Weedville, Arizona

Weedville, Arizona, is a populated place situated within the city limits of Peoria in Maricopa County, Arizona.[2] It was a small community founded in 1911, in an area which at the time was outside the city limits of Peoria. The area is located within the pockets of unincorporated land under the jurisdiction of Maricopa County. All of the census and demographic data for the residents of Weedville are part of the information reported for the city of Peoria since Weedville is located within the limits of that city.

Weedville, Arizona
Populated place
Rev. Ora Rush Weed and his family in front of their home in 1912.
Weedville Location within the state of Arizona Weedville Weedville (the United States)
Coordinates: 33°36′50″N 112°12′56″W
Country	United States
State	Arizona
County	Maricopa
Elevation [1]	1,197 ft (365 m)
Time zone	UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (MST)
ZIP codes	85381
Area code(s)	623
FIPS code	04-81410
GNIS feature ID	13436

History

Reverend Ora Rush Weed (1868–1942) was a Methodist minister from Kansas. It is unknown why Weed decided to leave his hometown with his wife Phoebe and family. They moved and settled in Arizona. Some of the members of his Kansas ministry followed him and together they homesteaded the area north of Thunderbird Road and 75th Avenue, outside of what at the time were the city limits of Peoria.[3][4][5]

By 1916, Weed established the Path Church (now known as the "Old Path Church") and a boarding school. The name "Paths" comes from a Bible verse (Jeremiah 6:16): "Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." [6] A small religious community flourished around the development of Weedville, which Weed named after himself. By 1921, the community established a cemetery which was named the Old Paths Cemetery.[3][4][5] Besides running a small general store, Weed ran a farm which produced broom grass. He then established a broom factory using the broom grass. He employed many ex-convicts who had gained experience as broom makers in prison. As such the factory helped support the small community economically.[3]

Later years

Weed donated land and buildings for the establishment of the Southwest Indian School. Today the site is home to the Southwest Indian School Ministries. The Old Path Church is still standing and is located within the grounds of the ministry. Rev. Ora Weed died on May 4, 1942. He and many of his descendants are buried in the Old Paths Cemetery which is located on the Old Paths Cemetery Road. The original bell of the Old Path Church is located within the grounds of the Old Paths Cemetery. The bell is rung every Veterans Day[3][4][5] [7]

Weedville is located in the area within 71st and 75th avenues. between Thunderbird Boulevard and Acoma Drive. The latitude is 33.614 and the longitude −112.215. The elevation of Weedville is 1,197 feet above mean sea level.[5]

Historic structures of Weedville

Historic structures
(NRHP = National Register of Historic Places)[8]

• 
  Old Path Church.
• 
  Old 1918 house in Weedville.
• 
  Early 1920s Weedville house.
• 
  Another early 1920s Weedville house.
• 
  1920–1930 farm equipment used in Weedville.
• 
  Early Weedville Boarding House.

Old Paths Cemetery

The Old Paths Cemetery[9] is a small private cemetery located in "Weedville" and named for its founder Reverend Ora Weed. The cemetery is located north of the northeast corner of 73rd Ave. & Thunderbird Road. The majority of Weedville, including the Old Paths Cemetery, lies in unincorporated land. The cemetery has been maintained with care by the Weed family since its founding in 1921.

Historic Old Paths Cemetery
(NRHP = National Register of Historic Places)[8]

• 
  Old Paths Cemetery, established in 1921
• 
  Entrance of the Old Paths Cemetery
• 
  The Original Old Path Church Bell is located in the Old Path Cemetery.
• 
  Grave-site of Ora Rush Weed
• 
  Grave-site of Erza Beeson Weed and his wife Elizabeth Weed

In pop culture

Arizona Republic writer Jim Cook had a chapter on Weedville in his 2002 book, "Arizona Liars Journal", published by Cowboy Miner Productions; ISBN 978-1931725033.[3][4][5]

See also

• List of historic properties in Peoria, Arizona
• Indian Mesa
• Rio Vista Pond

References

1. "Feature Detail Report for: Weedville". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
2. "Weedville (in Maricopa County, AZ) Populated Place Profile". AZ Hometown Locator. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
3. Pulling Up Weedville
4. Historic Peoria Places
5. Peoria Local Links and Resources
6. graveyard of artifacts tells West Valley’s story
7. Old Paths Cemetery
8. National Register of Historic Places
9. Old Paths Cemetery at Find a Grave

Further reading

• Gilbert, Kathleen (2004) More Than A Century of Peoria People, Progress,and Pride (Heritage Publishers) ISBN 978-0929690773
• Historic Peoria Places – Weedville – City of Peoria

External links

Media related to Weedville, Arizona at Wikimedia Commons