Covington in Hill County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Gathings College

Photographed by James Hulse, January 11, 2025

1. Gathings College Marker

Inscription. Established about 1860 by the founder of Covington, Col. James Gathings, and his brother Philip.

Over 200 students enrolled. A military department prepared young men for duty in Civil War. Many of the 25 colleges in Confederate Texas closed, due to shortage of teachers and books. But college here stayed opened.

Col. Gathings operated flour mill, tannery, shoe shop, machine shop (made wagons, coffins, farm equipment), brick kiln, saddlery. To needy families of soldiers he gave flour, meat and shoes, he also mounted, clothed and equipped army units free.

Erected 1965 by State Historical Survey Committee. (Marker Number 2114.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1860.

Location. 32° 10.908′ N, 97° 15.522′ W. Marker is in Covington, Texas, in Hill County. It is at the intersection of College Avenue and N Barron St, on the right when traveling west on College Avenue. The marker is located at the southwest corner of the current Covington school. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 104 College Ave, Covington TX 76636, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Prairies & Lakes Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

and one of the Confederate States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Covington Cemetery (approx. 0.2 miles away); First Presbyterian Church of Itasca (approx. 6.6 miles away); Site of Switzer College (approx. 6.8 miles away); Itasca Railroad Depot (approx. 6.9 miles

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away); Erected in Memory of Phillip Nolan (approx. 7.4 miles away); Town of Grandview (approx. 7.7 miles away); Grandview Masonic Lodge (approx. 7.7 miles away); Rio Vista (approx. 7.8 miles away).

Also see . . . Gathings, James J. (1817–1880). Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)

James J. Gathings, real estate developer and rancher, the son of James and Jane (Jackson) Gathings, was born in Anson County, North Carolina, in 1817. At the age of twenty-one he married Martha Wall Covington; they had thirteen children. After a brief stay in North Carolina, the family moved to Mississippi, where for the next decade Gathings oversaw a cotton plantation. In 1849 he left Mississippi for the promise of cheap, fertile land in Texas. He arrived with his family and more than thirty slaves at a spot near the headwaters of Richland Creek in what was then Navarro County and today is just south of Itasca in Hill County. Later he moved north and purchased more than 10,000 acres of land in north central Hill County. At this site he built twenty houses, including a large storehouse and office. In addition, he quickly established friendly
Photographed by James Hulse, January 11, 2025

2. The view of the Gathings College Marker along the fence at the school playground
relations with the Indians in the area, many of whom became regular customers at his general store.

(Submitted on January 12, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

The view of the Gathings College Marker from the street image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, January 11, 2025

3. The view of the Gathings College Marker from the street

Credits. This page was last revised on January 12, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 12, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 319 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 12, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.