Rowden, Texas

Rowden is an unincorporated community in Callahan County, in the U.S. state of Texas. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 30 in 2000. It is located within the Abilene metropolitan area.

History
At the northwest corner of Miller Place, Walter V. Roberts established a store and post office in 1906. The community was named for Jack Rowden and his family, which was chosen at random. South of Rowden, near Pecan Bayou, ranching was the main industry in the area. In 1912, Narbon Sikes constructed a new store. Ott Richardson had previously owned the blacksmith shop, which Jesse Mauldin acquired in 1915. Baptists, Methodists, and members of the Church of Christ gathered in 1896 and used the first Antioch Baptist Church, which was presided over by A. T. Ford. The Church of Christ met in the former Baptist church, while Methodists and Baptists convened in the new structure. Following the relocation of the town's sole retail establishment to Highway 36, E. L. Redden, the pastor of the recently established Antioch Baptist Church, and his members decided to relocate the church next to the store. The church was renamed Rowden Baptist Church after Blan and Jessie Odom donated the site. After Highway 36 was finished, the business was relocated to its current site. Weldon Gary owned the concrete building in 1986, and it was utilized to store farming equipment. After Baird took over as the county seat from Belle Plain, Rowden declined. The final person to occupy the position was George Cunningham, who was appointed postmaster in 1930. Thirty people were living in the community in both 1990 and 2000.

Geography
Rowden is located on Texas State Highway 36, 16 mi northwest of Cross Plains in south-central Callahan County.

Education
After the original Pilgrim School was destroyed by lightning in 1912, a new school was constructed in 1913–1914. West of Sikes's store stood the new school, Rowden School, a two-story wooden building. Mrs. Houston and Mrs. Claude Sikes were the school's original instructors. Other teachers were Ola Ashbury, Ada Sikes, Gladys Slater, Arthur Slaton, and Garvin Hester. The building was remodeled into a single story with two rooms separated by a wall that was later taken down to create a single, spacious area for events and community gatherings. A wood burner provided heat for the school and well-provided water. Today, the community is served by the Cross Plains Independent School District.