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History · Hawley

Hawley’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Hawley. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
2recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

On evening of May 2, 2024, a strong EF3 tornado struck southwest of Hawley. One of the storm chasers following it, Freddy McKinney, happened to witness the tornado destroy the home of the Lambert family: Husband and father Wes, wife and mother Kasey, 7-year old son Lane, 4-year old daughter Allie, and their two dogs Millie and Scout. When he investigated the aftermath, the Lamberts had somehow miraculously survived their home's destruction after taking a direct hit from the tornado, but were seriously injured. Freddy took it upon himself to drive them all the way to Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene to get medical attention, and support a GoFundMe fundraiser to help them rebuild their lives after the tornado.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Hawley’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hawley’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from HawleyWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Hawley.Meet them →
By decade

Hawley, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today2 photos
Hawley street sceneCommonsHawley street scene2011TXMap-doton-HawleyCommonsTXMap-doton-Hawley2004
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Hawley is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Hawley has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Fort Phantom Hill in Hawley, 8.1 miles away.

Hawley and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Hawley. Tap a dot.
Fort Phantom HillCaldwell HallJ. G. Higginbotham HouseWilliam and Shirley Swenson HouseDavid C. and Docia Fritz HouseAbilene Street Railway Company Barn

Closest to Hawley

Fort Phantom HillHawley · Site8.1miCaldwell HallAbilene · Building9.9miJ. G. Higginbotham HouseAbilene · Building10.1miWilliam and Shirley Swenson HouseAbilene · Building10.3miDavid C. and Docia Fritz HouseAbilene · Building10.4mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Fort Phantom Hill’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Hawley?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Hawley’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Impact📜 Tye📜 Abilene📜 Anson

From Wikimedia Commons (2). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

We left the porch light on

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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