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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. |
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