Copeville 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 ...

in southeastern

Collin County, Texas Collin County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth- Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and a small portion of the city of Dallas is in the county. At the 2020 United States census, the county's popula ...

, United States, along State Highway 78 near the east shore of

Lavon Lake Lavon Lake is a freshwater reservoir located in southeast Collin County, Texas, on the East Fork of the Trinity River near Wylie, off State Highway 78. It is commonly called Lake Lavon for commercial and recreational purposes, but Lavon Lake is ...

History

Copeville was named for John Miles Cope (January 5, 1827 – July 14, 1902), one of the earliest settlers to arrive in the area. Along with his father and brother he organized the community in the 1850s. In 1886 it moved about a mile east from its original location to its current site after the

Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway was a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. From its starting point in Galveston, Texas, the railroad eventually extended northwestwards across the state to Sweetwater and northwards via ...

was built through the area.

Population

The population of Copeville may have reached 300 in 1915. The population estimate had fallen to 240 in 1926. It remained at that number throughout the 1920s and 1930s due to the Great Depression, mechanization of farming, and job opportunities offered in the Dallas metropolitan area. In 1943 a further decline to 150 was reported. Until the early 1970s that estimate remained constant. The town had two churches, five businesses, and a school in 1947. Copeville had 106 residents and seven businesses in 1986 and 1990. In 2000 that number remained unchanged.

Education

The community of Copeville is served by the

Community Independent School District Community Independent School District is a public school district based in Nevada, Texas, USA. The district serves students in southeastern Collin County and includes the towns of Copeville, Josephine, and Lavon. A small portion of Hunt Cou ...

Notable people

* Aubrey Otis Hampton, radiologist who described Hampton's hump and Hampton's line. * J. Weldon Jones, acting

High Commissioner to the Philippines The high commissioner to the Philippines was the personal representative of the president of the United States to the Commonwealth of the Philippines during the period 1935–1946. The office was created by the Tydings–McDuffie Act of 1 ...

, * Charlie Walker, country musician; member of the Grand Ole Opry. * Charles "Tex" Watson, convicted

spree killer A spree killer is someone who commits a criminal act that involves two or more murders or homicides in a short time, in multiple locations. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics defines a spree killing as "killings at two or more locations ...

and former member of the Manson Family.

References

External links

TopoQuest

TX HomeTownLocator

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Collin County, Texas Unincorporated communities in Texas Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex Populated places established in the 1850s