Worthing

Worthing is near the intersection of U.S. highways 90A and 77A, four miles west of Hallettsville in central Lavaca County. On May 8, 1832, John Smeathers, a member of DeWitt's colony, received a grant to lands on Smeathers and Rocky creeks from the Mexican government. Francis Smith, whose grant joined his on the west, followed him on March 23, 1835. The land was well-suited for producing corn and cotton as well as for use as pasture. During and after the Civil War much of this land became small farms, and German and Czech immigrants began replacing earlier Anglo-American ranchers. In 1882 Joe Orsak built a cotton gin, and A. H. Worthing built a store to serve the farmers. Worthing's store became a post office that year, and the community took his name. The post office functioned until 1906, when mail was routed through Hallettsville. By 1887 the Czechs had built the Vseyhrad (High Castle) school a mile north of Worthing's store. The local economy fluctuated with the supply and demand for cotton. By 1919 the St. Augustine Catholic Church was built. By 1950 Worthing had a population of forty and two businesses. The decline of cotton planting in the 1950s signaled the decline of Worthing. By 1987 no businesses remained, although the community claimed a population of about fifty-five. In 1990 the population was still fifty-five. Through 2000 the population was still fifty-five.