Historical MarkerArden Community
Mertzon · Irion County · Dedicated 1979 · THC Atlas #5235000059
The roadside stories worth pulling over for.
Marker Inscription
This ranching community was named for John Arden, a sheep raiser who arrived in 1876. After 1900, small homesteaders moved into the area. Joe Funk gave land for a school and cemetery in 1903. Baptist, Church of Christ, and Methodist congregations shared the schoolhouse for worship. Camp meetings were held at "The Grove" on Rocky Creek. In 1916 the school moved to a brick building at this site. Following a series of droughts, Arden began to decline. The post office closed in 1942 and the school in 1947. A frame polling station replaced the brick schoolhouse here. (1979)
About this site
Arden Community is a historical marker in Mertzon, Irion County, dedicated in 1979. It is one of 7 historical markers documented in Irion County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 12 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 31.4452, -100.7675 near Mertzon. The nearest cataloged historic site is Arden Cemetery (cemetery), about 0.9 miles away. Others within a short drive include Sherwood Cemetery, Sherwood Courthouse, and Irion County.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5235000059. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
