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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.
Where
to Stay > Giddings
Hotels
Blue
Texas TodayPhotographer'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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Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
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