PRAIRIE VALLEY, TEXAS. Prairie Valley is on Farm Road 2960 a mile south of Lake Whitney and seven miles south of Hillsboro in western Hill County. It was located on the original land grants of Levi Jones, M. Madrigal, and Elisha M. Dennis. The first settler to the area was John Gaines in 1854, and others soon followed. The community was originally called Valley Springs, and at other times it was also known as Tittle and Calera. In 1857 the first church, a Church of Christ, was founded in the community. By 1865 Prairie Valley had a saloon and from 1872 to 1880 a post office. By 1890 the community had begun to decline, but it still had a church and a school. In 1905 the school had two teachers and 109 students. By the 1950s only a church and its cemetery remained at the site. They were still indicated on maps in the 1980s. A Texas historical marker is located in nearby Whitney to honor the Prairie Valley community.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Hill County Historical Commission, A History of Hill County, Texas, 1853-1980 (Waco: Texian, 1980).
