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BEN
HUR
or BENHUR, TEXAS Limestone
County, North Central Texas
FM 339 and FM 2489
8 miles N of Groesbeck
37 miles NW of Buffalo
Population: 100 (1990)
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Your Hotel Here & Save
Buffalo
Hotels |
| | A
closed store
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2006 |
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History
in a Pecan Shell
The name of Ben Hur had been Cottonwood,
although there were already several Cottonwoods in Texas at that time. The name
was changed in 1895 to honor the best-selling book by General Lew Wallace. Since
1895 is the year the post office was granted, the name change was probably the
result of a post office rejection. It didn't matter too much since the post office
closed in 1906.
A man named Joseph Nussbaum (Nut tree) was selling acreage
to farmers in the area shortly after the Civil War. By 1900 the population was
a little over 100. The town lost population to Mart (McLennan County), a town
with a railroad connection.
The population managed to slowly grow to
200 by 1947 but like many towns after WWII, Ben Hur dropped back to 100.
The school was consolidated with Mart in 1957, dealing another blow to the community. |
| | Closed
gas station
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2006 |
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