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History in a Pecan
Shell
Former
Alabaman Britton Dawson, veteran of San
Jacinto and rancher is the town’s namesake. Dawson lived here from 1847 until
his death in 1903. The town started its growth with arrival of the St. Louis Southwestern
Railroad. The line was a narrow-gauge affair, connecting Corsicana
with Waco.
A post office opened
the following year and the town started collecting the necessary businesses for
growth and permanence. In 1887 the Dawson Masonic Institute built a two-story
lodge and school.
During its most prosperous years (the 1920s), Dawson
had two banks, four cotton gins and a cotton-seed oil plant. From a respectable
population of 500 in 1887, Dawson grew to 950 by 1914. It reached its zenith in
1928 with 1,500 residents. In 1990 the population was 766, increasing to 852 with
the 2000 census.
See Battle
Creek Fight
Dawson
Texas Landmarks: |
Odd
Fellows Building in Dawson
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, July 2007 |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, and vintage/historic
photos of their town, please contact
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