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History
in a Pecan Shell
Elmdale began life alongside the tracks of
the Texas and Pacific Railroad in the 1880s. The name of Elmdale may in fact come
from some trees that were present during settlement while another source claims
that the trees were a mirage – seen by pioneers. optimistic settlers.
The town built a one-room school building in 1895 which was also used by (tiny)
congregations of Baptists, Methodists, and the Church of Christ. Even when the
town was granted a post office in 1905 the population was less than 20.
Elmdale’s
population swelled to 20 residents by 1914 and five years later they had replaced
the frame school with a modern brick one. The Baptists constructed their church
building in the mid 20s, enlarging it in the 1930s.
The post office closed
it’s doors in the late 1920s and the Great Depression hit the town hard. One business
remained by 1940 along with the Baptist Church and the school, which burned in
the late 1960s. Elmdale was within the city limits of Abilene
in the 1980s although the 2000 census was able to take a separate count of 50
people there in 2000. |
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