Conway is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Carson County, Texas Carson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 5,807. The county seat is Panhandle. The county was founded in 1876 and later organized in 1888. It is named for Samuel Price Carson, the f ...

, United States. According to the

Handbook of Texas The ''Handbook of Texas'' is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). History The original ''Handbook'' was the brainchild of TSHA President Wal ...

, the community had a population of 20 in 2000. It is located within the

Amarillo metropolitan area The Amarillo Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area in the Texas Panhandle that covers five counties: Armstrong, Carson, Potter, Randall, and Oldham. As of the 2010 census, the MSA had a population of 249,881 (though a 2015 estimat ...

History

Conway dates back to its founding in 1892. A post office was established in 1903 and remained in operation until 1976. The

Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railway The Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railway was a Texas subsidiary of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. The railroad was chartered in 1902 with intention to construct a railway from Fort Worth, Texas to Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ...

's earlier arrival may have served as inspiration for J. D. Delzell and P. H. Fisher's 1905 town plat, which they named in honor of former county commissioner H. B. Conway. In 1907, Edward S. Carr started a mercantile business and took on the role of postmaster. Soon after, a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

shop, grocery store, and train depot were built. A steam-powered

threshing Threshing, or thrashing, is the process of loosening the edible part of grain (or other crop) from the straw to which it is attached. It is the step in grain preparation after reaping. Threshing does not remove the bran from the grain. History ...

machine served local

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

growers. In 1912, a community church that was not sectarian was built. The town established a community club and started an annual community fair in the 1920s. The town's population increased from a low of 25 in 1925 to an estimated 125 in 1939. 175 people were living there in 1969, but by 1970, there were only 50 residents, two grain elevators, four gas stations, three cafes, and a general shop listed. Some of these businesses subsequently closed. In 1990, the population was still 50, but by 2000, it had fallen to 20. On April 17, 1970, an F4 tornado struck Conway, causing minor damage. The Eagles Aerodrome was a former airport in Conway.

Geography

Conway is located on

Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...

and

Texas State Highway 207 State Highway 207 (SH 207) is a state Highway that runs from Post, Texas through the South Plains and Texas Panhandle to the Texas/Oklahoma state line. History The highway was originally designated on July 31, 1934 between Floydada and Ralls. B ...

, south of

Panhandle A salient (also known as a panhandle or bootheel) is an elongated protrusion of a geopolitical entity, such as a subnational entity or a sovereign state. While similar to a peninsula in shape, a salient is most often not surrounded by water on ...

and east of

Amarillo Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat, seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County. It is the List of cities in Texas by population, 14th-most populous city in Texas and th ...

in southern Carson County.

Education

Lone Star School, one of the first in the

Texas Panhandle The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a square-shaped area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east. It is adjacent to ...

, was established in Conway in 1892 and served the children of local farmers. The one-room school building was moved here in 1905. It joined the Panhandle Independent School District in 1943 and the original school building became a community center.

Notable person

Joe Ethridge Joe Paul Ethridge (April 15, 1928 – December 16, 2007) was a player in the National Football League (NFL). Biography Ethridge was born in Conway, Texas. Ethridge was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 1949 NFL Draft and ...

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

player for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

, was born in Conway.

Gallery

References