Weeping Mary, Texas
Weeping Mary, Texas | |
|---|---|
  Weeping Mary Location within the state of Texas  Weeping Mary Weeping Mary (the United States) | |
| Coordinates: 31°35′49″N 95°9′35″W / 31.59694°N 95.15972°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Cherokee |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unincorporated Town |
| Elevation | 226 ft (69 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 40 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (CDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 1370986[1] |
Weeping Mary is an unincorporated community in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. It is located on Texas State Highway 21 about 12 miles from the nearby town of Alto. Founded by freedmen shortly after the American Civil War, Weeping Mary is little more than a sparsely populated town in the 21st century but there are some families still living there and an active community church. It is significant as the community closest to the ancient Caddo Mounds State Historic Site.[2]
History
Weeping Mary was founded by recently freed slaves, freedmen, shortly after the Civil War. The community later founded a Baptist church. The community founded a local school for their children in 1896, and had a record of 40 pupils. Demographic changes took place after a boll weevil infestation destroyed the cotton crops, and mechanization reduced the need for farm labor. Many people left in the Great Migration, seeking jobs on the West Coast, especially during and after World War II, when more defense industry jobs were available. The population was 40 in 2000.
Urban legends about the name
There are two known legends on how Weeping Mary got its name. The first says that the name refers to Mary Magdalene crying at Jesus' tomb. In another version, the town was named for a former slave who cried after losing her land, as the government had promised it would not be taken away.[3]
Education
Students living in Weeping Mary are within the Alto Independent School District.[4]
References
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Weeping Mary, Texas
- ^ M., LONG, CHRISTOPHER and STANDIFER, MARY (2010-06-12). "CADDOAN MOUNDS STATE HISTORIC SITE". tshaonline.org. Retrieved 2016-12-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ CHRISTOPHER, LONG (2010-06-15). "WEEPING MARY, TX". tshaonline.org. Retrieved 2016-12-19.
- ^ "Alto ISD :: School District Map of the Alto ISD :: MapTechnica". www.maptechnica.com. Retrieved 2016-12-19.
External links
- Scenes And Sorrows: A Portrait Of Weeping Mary - photos and stories about how the town got its name
Municipalities and communities of Cherokee County, Texas, United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDP | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
 | This article about a location in Cherokee County, Texas is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |