Happy Union

The name came from a church. According to the Handbook, residents met in the schoolhouse in 1901 to organize the Happy Union Baptist Church, so called for the harmony between church and community, and the settlement, known in some sources as Ivy, took the church's name. A home demonstration club formed in 1924, and in 1930 the school had 100 students and three teachers. The school building burned in 1956, and many farmers left in the 1960s for lack of water before better dry-land methods revived the area in the 1970s.

What the plaque says

Happy Union Attracted by the availability of inexpensive land and a healthful climate, the families of J. T. Matsler, S. M. Pearson, W. P. Long, J. H. Calvert, J. V. Neil and others began settling this part of Hale County about 1890. They engaged in ranching and raising feed for stock, obtaining their supplies by rail from Amarillo. A mail and passenger service operated by Stant Rhea linked the settlement with surrounding communities. In 1897 the pioneers built a one room building that served as a schoolhouse, community center and place of worship for the settlement, which they chose to call Happy Union. J. V. Neil, W. H. Pearce and H. P. Darden were the first school trustees. Charles P. Shirley deeded two acres of land in 1908 on which a new schoolhouse was built. It was replaced by a larger stucco building that was used until the school disbanded about 1944. By the 1920s the community had a store and filling station built by Gordon and Mae Hansen, a cotton gin, and later a grain elevator. Irrigation helped make Happy Union a prosperous farming area which, despite its limited growth, has retained a strong sense of identity that reflects the community's pride and rich heritage. 1983

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Snyder Community — 5.1 mi
• Bellview Community and School — 6.5 mi
• J. Frank Norfleet — 8.7 mi
• Site of Epworth — 8.7 mi