| Marker Number |
59 |
| Atlas Number |
5235000059 |
| Marker Title |
Arden Community |
| Index Entry |
Arden Community |
| Address |
FM 853 |
| City |
Mertzon |
| County |
Irion |
| UTM Zone |
14 |
| UTM Easting |
332129 |
| UTM Northing |
3480125 |
| Subject Codes |
cities and towns; ranches/ranching |
| Marker Year |
1979 |
| Recorded Texas Historic Landmark |
No |
| Marker Location |
Arden community, FM 853, 14 mi. NE of Mertzon, S side of the road, 0.9 mi. NE of CR 420 |
| Private Property |
|
| Marker Condition |
|
| Marker Size |
18" x 28" |
| Marker Text |
This ranching community was named for John Arden, a sheep raiser who arrived in 1876. After 1900, small homesteaders moved into the area. Joe Funk gave land for a school and cemetery in 1903. Baptist, Church of Christ, and Methodist congregations shared the schoolhouse for worship. Camp meetings were held at "The Grove" on Rocky Creek. In 1916 the school moved to a brick building at this site. Following a series of droughts, Arden began to decline. The post office closed in 1942 and the school in 1947. A frame polling station replaced the brick schoolhouse here. (1979) |
