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SHELBYVILLE,
TEXASShelby
County, East Texas
FM 417 and Hwy 87
7 Miles SE of Center
Population:
215 (2000) Shelbyville,
Texas Area Hotels
Center
Hotels |
The
First Battle - Regulator-Moderator War Centennial Marker
Photo
courtesy Gerald
Massey, March 2010 |
Shelbyville
History in a Pecan ShellOriginally
called Nashville (in the 1820s) when Tennesseans settled here, it became
the county seat of Shelby County when the county was organized. The name was changed
in 1837 when the Congress of the Republic of Texas decided to honor American Revolutionary
hero (and former governor of Kentucky) Isaac Shelby.
Shelbyville became
the flash-point in the Regulator-Moderator
War. Most of the major battles of this famous feud were fought here or nearby.
A Republic of Texas post office had been established by 1843. In 1866 in a contested
fight for the county seat, county records were spirited away in the dead of night
and Center became the new Shelby County
seat of government.
The population of Shelbyville in 1884 was 150 which
doubled by 1914. It reached a peak in 1929 with an estimated population of 600
but declined by half during the Great Depression. It slowly increased, reaching
550 residents in the late 1940s but fell again - reaching 215 by the late 1980s
- the same number given for the 2000 census. |
 |
The
First United Methodist Church in Shelbyville
Photo
courtesy Barclay
Gibson, April 2006 |
Shelbyville, Texas
ChroniclesPeople
Three-Legged
Willie by
Bob Bowman
His reputation as a judge was legendary in East Texas.
A Centenarian's
Life by Bob Bowman ("All Things Historical" column)
"A long, long time ago, Clara Davis stopped trying to remember the names
of her grandchildren. But there's a good reason. At the age of 106, she has 218
of them--34 grandchildren, 91 great-grandchildren, and 93 great-great grandkids..."
Ghosts
The
Laughing Ghost of Todd Springs, an area on
a small stream near Shelbyville in Shelby County.
Feud
The
Regulator-Moderator War by Archie P. McDonald, PhD
A
feud that grew into a war erupted in East
Texas in 1839 and raged until 1844, with occasional flair ups at various times
for years afterwards.
It started in Harrison and Shelby counties but eventually
involved San Augustine, Nacogdoches, and other East
Texas counties... |
The
First Battle Centennial Marker
2.5
miles E of Center on Hwy 87 near junction
with FM 417
Photo courtesy Gerald
Massey, March 2010 |
| Texas
Escapes, in
its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing Texas, asks that anyone
wishing to share their local history, stories, and vintage/historic photos
of their town, please contact
us. | |
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