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Lee County TX
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BLUE, TEXAS

Lee County, Central Texas South

FM 696
10 Miles NE of McDade
8 Miles W of Lexington
14 miles NW of Giddings the county seat
Population: Unknown

Book Hotel Here › Giddings Hotels
Blue Texas sign
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.


Blue Texas Today

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
Blue United Methodist Church, Blue Texas
The Methodist Church at Blue
TE Photo 9-04
More Texas Churches
Church cistern, Blue Texas
The Church Cistern
TE Photo 9-04
Blue Texas store
Photo courtesy Sarah Reveley, February 2008
Political Correctness sign, Blue Texas
Photo courtesy Sarah Reveley, February 2008
Blue Texas church sign
Photo courtesy Sarah Reveley, February 2008

Take a road trip

Blue, Texas Nearby Towns:
Giddings the county seat
McDade
Lexington
See Lee County | Central Texas South

Book Hotel Here:
Giddings Hotels | More Hotels
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