Hale Center has 6 official Texas Historical Commission markers in Hale County. The marker list includes records dating to 1971. Common marker themes include churches, cemeteries, and community institutions, railroad, trail, and transportation history, ranching, farming, and frontier settlement. Use this page to preview the markers, then open RoadHistorical on your drive to see nearby stops on the map, listen to narration, and save the places you want to visit.
Site of Epworth · 1971
(1883 - 1892) (1 1/4 miles southwest) First settlement in county. Established as a post office in 1884 by Horatio Graves of New York, a Methodist minister. Then only county resident, he planned to found religious colony…
View on map ↗The Stant Rhea Stage Stand · 1976
(6 miles east, on private property) Early settlers in this area kept in touch with the world by picking up their mail at railheads. Federal mail delivery to post offices began when W. L. Tharp took a route from the new…
View on map ↗J. Frank Norfleet · 1978
(1865 - 1967) Son of a rancher and Texas Ranger, J. Frank Norfleet was born in Lampasas County. With little schooling, he grew up working on ranches. He served as foreman for 20 years on the Spade Ranch. Norfleet…
View on map ↗Ranching and Farming in Hale County · 1985
Pioneer ranchers began to settle Hale County in the early 1880s. Land was plentiful and cheap, but life was hard. Many settlers lived in dugouts. Supplies were freighted from Colorado City until the railroad reached…
View on map ↗First Baptist Church of Hale Center · 1991
Organized religion in Hale County can be traced to 1883, when Methodist minister Horatio Graves and his family became the first permanent settlers of the area. Their home became a community gathering place, school, and…
View on map ↗Nils Akeson · 1993
(1866 - 1944) In the late 1880s Swedish born Nils Akeson moved from Iowa to this sparsely populated area of north Texas. As an officer of the Hale County Townsite Company Nils helped establish the town of Hale Center.…
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