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A former
cotton gin now serves as a feed store (2004)
Photo by John Troesser, 7-04 |
History
in a Pecan Shell
Legend says the town's name was given by the postmaster who selected
it from a nursery catalogue.The site was settled sometime in the 1830s,
but no town proper appeared until the railroad arrived. In 1902 the
townsite was laid out in anticipation and a post office was granted.
A general store was opened in 1904, the Trinity and Brazos Valley
railroad made their survey in 1905 and finally finished the line in
1908.
Families from Prairie Plains (three miles east) relocated to be near
the railroad. In 1909 the congregation of a Prairie Plains Church
moved their church building to Shiro.
Shiro became a shipping center for cattle, and cotton around 1913
and the town got a weekly newspaper by 1915. During the 20s Shiro's
sixteen businesses lined the highway.
The town reached its zenith in 1936 with a population estimated at
500. By 1950 it was down to around 300 Shiroans. The population has
been estimated at 205 from 1969 to the present. |
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Storefronts
along Highway 30
Photo by John Troesser, 7-04 |
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A ghost sign shows an attempted restoration.
Photo by John Troesser, 7-04 |
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