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COVINGTON,
TEXAS A One Man
Town
Hill County, North Central Texas
Highway 171
12 miles N of Hillsboro
Population: Population: 282 (2000)
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Downtown
Covington
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson,
April 2006 |
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History in
a Pecan Shell
James J. Gathings was a Mississippian who arrived in Texas in 1852
and bought thousands of acres of land in the region. Using slaves,
Gathings ran successful farm and ranching operations, setting aside
100 acres for what would become the town of Covington. He platted
the town and offered free lots to temperate families as long as they
agreed to build a home and a school. The town was named after his
wife's maiden name. |
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The
post office
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson,
April 2006 |
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In
1855 Gathings became postmaster of Covington and together with his
brother Philip, they founded Gathings College in the early 1860s.
By 1870 Gathings's population was nearing 500 and the school continued
in operation until 1885.
The town was in economic peril when it was bypassed by the Katy Railroad
in 1904 but saved when the Trinity and Brazos Valley Railroad built
through. Covington prospered for the next 30 years and the town's
prosperity was only ended by the onset of the Great Depression. The
Trinity and Brazos Valley discontinued the stop at Covington and wartime
growth of Waco and Fort
Worth drained off population as highways improved. From a population
of 450 in 1945 it fell to less than 300 by the late 1980s. |
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