Coho and Nancy Jane Smith Farmstead Site
Azle, Parker County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Early settlers to this area, who began arriving about 1849, included James and Sarah Hoggard. Their daughter, Nancy Jane, married John J. "Coho" Smith, a cabinet maker and teacher. The Smiths bought property at this site soon after their marriage in 1861. Their original one-room cabin was enlarged as the family grew, and according to local history it also served as a school. Archeological investigations at the site have revealed many aspects of a 19th-century farmstead, including a hand-dug well, root cellar, spring house, and rock walls which may have been part of a fortified structure. Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845-1995.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Settlers began reaching this part of North Texas around 1849, among them James and Sarah Hoggard, whose daughter Nancy Jane married cabinetmaker and teacher John "Coho" Smith in 1861. The couple built a one-room cabin here that grew with their family and reportedly doubled as a school. Later digs uncovered a hand-dug well, root cellar, spring house, and rock walls hinting at a fortified structure.
Why it matters
The site preserves the everyday texture of a mid-19th-century Texas farmstead, where a single cabin could be home, workshop, and schoolhouse on the settling frontier.
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Related people
- · John "Coho" Smith
- · Nancy Jane Hoggard Smith
Themes & tags
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