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The
Blue Sign is Green
TE Photo 9-04 |
History in
a Pecan shell
First named Blue Branch after a stream, Brothers Joseph, William and
Isaac Jackson are credited with founding the town around 1846. The
three were veterans of the Mexican War and received a one-third league
grant for their service. The tree where the brothers first camped
was still standing in the 1970s.
With no water, the brothers went to Wooly Branch and dug a canal to
power a mill - the first west of the Brazos. They are also credited
with building a horse-powered cotton gin just north of the settlement.
In 1876 and 1877 the town was under the thumb of a band of local outlaws.
Five citizens had been shot in a short span of time and everyone knew
who the assassins were. Four of the men were caught and hung from
the same tree while two of the gang escaped and were never seen again.
A post office was granted in 1878 and a Methodist church was organized
that same year. One of Blue's first preachers was H.S. Thrall, author
of Thrall's History of Texas - a textbook for many school districts
for many years.
William (Uncle Bill) Jackson operated a small chair factory and reportedly
some of his chairs are still in use. The post office closed briefly
- and when it was reopened in 1897, the new name had been abbreviated
to Blue. In 1906 the Blue school reportedly held thirty-three students.
Without a railroad
and in a somewhat isolated location, Blue entered into a decline,
starting with the permanent closing of the post office in 1913. The
school merged with the Lexington ISD in 1941 and in 1945 the population
was a mere twenty-five. Today it's listed as a " dispersed rural community."
The church and store are still in operation in 2004. |
Photographer's
Note:
There were two buildings in town, a few scattered houses. The church
was on one end of town, the store on the other. I wonder how long
the sign war has been going on! - Sarah
Reveley, February 24, 2008 |
The
Church Cistern
TE Photo 9-04 |
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