but burned under mysterious circumstances after its garrison departed.
Established November 14, 1851 Abandoned April 6, 1854 Repaired and used by Southern Overland Mail, 1858-1861 Sub-post of Fort Griffin in 1871 and 1872 A thriving village which grew up in its vicinity after the Civil War…
You're driving past the site of Fort Phantom Hill, established way back in November of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1851</say-as>. It was abandoned just a few years later, in April of <say-as…
Imagine stagecoaches rumbling past, and soldiers drilling in the hot sun – this is Fort Phantom Hill. Established in 1851, it was meant to protect pioneers heading west to California. Troops were stationed here for only…
You're driving past the site of the Compere Cemetery, all that remains of a farming community founded in the 1880s. The Palmer family donated two acres for this burial ground in 1904, the same year the first child was…
Organized as Abilene Baptist College by cattlemen, preachers, and Sweetwater Baptist Association in 1891. Named for New York pastor, James B. Simmons, after he donated funds for completing the first building, which…
You're driving through Jones County, Texas, the birthplace of Carl Stuart Hamblen, a man who became one of country music's first true singing cowboys. Born in Kellyville in 1908, Hamblen's early life was spent traveling…
You're driving through what used to be Comanche territory, and right here, you're passing the site of Fort Phantom Hill. Established in 1851, it was part of a line of forts meant to protect settlers moving west,…
You're driving through Jones County, Texas, and right here, near Phantom Hill, is where George Washington Scarborough preached the very first sermon ever delivered in this county. He was a Confederate veteran who tried…
Centerline, also known as Lystra, was a ranching and farming community in southeastern Jones County about twelve miles northeast of Abilene. Its name referred to its location near the center of the southern Jones county…
Horn is fifteen miles north of Merkel in Jones County. Edgar Boaz, one of the first landowners in the area, was joined by R. R. Horn, D. C. Herring, and John Womack on December 6, 1890. The first school was taught in…
Noodle is on Farm Road 1812 ten miles north of Merkel in southwest Jones County. It took its name from Noodle Creek; according to folk tradition the name meant "nothing," signifying a dry creek bed. Settlement in the…
Nugent, on Farm Road 600 eighteen miles north of Abilene in southeastern Jones County, was built on land that around 1900 belonged to John A. Roberts, one of the first settlers of the county. In 1879 Roberts and his…
You're driving past the former home of William Gray and Shirley Swenson, a prominent Abilene couple whose influence stretched far beyond their beautiful prairie-style house. Designed by architect William P. Preston and…
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You're driving east of Cedar Creek, approaching Abilene. It's December 1880, and a big decision is being made right here on this hill. H.C. Whithers of the Texas & Pacific Railroad is meeting with local cattlemen,…
You're driving through Anson, home of the famous Cowboys' Christmas Ball. Back in 1885, a local dance inspired a traveling salesman and writer named Larry Chittenden. He composed a poem, "The Cowboys' Christmas Ball,"…
You're driving through Tye, and you're passing right by the historic route of the Butterfield Mail and Stage Line! Authorized by Congress in 1857, this was a massive undertaking, a $2 million venture headed by John…
The most famous story in Anson happens every year just before Christmas. It's the Texas Cowboys' Christmas Ball, a tradition that dates all the way back to 1885. The story begins at the Star Hotel, where a traveling…
As you pass the signs for Dyess Air Force Base, you're near a cornerstone of America's strategic air command. But the base is also a monument to incredible heroism. It's named for Lt. Col. Ed Dyess, an Albany native. A…
Abilene has a title no other city can claim: the 'Storybook Capital of America.' And you can see why right on its downtown streets. As you explore, you'll find a growing collection of bronze sculptures featuring…
As you drive across the plains toward Abilene, you can’t miss the new giants of the Texas landscape: hundreds of massive wind turbines, spinning in unison on the horizon. This is the heart of Texas's wind corridor. The…
In the heart of downtown Abilene stands the Paramount Theatre, a stunning 1930 movie palace. When it was built, it was the height of luxury, with its Spanish-Moorish design, intricate tilework, and a ceiling painted…
You're driving past the historic site of the Western Cattle Trail, the main highway for hundreds of thousands of Texas longhorns! Between 1876 and 1887, this route funneled cattle north to stock ranches and…
Texas Leadership Charter Academy (Abilene, TX) placed on the 2A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Tyler Johnston (0.512 avg).
If you were driving southwest of Abilene during World War II, you would have seen a staggering sight: Camp Barkeley, a city that appeared almost overnight eleven miles out of town. It covered better than seventy…
For a city of its size, Abilene has a remarkable concentration of higher education. It's home to not one but three private, faith-based universities: Abilene Christian University, Hardin-Simmons University, and McMurry…
You're driving past Abilene Christian University, but its story started way back in 1906. <break time="400ms"/> It was founded as the Childers Classical Institute by A. B. Barret, a preacher and educator. <break…
You're driving through Abilene, and you might be passing one of the city's earliest fine homes. Built in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1903</say-as>, the McGee House was constructed in the Colonial Revival…
You're driving past the site of Abilene's first public school for African Americans, established way back in 1890. It started as a single room on Plum Street with just 22 students and one teacher. Over the decades, this…
You're driving past the former site of a major cattle empire. James Harrison Parramore, a Confederate veteran and early settler here, partnered with others to form the San Simon Cattle and Canal Company in 1883. For…
You're driving past the Abilene marker for Miss Clara Bussell, who lived from 1902 to 1966. She joined the West Texas Chamber of Commerce in 1920 and served as office manager for forty years, working unselfishly right…
You're driving through Abilene, and right here is the site of Mount Zion Baptist Church, the oldest African American church in the city. It was organized in 1885 by Reverend James Curry. The congregation met in a small…
You're driving west of Abilene, and right here is the community of Tye. It started in 1881 as a railroad stop called Tebo, but early settlers like the Hinds family left their mark, even naming the first school for them.…
Football plays an important role in the culture of Texas. Local football teams create an identity for their communities. During the 1950s, the roll of football and community identity fit well with the political and…
You're driving through West Texas, maybe near Abilene or even Van Horn, and you're passing through a landscape shaped by legends. Right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1866</say-as>, a young James Monroe…
You're driving through Abilene, the birthplace of Bill Maddox, a musician who found his way from the Texas music scene to the early days of Dell Computer Corporation, and back again. Born in 1953, Maddox was a gifted…
You're driving through Abilene, Texas, a town that owes its very name to the cattleman you see here, Claiborne Walker Merchant. In August of 1880, as railroads pushed west, Merchant bought a huge tract of land right…
You're driving past the Abilene home of Morgan Jones, a Welsh immigrant who became a railroad legend. By the time he moved to Abilene in 1908, Jones had laid over a thousand miles of track across Texas and the West. He…
You're driving through Abilene, Texas, where Dr. James Minor Alexander made quite a name for himself in medicine and building. In 1904, he opened the Alexander Sanitarium, a small, eighteen-bed hospital. But he didn't…
You're driving through Abilene, the birthplace of Royston Campbell Crane, Jr., a cartoonist who brought adventure to millions. While still in college, Crane moved to Cleveland and created "Wash Tubbs," one of the very…
You're driving through Taylor County, not far from Abilene, and right here is where the legendary Hashknife Ranch got its start. Back in 1875, partners J. R. Couts and John N. Simpson drove a herd of longhorns to Elm…
You're driving through Abilene, and right here is Hendrick Medical Center. It started life in 1924 as the West Texas Baptist Sanitarium, the dream of a local pastor. But the Great Depression nearly sank it. Facing…
You're driving through Abilene, Texas, a city that owes a lot to the ambition of Edward Smallwood Hughes. He arrived here in 1882, a Princeton grad with "western fever," ready to invest in sheep. His first attempt was a…
You're driving through Abilene, and right here is a place that owes a lot to Jessie Kenan Wilder Jones. Back in the early 1930s, she was driving her kids to Colorado and couldn't find a single shady spot for a picnic…
You're driving through Abilene, a city deeply shaped by the generosity of Ruth Legett Jones. Born here in 1892, she and her husband Percy became one of West Texas's wealthiest families, discovering oil and amassing real…
You're driving near Abilene, the city that owes its very existence to a bit of a bait-and-switch. Back in 1881, folks like Kirvin Kade Legett, a young lawyer fresh from Cleburne, moved to Buffalo Gap hoping it would…
You're driving through Abilene, Texas, a city that owes much of its development to Dallas Scarborough. He wasn't just a civic leader; he was a legendary defense attorney. Scarborough's career started with a tough loss…
You're driving through Abilene, and right here, a Baptist pastor named George W. Smith was instrumental in founding what is now Hardin-Simmons University. In 1890, he championed the idea of a new Baptist college, even…
You're driving near Abilene, the birthplace of Jesse Granderson "Grant" Turner, better known as the "Dean of the Opry Announcers." Born in 1912, Turner's lifelong love affair with radio and country music started right…
You're driving through Abilene, Texas, and right here, back in 1886, the new city attorney, Thomas M. Willis, was making some serious waves. He wasn't playing around with the town's reputation. Willis was cracking down…
You're driving through Texas, and right here, you might be passing by the legacy of Mary Motz Wills, a remarkable wildflower artist. Born in Virginia in 1875, she grew up in Waco and later settled in Abilene. After her…
Right here in Abilene, you're driving past the legacy of Slim Willet, a popular DJ and songwriter who penned the 1952 hit "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes." Willet didn't just sing and write; he built a music…
You're driving through Abilene, a city that saw its first female medical leader emerge during a time of great change. Dr. Virginia Hawkins Boyd Connally, originally from Temple, returned here after medical school and…
You're driving through Abilene, and right here, you're passing the site of a unique World War II effort: the Bluebonnet Brigade. Formed in 1941, this all-women's group was created to boost morale for soldiers stationed…
You're driving through North Texas, and right here in Abilene, Ann Wedgeworth was born. She wasn't just any actress; she was a Tony Award winner, known for her roles on Broadway and in hit TV shows like 'Evening Shade.'…
You're driving through Abilene, a city born from a handshake and a railroad line. Back in 1880, ranchers and land speculators met with a railroad locator, convincing him to bypass the existing county seat. They wanted…
Velásquez v. City of Abilene , was one of a series of federal civil rights lawsuits that interpreted the 1982 amendments to the federal Voting Rights Act and clarified the evidentiary and procedural standards that…
You're driving through Abilene, and right here is Abilene Christian University. It started back in 1906 as the Childers Classical Institute, with just twenty-five students. The school faced serious trouble in the late…
You're driving through Abilene, and right here is the birthplace of a West Texas institution: the Abilene Reporter-News. It started as a weekly back in 1881, founded by Charles Edwin Gilbert. Over the years, it went…
You're driving past the Abilene State School, a place that began as a colony for epileptics back in 1901. The state legislature authorized its creation, and the city of Abilene donated a huge tract of land for the…
You're driving west of Abilene, and right here is Dyess Air Force Base. It started life as Tye Army Air Field back in December of 1942, a crucial part of the World War II effort. It was named for William Edwin Dyess, a…
You're driving through Abilene, a city that owes a lot to J. Frank Grimes. For over forty years, he was the editor of the Abilene Reporter-News, shaping public opinion with up to six editorials a day. His readership was…
You're driving through Abilene, and right here is the Hendrick Home for Children. It opened in June of 1939, funded by oilman Tom Hendrick. It wasn't an orphanage, but a home for kids aged two to twelve who couldn't…
You're driving through Jones County, a place that was once a crucial stop on the frontier. Back in 1851, Fort Phantom Hill was established right here, one of a line of forts meant to protect settlers and travelers. It…
You're driving through Abilene, a city built on railroads and oil. Right here, Percy Jones played a key role. He came from England in 1903, joining his uncle in building railroads like the Abilene and Northern. But his…
You're driving through Abilene, and right here is Lytle Lake. It was built back in 1897, not just for water, but to try and lure a state hospital for epileptics to town. The dam was nearly complete when, on June 14th, a…
You're driving through what was once Stonewall County, the birthplace of French Martel Robertson. Born in 1901, Robertson was a lawyer and a major player in Texas oil. After serving in World War II, he returned to Texas…
You're driving through Abilene, a city that owes a lot to Laura Jewel Davis Scarborough. Arriving here in 1907, she quickly became a force for good. Ever heard of Abilene's first public health nurse? Or the first…
You're driving through Abilene, and right here is a town shaped by the vision of William Gray Swenson. Born in Louisiana, his family came to Texas when his father acquired vast ranchland. Swenson grew up here, and by…
You're driving through Taylor County, a place named for Alamo defenders. This land was once Comanche territory, largely unsettled until the 1870s. Early settlers were mostly buffalo hunters, but ranching quickly…
You're driving past Abilene Municipal Cemetery, a burial ground that's actually five different cemeteries rolled into one. The oldest grave here dates back to 1881, Florence Phillips. You'll also find notables like Mary…
Anson shares District five, two-A Division One, with Hawley this fall — which puts one of the preseason players to watch on the district slate. Camden Ables is a preseason all-state tight end and a Tarleton State…
You're driving through West Texas, and right here is the story of the Abilene and Northern Railway. Fostered by local promoters in 1906, this line was chartered to connect Hamlin to Brady, with a branch reaching…
You're driving through West Texas, and right here, the story of the Abilene and Southern Railway unfolds. Chartered in January of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1909</say-as>, this railroad was built to connect…
You're driving through West Texas, and right here near Abilene, Walter Raleigh Ely made a big impact on the roads you're traveling on. Born in 1879, Ely was a lawyer and judge who eventually landed a crucial role on the…
You're driving through Abilene, the heart of West Texas. Right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="m-d-y">4-19-1924</say-as>, a group of lawyers and academics met in the Taylor County Courthouse. Their mission?…
You're driving past the former home of Dr. William H. Butler, Sr., the first African American physician in Abilene. After earning his medical degree in 1910, he began practicing medicine, pharmacy, and even dentistry…
You're driving past the site of McMurry College in Abilene, a school that owes its existence to James Winford Hunt. Hunt started as a newspaper publisher before becoming a Methodist minister in 1903. While serving in…
You're driving through Anson, Texas, a town that owes its existence to a railway that never came! <break time="400ms"/> Originally called Jones City, it was established in 1881 when a speculator, John Merchant, gambled…
You're driving past the site of Abilene's very first school. Back in the spring of 1881, before the schoolhouse was even built, classes were held right here in a tent! Imagine that – learning your ABCs under canvas.…
You're driving through Abilene, and right here is the site of the Laughter Undertaking Company. Dan T. Laughter started here in 1900, taking full ownership of the firm in 1908. For decades, they even operated an…
You're driving past the heart of early Abilene, Texas, where Thomas Middlebrook Willis made his mark. He first scouted this area in 1878, returning in 1883 after law school to set up his practice. Willis served as City…
You're driving past the original site of Abilene Christian University. It started in 1906 as the Childers Classical Institute, founded by educator Allen Booker Barret and five trustees who bought this land. The school…
You're driving through Anson, Texas, the birthplace of Morgan J. Davis, a man who helped shape the modern oil industry. Born in 1898, Davis earned his geology degree from the University of Texas and quickly joined…
Just south of Tye, hidden in plain sight on the flat prairie, lie the ghosts of a city that vanished. During World War II this was the site of Camp Barkeley, a U.S. Army training base of staggering size. From 1941 to…
Imagine the assignment: build a city on the West Texas prairie, from nothing, and have it ready for tens of thousands of soldiers before the country is even at war. That was Camp Barkeley, eleven miles southwest of…
Originally named 'Jones City', the town was renamed 'Anson' in 1882 in honor of Anson Jones, the last president of the Republic of Texas. Anson has a rich history, with the first Texas Cowboys' Christmas Ball held in…
The town's name, Tye, was chosen in a contest held by the T&P Railroad around 1900. It was named after John P. Tye, a Methodist minister who was the first postmaster of the town.
You're driving through Jones County, heading towards the site of Fort Phantom Hill. This wasn't just any fort; during the Civil War, it became a crucial outpost for the Confederacy. After Texas seceded, a company of the…
You're driving through Jones County, a place that's seen some serious Texas history unfold. This land was once a vital emigrant trail and a frontier military road, protected by Fort Phantom Hill, founded way back in…
You're driving past the site of Macedonia Baptist Church, organized in 1898 by Rev. J. H. Herron. The church's sanctuary hosted Abilene's first commencement exercises for African American students around 1923. Later,…
You're driving past Claiborne Walker Merchant. (August 31, 1836 - March 9, 1926) Claiborne W. Merchant and his twin, John, were born in Nacogdoches. "Clabe" married Frances Bell in 1856. He served in the Confederate…
West Texas has never needed much of an excuse to race something. Just up the road from Tye, on the Abilene side, sits the eighth-mile drag strip that generations of Big Country racers grew up on — these days it runs as…
You're driving past the Jones County Courthouse in Anson. Completed in 1910, this building is a fantastic example of Beaux Arts architecture, with touches of the Arts and Crafts movement. Look for the statue of Lady…
For about seventy years, from its founding in 1881 until the middle of the 1950s, Tye was not officially a city. The Texas and Pacific Railway laid the townsite out and called it Tebo; later it went by Hinds, after an…
You're driving through Abilene, the first town in West Texas to be connected by rail! Look around – this is where the Texas & Pacific Railway made history in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1881</say-as>.…
You're driving past the site of the Hotel Wooten, which opened its doors on June 6, 1930. Entrepreneur H.O. Wooten dreamed of a hotel as grand as those in New York City, and he delivered with this seventeen-story,…
You're driving through Anson, and right here is the site of the Anson Opera House, built back in 1907. This wasn't just for opera, though! Imagine a stock company performing 'The Klansman,' even borrowing the local…
You're driving past the Abilene Reporter-News, the oldest business institution in town. It started as the Reporter Publishing Company in 1881, just three months after Abilene itself was founded. The original owner, C.E.…
You're driving past Site of Guitar Mansion. John and Laura Hudson Guitar of Missouri moved to Abilene in 1898. John was already a wealthy businessman who owned a number of cotton gins and cotton oil mills throughout…
You're driving past the historic Texas & Pacific Railroad Depot! It started in 1881 with just a railroad car, but by 1882, a grand two-story building went up, even housing a hotel. The current brick beauty you see was…
You're driving past the site of Camp Barkeley, a massive World War II training ground that once dwarfed the city of Abilene itself. Established in 1940, this camp became one of the nation's largest military bases. By…
You're driving past the site of Abilene's "Americanization" school, which opened in 1920. It moved to this location in 1936 and served Mexican American children until 1948. For decades, facilities for these students…
You're driving past Abilene, Texas, home of a true World War II hero, Lt. Col. William E. Dyess. Born in Albany, Dyess commanded the 21st Pursuit Squadron in the Philippines. After Pearl Harbor, he led daring attacks…
You're driving through Abilene, a railroad town that tried to clean up its act in the early 1880s. But lawlessness was in the air. On January 8th, 1884, a dispute over gambling laws inside a saloon turned deadly. It…
Here's something strange about that number on the news. A tornado's EF rating almost never comes from a wind gauge. Nobody measured the wind. Out here in storm country, after the sky clears, National Weather Service…
Out here in storm country, a tornado is rarely just one smooth funnel. Inside the big spinning column, smaller whirls called suction vortices can break loose and orbit the center, two to five at a time, each one usually…
Eight 8-foot steel buffalo each weighing over 1000 pounds rotate atop tall poles like giant weather vanes over the parade grounds of the Frontier Texas museum…
You're driving past the former home of Henry and Hattie Sayles, a striking example of late Victorian architecture right here in Abilene. Henry Sayles, a lawyer and son of a noted legal scholar, moved to Abilene in 1886.…
You're driving past the Old Weather Bureau Building in Abilene, a structure completed way back in 1909. This wasn't just any office; it housed living quarters and an observatory for the administrator. The first official…
You're driving past the site of the West Texas Fair Grounds in Abilene, where Company I of the 7th Texas Infantry was mustered into service for World War I on July 16, 1917. This unit of 139 men trained here before…
Abilene, rising gently from the plains at just over 1,700 feet, feels like a crossroads. Its very name hints at its origins, borrowed from Abilene, Kansas, a town synonymous with the end of cattle drives and the…
You're driving past the site of the First United Methodist Church of Anson. This congregation was organized in 1882 by the Rev. J. C. Strickland. The current Romanesque Revival building was constructed in 1908 by Thomas…
You're driving through Abilene, Texas, and right here is a marker dedicated to four brothers: Edward, James, and George Taylor, along with William Barret Travis. These four men all died together at the Alamo on March…
You're driving through Abilene, and you might see the spot where for 37 years, New Year's Eve meant a unique kind of fireworks. John J. Clinton, Abilene's police chief, would fire his entire revolver into the air at…
You're driving past the site of Thornton's Store, once called 'a city within itself' right here in Abilene. E. L. Thornton started with a simple fruit stand in 1919. But by 1937, his business had exploded, filling an…
You're driving past Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Abilene, a building with a story that stretches back to the 1880s. It started as a mission, with priests traveling by train from Weatherford to hold services in homes…
You're driving through Abilene, past a remarkable woman who made a huge difference. Eugenia Pickard, born in Georgia around 1877, moved to Abilene in the early 1900s. She owned properties and let poor families with kids…
You're driving past the site of Camp Barkeley, where the famous 45th Infantry Division, the 'Thunderbirds,' trained during World War II. Comprised of National Guard units from four states, they were among the first…
You're driving past the site of the First Presbyterian Church of Anson. Organized in 1882, this building, their third sanctuary, was constructed in 1929. The congregation dissolved in 1984, and the building now serves…
You're driving past the historic Abilene Woman's Club Building. Founded back in 1928, this club had a few homes before they hired architect David S. Castle to design this very clubhouse. Contractor Oscar Rose finished…
You're driving past the birthplace of McMurry College in Abilene! Back in 1920, the Methodist church was looking to build a new college in West Texas. Reverend James Winford Hunt, a former newspaper man and circuit…
You're driving past the site of the American Legion's Parramore Post 57 in Abilene. Organized in 1919 for World War I veterans, this chapter was named for one of Abilene's founders and a Civil War veteran. The post…
The stone that made Lueders famous is all around you, and it has a distinct style. If you've ever visited the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, you've seen Lueders limestone. Tech's Spanish Renaissance…
The limestone around Lueders is a 270-million-year-old resource, but getting it out of the ground is a marvel of modern engineering. It’s not done with simple dynamite. First, geologists identify the most valuable…
Lueders has always been a place shaped by its resources. The Lueders limestone, that beautiful, creamy stone, built courthouses and banks all over Texas. For generations, the quarries hummed, providing jobs and a sense…
You're driving through Jones County, not far from Anson. Look for the remains of Fort Phantom Hill, established way back in November of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1851</say-as> by the U.S. Army. Its mission?…
You're driving past the site of the Abilene State School, a place that started with a very specific mission back in 1899. The Texas Legislature created it as a center to treat epilepsy. It opened its doors in 1904,…
Here is a name worth savoring: Noodle, Texas. And no, it has nothing to do with dinner. The community took its name from nearby Noodle Creek, and by old folk tradition the word Noodle here meant, of all things, nothing.…
Here is a delicious twist on a town named for nothing. Just south of Noodle, in the mid nineteen twenties, geologists and wildcatters got very interested in a buried geological structure they called the Noodle Dome. In…
Alright, the town is not named for the food, we have been clear about that. But the word Noodle on your map is too good a doorway not to walk through, so here is a genuinely mind-bending fact about the actual food…
Ask around about how Noodle, Texas got its name, and you will not get one clean answer. You will get a couple of them, and honestly, that is part of the charm. The version most often written down says nineteenth-century…
Since we are driving through a place called Noodle, let me clear up one of the most repeated food myths going, the idea that the explorer Marco Polo brought pasta back to Italy from China. It is a great story. It is…
The story of Noodle, Texas really begins in eighteen eighty-two, when a sheepherder named Anderson Criswell arrived and put down roots in this corner of southwest Jones County. That fits the naming lore perfectly,…
Noodle is not the only spot on the Texas map that sounds like it wandered off a menu, and that is no accident, because Texans have always had a sense of humor about naming places. Roll across the state and you can pass…
So that road sign you are rolling past, the one that says Noodle, now carries a little more weight. This is Farm Road eighteen twelve country, about ten miles north of Merkel, out in the wide, dry, sheep-and-cotton…
Founded around 1870 as Windmill Town, the city was renamed Merkel in 1881 to honor the first settler, S. M. Merkel, from Germany. The town's early growth was marked by the opening of its first mercantile store in 1882…
You're driving through Merkel, Texas, a town that owes its start to a man named Charles D. Mims. He moved here in 1909 and, just months later, in April of 1910, became the town's very first mayor. Mims had a varied…
You're driving through Merkel, Texas, the birthplace of Thomas Robert Havins, a man who dedicated his life to Texas history. Born in 1890, Havins' early life was marked by his mother's death and his father's work as a…
You're driving west of Abilene, and right here is Merkel, Texas. It all started in the early 1880s when the railroad came through, and the town was first called "Windmill Town." But in 1881, it was renamed for its very…
Merkel still calls itself 'The Windmill City,' and it was never just a catchy slogan; it was a statement of survival. When settlers arrived here in the early 1880s behind the Texas and Pacific Railway, the land was dry…
Merkel is home to a man who fundamentally changed a classic American sport. His name is Cody Lambert. Growing up here, Lambert was steeped in rodeo culture, becoming a champion bull rider and saddle bronc rider. But in…
The settlement of Merkel was made possible by a brilliant piece of 19th-century engineering: the self-regulating water-pumping windmill. The problem was simple: the water was hundreds of feet underground, and the wind…
You're driving past the site of Kingsolving Field in Abilene, where the legendary Charles Lindbergh landed in 1927. Just four months after his famous solo flight across the Atlantic, 'Lucky Lindy' touched down for about…
Wylie High School in Abilene, Texas (4502 Antilley Road) is where Case Keenum led the Bulldogs to the 2004 Class 3A Division I state championship. He went on to the University of Houston and finished as the NCAA's…
You're driving past Lueders, a town born from German immigrants and Texas railroads. But this cemetery tells a unique story about the very ground it sits on. Around 1902, early burials happened in a pasture, but thick…
Wylie (Abilene, TX) placed on the 5A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Myles McCarty (0.451 avg, 1 HR).
You're driving past the Drummond Cemetery, a final resting place for some of the earliest settlers in Taylor County. The story here begins in 1891 when Helen Drummond bought 100 acres, including this land. By 1895,…
You're driving through West Texas, and look to your northeast. See that prominent peak? It's Castle Peak, and it served as a vital landmark for one of America's most ambitious early transportation projects. From 1858 to…
You're driving through West Texas, near Merkel, on New Year's Day, 1871. Look to the heights west of Mountain Pass. This was the scene of a fierce, all-day battle. Eighteen Texas Rangers and cowboys, led by Captain…
You're driving through Lueders, a town named for Frederick Lueders, a Texas Revolution soldier. His land grant actually included this very spot. Development really kicked off in 1899 with a sponsored colony, but farmers…
You're driving past the Big Country Baptist Assembly, a place with roots stretching back to 1898. It started as a youth camp on the Brazos River, organized by the West Texas Union. Today, it's a modern campground with a…
You're driving through Taylor County, and right here was the main entrance to Camp Barkeley. This wasn't just any military camp; during World War II, it was one of the nation's largest, training up to 60,000 men at its…
You're driving past the Hope Cemetery, established in 1899. It began with five graves on William Bean's farmland, including his great-uncle who died between 1883 and 1890. The cemetery has since grown to three acres.
You're driving past Spring Creek Cemetery, a final resting place that's been serving this community since 1891. It started with just two acres donated by the local Methodist church. The first person laid to rest here…
You're driving through Shackelford County, right where a vital link to the American West once stood. From 1858 to 1861, this was Smith's Station, a key stop on the famous Butterfield Overland Mail Route. Imagine stages…
You're driving past the site of Avoca Methodist Church. It started way back in 1887 as a simple brush arbor camp meeting, led by a traveling Methodist circuit rider named J. H. Wiseman. The congregation eventually moved…
You're driving through Jones County, heading towards Anson. Back in 1895, this area was just starting to take shape. Reese Davis, Joe Swent, and Alex Boyd built the Boyd School right here. The community that grew up…
You're driving through what used to be the heart of the cattle shipping business in Shackelford County. In 1900, the Texas Central Railway pushed a line through this area, right across the Rose Ella Matthews Conrad…
You're driving past the Prew House, a beautiful example of Victorian architecture built in 1906. Frank X. Prew, who came to Texas from Wisconsin in 1889, built this home for himself. He worked hard, farming a small plot…
You're driving west on I-20, and right here is Trent. It was established in 1881 as a halfway station for the Texas and Pacific Railway, a crucial stop between Texarkana and El Paso. Fun fact: the station signs for…