Hockley County

George Washington Hockley was born in Philadelphia in 1802 and met Sam Houston while clerking in the War Department's commissary division; he followed Houston to Tennessee and then, in 1835, to Texas, where he became chief of staff of the Texas army. At San Jacinto he commanded the artillery, including the Twin Sisters, and he later helped escort Santa Anna to Washington. Houston named him secretary of war in 1838 and again in 1841, and sent him to arrange an armistice with Mexico in 1843. He died in Corpus Christi and is buried there.

What the plaque says

Hockley County Formed from Young and Bexar territories. Created August 21, 1876. Organized February 19, 1921. Named in honor of George W. Hockley, commander of the artillery at San Jacinto. Secretary of War of the Republic of Texas. Died in 1851. Levelland - called Hockley City until 1912 - county seat.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge — 31 mi
  The oldest national wildlife refuge in Texas, a ring of salt lakes in the sandhills south of Muleshoe where tens of thousands of sandhill cranes winter in a wet year.

More markers nearby

• Fifth Street Missionary Baptist Church — 5.3 mi
• City of Levelland — 5.3 mi
• The Spade Ranch — 11 mi
• Comanchero Trail — 18 mi