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FLOYDADA,
TEXASFloyd
County Seat, Texas
Panhandle
US Hwys 70, 62, State Hwy 20, FM 784 & 1958
31
miles W of Matador
50 miles NE of Lubbock
Population:
4,000
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The town was established
by M.C. Williams in 1890.
Floydada is designated county seat in an election
against Della Plain.
The County's namesake was Dolphin Ward Floyd, who
died at the Alamo. |
Historical
Marker on Courthouse Grounds:Organization
of Floyd CountyFloyd
County was created by the Texas Legislature in 1876. The Fort Worth and Denver
City Railway Company began building westward from Wichita
Falls, resulting in increased settlement of the area. Ranchers T. J. Braidfoot
and J. R. McLain formed a partnership in 1887 to establish a town they hoped to
promote as county seat. Named Della Plain, it soon boasted homes, businesses,
and civic institutions. As more homesteaders settled northwest of Della Plain,
a town named Lockney was created in 1889. Soon
there was rivalry over which town would be named county seat. In 1890 M. C. Williams
and J. K. Gwynn selected this site for a town called Floyd City. In an
election held on May 28, 1890, the voters chose Floyd City as county seat. Officers
elected were: Arthur B. Duncan, County Judge; John C. Hendrix, County Attorney;
R. T. Miller, County and District Clerk; D. W. Jenkins, Sheriff and Tax Collector;
E. E. Keeley, County Treasurer; L. C. Darby, Tax Assessor; W. M. Massie, Surveyor;
and C. F. Ramsey, T. B. Michael, W. R. Vandeveer, and B. P. Merrell, County Commissioners.
When a post office was established in September, the name of the town was changed
to Floydada.
(1990)
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The
Naming of Floydada
At one time the town's name had been Floyd City. There are at least three
versions on how the Ada was added: "Some claim the new name was meant to
be Floydalia and was garbled in transmission to Washington; others say it was
a combination of the county name and that of donor James Price's mother, Ada;
still another version is that it was named for Caroline Price's parents, Floyd
and Ada."
- From the Handbook of Texas Online |
| | Main
Street, Floydada, Texas
Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/ |
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Historical
Marker - 401 S. Main, Floydada
First
Baptist Church of Floydada
On
July 19, 1891, The Rev. I. B. Kimbrough and a small group of worshipers met in
the dugout home of Joe Arnold to organize the Floyd City Baptist Church.
The congregation conducted early worship services in the North Side School building
and at the local Methodist church. After the town's name was changed to Floydada,
the church was renamed First Baptist Church of Floydada. Several traveling ministers
served the congregation during its early years. The Rev. R. E. L. Muncy was called
as first resident pastor in 1897, and he organized the first Sunday School in
1899. The congregation completed its first frame sanctuary at this site in 1908.
Over the years additional property was acquired and larger structures were built
to serve the growing membership. Throughout its history, the First Baptist Church
has served the community with a variety of worship, educational, and outreach
programs. The members and pastors have placed an emphasis on both foreign and
home mission activities. The church continues to play an important role in Floyd
County history.
(1991) |
Historical
Marker - 201 W. Kentucky,
Floydada
First
Methodist Church of Floydada
The
roots of Methodism in Floyd County can be traced to the 1880s, prior to the founding
of Floydada and the formal organization of the county. Circuit riding preachers
ministered to pioneer settlers at Della Plain (5 mi. N), and occasional worship
services were held in a general store owned by J. S. McLain. After the county
was organized in 1890 and Floydada was named county seat, the Northwest Conference
of the Methodist Church established a congregation here. Initially served by The
Rev. W. F. Ford, the membership held worship services in the local schoolhouse.
In 1902 a community church was erected in the 300 block of N. Main Street. Although
legally owned by the Methodists, the sanctuary was also used by other denominations
in town. The building was moved to this site in 1913 and replaced by a red brick
structure in 1918. As the congregation continued to grow, plans were made for
larger church facilities. New buildings were erected beginning in 1953, and the
red brick church was eventually razed. For over one hundred years, the First Methodist
Church of Floydada has served the community with worship, educational, and outreach
programs.
(1990) |
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Historical
Marker Text
Commercial
Hotel
Alabama
native William P. Daily (1865-1941) and his family arrived in Floyd County in
1911, settling briefly in the Muncy community (5 mi. N). After moving to Floydada
to open a feed, coal, and wagon yard, Daily recognized the need for a hotel here.
Construction began in 1912, and the hotel opened in January 1913, with 21 guest
rooms. Catering mostly to traveling salesmen, Daily transported them from the
railroad station in a horse-drawn buggy, and allowed them to display their wares
in the hotel lobby. The hotel was renamed The Lamplighter Inn in 1964.
Texas
Sesquicentennial 1836-1986 |
Floydada Chamber
of Commerce
114 W. Virginia Street in the City Hall
806-983-3434
Floydada
Area Hotels - Book Here & Save
Lubbock
Hotels | More Hotels |
Floydada
Texas Forum
A Cafe in Floydada
In
1957 or 1958 my family had a cafe named Lopez in Floydada. [If anyone has] any
pictures or information on this, it would be greatly appreciated. I can be emailed
at work. Thank you so much. -
ahernandez@chckc.org. - March 05, 2006
Remembering Floydada
I
was born and raised in Floydada, left there in 1970, and came to Pasadena Texas,
but there is hardly a day that goes by that something doesn't remind me of my
hometown.
Some of the main things I remember as a kid growing up in
Floydada was the Old Settlers Parade and the festivities that went with
it. We always made sure we had a new water gun and a bean shooter, so we could
squirt the pretty girls and the bean shooters were for shooting at the people
we were not so fond of. Had to do a lot of running, though.
We used
to get up on top of the buildings downtown and watch the parade go by. I guess
I have been on top of most every building downtown, except the courthouse, but
I was up in the bell tower of the old courthouse that burned down in the 40's
once. I miss Floydada very much. I wish I could have stayed there. All my folks
are still there, out in the cemetery.
One more thing that I remember
as a kid were the medicine shows that would come through town. That was
quite a thrill to watch their minstrel show and laugh at the ones who had all
that black smeared on their faces. They sure sold a lot "get well medicine". I
remember the boxes of candy they sold. Some of them had a winning ticket inside,
most of them did not. They always had the shows set up behind The Palace Theatre,
right close to where Bishop Ford had their used car lot.
The old courthouse
had a tall set of stairs leading up to the front doors, on both sides of the
stairs running from the top to the bottom was a long run of smooth concrete that
the handrails were connected to, which made a perfect slicky slide. Being the
young kid that I was I shortened the life of a few pairs of Levi's that were hard
to come by.
Another thing that I was wondering about is the old courthouse
bell. It used to be lying on the ground on the west side of the jail house.
One more thing that has stayed with me all these years. This was in
the mid 40's before television. When it came time for the election of new
officials, they would set up a huge blackboard right out front of the old Hesperian
building which was owned by Homer Steen at that time I believe. On the blackboard
they would have the candidates name listed and the number of votes they were getting.
Boy! Times sure have changed haven't they?
Well those are just a few
things that come to mind when I remember Floydada, I am sure if I sat down and
thought about it for a while I could tell you a lot more tales.
Thanks
for the opportunity to share some of the memories with you.
- Eddie Childs,
August 11, 2002
More You
Must Remember This
Subject:
The naming of Floydada
My great grandfather William Thomas “Billy” Cloyd
was sheriff of Matador, Texas and also worked
on the Matador Ranch.
An old family story [was] that his first wife’s
name was Floyd and another wife’s name was Ada. So the town became known as Floydada.
I recently contacted a family member who sent correct and documented information
on his wives' names.His first wife was Floyd Mary Nelson, from Floydada, who died
March 16, 1902. His second wife was Ava Martin, from Motley County, and they were
married July 30,1903. William Cloyd died six months later in January, 1904.The
second wife being Ava and not Ada means that the names were not used to name the
town. So the family story was just that - a family story. - Paul Cloyd, August
15, 2004
Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history and vintage/historic
photos, please contact
us. |
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