Sherley

Sherley, previously known as Barker Springs and as Frazier, is a farming community on State Highway 19 eight miles southwest of Sulphur Springs in southwestern Hopkins County. It was first settled around 1870 and was originally called Barker Springs after a local pioneer family. The Barker Springs Baptist Church was organized in 1881, and a Methodist church was established sometime later. In 1887 the community received a post office; it was called Frazier and was housed in the store of Robert L. Frazier. When Andrew N. Smith became the postmaster in 1889, the town name was changed to Sherley. By 1892 Sherley included a general store and three churches. A public school was in operation there by 1900 and it had an enrollment of forty-nine in 1905. That year the post office was closed and local mail was routed through Sulphur Springs. In 1930 Sherley had a population of 116. In the mid-1930s Sherley consisted of the school, two churches, two cemeteries, and a number of scattered houses. The school was later consolidated with those of Sulphur Springs, and by the mid-1960s the Sherley community included two churches, two cemeteries, and a few houses. In the late 1980s Sherley was a dispersed rural community. No population figures were available in 2000.

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.