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History in
a Pecan Shell
From "Eighteen
Ghost Towns of Runnels County" by Alton O'Neil Jr.
"Valley View is a community at the intersection of State Highway
158 and Farm Road 2111, six miles northwest of Ballinger
in Runnels County.
The Pearce School was built in the area in 1887, but the community
name Valley View originated when a Baptist church by that name organized
in the school in 1908. A schoolhouse was built nearby the next year
and called Valley View. The Pearce and Valley View schools merged
in 1920 to establish Hagen School, named after the first superintendent.
The school was destroyed two different times. In 1922 by a cyclone
and in 1932 by a fire. It was rebuilt each time. In 1942 it was moved
near the highway and in 1948 the building was moved to Ballinger.
Local resident J. A. Patterson helped bring about the moving of a
Runnels City church building to Valley View about 1917. This church
consolidated with the Barnett Church in 1946 under the name Valley
View.
The 1980 county highway map indicated one business and a church at
the townsite. Nowadays all that remains is empty buildings and a few
memories." |
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Photographer’s
Note: “It was a bait stand when I was last there. Now it is in the
process of returning to being a church.” – Barclay
Gibson, December 2009 |
Valley View Cowboy
Church sign
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, December 2009 |
Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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