Zion

Bates, about twenty miles east of Denton in Denton County, was originally part of the Hawkins settlement. The community was named after Kentuckian William E. Bates, who, along with Harry Hawkins, founded the Hawkins settlement in 1853. Bates was known in the area primarily for its Zion Methodist Church and its camp meetings. Reverend Bates used the village as a base of operations to spread Methodism in North Texas. Like many of the pioneer settlements in Denton County bypassed by the railroads, Bates failed to sustain itself. The post office closed in 1904, and by the 1930s the community no longer existed.

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.