STERLEY, TEXAS. Sterley is on Farm Road 2286 seven miles northeast of Lockney in northwest Floyd County. It began around 1927-28, when the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway was built through the area, and was named for W. F. Sterley, the general agent for the railroad. Early businesses included a post office, established in December 1928, Harvey House restaurant, and a depot. A grocery store was established in 1934 by the Howell family. By 1948 the town had a population of ninety, a post office, a school, railroad shops, and two churches. The community was at the junction of two branches of the Fort Worth and Denver City in a predominantly agricultural region. In 1980 Sterley reported a population of seventy-five. A gin and large elevator were still in operation, although the post office had closed in February 1969. In 1990 the population was estimated at ten.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Floyd County Historical Museum, History of Floyd County, 1876-1979 (Dallas: Taylor, 1979).
