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MARGARET,
TEXASFirst
county seat of Hardeman County, 1884-1890Foard
County, Texas
Panhandle
FM 98 and FM 3103
7 Miles NW of Crowell
27
Miles SE of Quanah
Population: 00051 (2000)Margaret
Texas Area Hotels
Quanah
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History
in a Pecan Shell
Originally known as Pease, Texas, it
was the (first) county seat of Hardeman County in 1884. The name comes from the
first white child born in the county - Margaret Wesley. The town had a link with
Texas history when Cynthia
Ann Parker was rescued by Texas Ranger Captain (Sul) Ross near here in 1860.
In
1891 with the establishment of Foard County, Margaret found itself in the new
county – but not the county seat. To add to the towns worries, it was bypassed
by the railroad in 1908. But since it was bypassed by a mere three miles, an attempt
was made to move the town to the tracks. The hard work paid off – for a time.
The
Great Depression, WWII and
bypassing by the improved highway system in the 1950s, left Margaret a shadow
of her former self. From a 1940 population of 100, it has been reduced to the
2000 census figure of 51. Although Margaret’s 1909 school closed in 1943, it has
been in use as a community center for many years. |
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Pease River BattlefieldNine
miles East of Crowell
on FM 98 is a marker commemorating the recapture of Cynthia
Ann Parker, Texas' most famous Indian captive. Captured in 1836 near Groesbeck,
she was "rescued" 24 years later in 1860 and died shortly thereafter - after attempting
to escape back to the Comanches. She was the mother of Quanah
Parker who grew up to be go on wolf hunts with President Theodore Roosevelt
and have Quanah, Texas (30 miles North)
named after him. | |
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