Near Plainview in Hale County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Liberty Community and Finney Switch

Photographed By Bill Kirchner, November 17, 2015

1. Liberty Community and Finney Switch Marker

Inscription. In 1887 Joseph B. Leach and his brothers, John and Dee, immigrated to this area from Liberty, Kentucky. Joseph filed on a 160-acre homestead and built a half-dugout and sod house and a windmill. The Leach brothers often hauled freight for Plainview merchants.

More families arrived in this five-mile square area. By 1892 there were enough children for a schoolhouse to be erected. Methodist and Baptist services and community activities were held in the building. The settlement was called "Liberty" for Joseph Leach's Kentucky home.

William R. Finney and his family settled nearby in the early 1900s. When the Santa Fe Railroad from Amarillo to Plainview located a switch in 1906 on Finney's land, the site became "Finney Switch".

Soon irrigation wells improved agriculture and dairy farming began. Liberty Schoolhouse was moved in 1912 and in 1920 a four-room brick building was erected south of Finney. About 1925 the first business, a store, opened. The Baptist and Methodist congregations built sanctuaries by 1940. With the consolidation of the Liberty and Plainview Schools in 1948 and changes in farming, the population decreased.

Erected 1979 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 3081.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Railroads & Streetcars

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• Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1887.

Location. 34° 15.785′ N, 101° 42.613′ W. Marker is near Plainview, Texas, in Hale County. Marker is at the intersection of Interstate 27 Frontage Road and County Route 40, on the right when traveling north on Interstate 27. Marker is on the east frontage road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Plainview TX 79072, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Site of Lake Plainview (approx. 4.8 miles away); The Santa Fe Railroad in Plainview (approx. 4.8 miles away); Blasingame Home (approx. 5 miles away); Plainview Daily Herald (approx. 5.1 miles away); First Baptist Church of Plainview (approx. 5.2 miles away); Texas Land & Development Company (approx. 5.3 miles away); Schick Opera House (approx. 5.3 miles away); Seth Ward College (approx. 5.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Plainview.

Photographed By Bill Kirchner, November 17, 2015

2. Liberty Community and Finney Switch Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on December 7, 2015, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. This page has been viewed 466 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 7, 2015, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona.