Historical MarkerSite of Epworth
Hale Center · Hale County · Dedicated 1971 · THC Atlas #5189004778
The roadside stories worth pulling over for.
Marker Inscription
(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 here; named place for Epworth, England, birthplace of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. Graves carried the mail from Estacado; also sold supplies to settlers and XIT Ranch cowboys. In 1891 he moved his post office several miles and started New Epworth; but drouth caused site to be abandoned in 1893. The residents joined with those of Hale City to found Hale Center. (1971)
About this site
Site of Epworth is a historical marker in Hale Center, Hale County, dedicated in 1971. It is one of 39 historical markers documented in Hale County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 43 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 34.0662, -101.8447 near Hale Center. The nearest cataloged historic site is J. Frank Norfleet (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include First Baptist Church of Hale Center, Nils Akeson, and Ranching and Farming in Hale County.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5189004778. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
