Town of Abernathy
Abernathy, Hale County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Founded when Santa Fe Railroad was extended from Plainview to Lubbock, 1909. Named for Monroe G. Abernathy (1868-1962), treasurer of South Plains Investment Company, firm which promoted townsite. Community prospered, becoming a major railhead for shipping of cattle. Several buildings from the defunct town of Bartonsite were moved here and new ones built. Center of civic activities was the "Old Tabernacle" (1918-1947), located on city square. In early days, before roads were built, broad plowed furrows marked way to house of town doctor. Economy is agriculture-based. 1973
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Abernathy sprang up in 1909 when the Santa Fe Railroad pushed south from Plainview toward Lubbock, and it was named for Monroe G. Abernathy, treasurer of the company that promoted the townsite. It thrived as a cattle railhead, absorbing buildings moved from the vanished town of Bartonsite, and centered its civic life on the "Old Tabernacle" from 1918 to 1947. In its earliest days, before roads existed, plowed furrows guided visitors to the town doctor's house.
Why it matters
Abernathy is a textbook example of how railroads conjured towns out of the open South Plains and shaped the agricultural economy that followed.
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Related people
- · Monroe G. Abernathy
Themes & tags
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