Whitesboro in Grayson County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Mary Florence Cowell
(November 10, 1860 - July 13, 1940)
Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, August 30, 2026
1. Mary Florence Cowell Marker
Mary Florence (Tinsman) Cowell and her husband S.B. Cowell came to Texas from Missouri in 1900. Mrs. Cowell was a member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, a philanthropic educational organization founded in 1869 at Wesleyan College in Iowa and dedicated to educational opportunities for women. Her friend Dora Hallock, P.E.O. Supreme Chapter organizer, visited Whitesboro in 1902. Together they organized Chapter A, the first P.E.O. chapter in Texas, in the Cowell home on this site. Mary Florence Cowell was elected president of Chapter A and was instrumental in the organization of the Texas State Chapter of the P.E.O. in Whitesboro in 1928. Elected the first Texas state president of the organization, she eventually became known as "the mother of P.E.O. in Texas."
Erected 2000 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 11907.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Fraternal or Sororal Organizations • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1900.
Location. 33° 39.269′ N, 96° 54.132′ W. Marker is in Whitesboro, Texas, in Grayson County. It is at the intersection of Charter
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Regionally, this marker is in the Prairies & Lakes Region. It is also in the American South. 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, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Whitesboro (approx. Ό mile away); Bennett-Richardson House (approx. 0.3 miles away); R. N. Younger Home (approx. 0.3 miles away); Pioneer Park (approx. 1½ miles away); Diamond Station (approx. 1½ miles away); Diamond Horse Ranch (approx. 1½ miles away); Sadler Cemetery (approx. 3.3 miles away); Sadler United Methodist Church (approx. 3.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Whitesboro.
Photographed by Joe Lotz, August 30, 2026
2. Mary Florence Cowell Marker
Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, August 30, 2026
3. Mary Florence Cowell Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on September 2, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 31, 2026, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. This page has been viewed 8 times since then. Last updated on September 1, 2026, by Joe Lotz of Flower Mound, Texas. Photos: 1. submitted on August 31, 2026, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. 2. submitted on September 1, 2026, by Joe Lotz of Flower Mound, Texas. 3. submitted on August 31, 2026, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
