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BRANCHVILLE,
TEXAS
Milam County, Central
Texas S
FM 485
13 miles E of Cameron
Population:
200 (1990)
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Antique
store in Branchville
Photo courtesy Erik Whetstone, 8-15-04 |
History
in a Pecan Shell
While one might assume the town was named for being on a watercourse,
it may have actually been named after a "branch" store. Merchant W.
B. Easterwood had a store in operation in Port Sullivan, when he expanded
- opening a branch here. The name became official when the post office
opened in 1878. (It closed in 1908.) |
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An
old store in Branchville
Photo courtesy Erik Whetstone, 8-15-04 |
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Old
ice box
Photo courtesy Erik Whetstone, 8-15-04 |
From
a modest population of 20 in 1884, it blossomed into 85 by 1896.
In 1903 Branchville had three schools. Thirty white students were
taught by a single teacher in one building and two one-teacher schools
taught a total of 133 black students. In the 1940s, Branchville had
a population of 100 and its schools integrated in the 50s and consolidated
with Cameron schools in the 1970s. |
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