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BLOOMING GROVE,
TEXAS
AKA Gradyville
Navarro
County,
Central Texas North
32°5'32"N 96°43'2"W (32.092084, -96.717088)
Highway 22 and FM 55
15 miles W of Corsicana
the county seat
ZIP code 76626
Area code 903
Population: 857 (2020)
821 (2010) 833 (2000) 847 (1990) |
The First United
Methodist Church in Blooming Grove
Photo
courtesy Barclay
Gibson, July 2005 |
History in
a Pecan Shell
The
Methodist Mission (est. 1869) built a white church in the vicinity
- which became known as White Church. Nearby, settlers grouped around
a general store and in 1871 citizens voted on a name for their community
- settling on Blooming Grove, named after Blooming Grove, Illinois,
the hometown of popular resident and Doctor John Davis.
When the St. Louis Southwestern Railway arrived around 1881, the town
moved a mile to be on the rail line and Blooming Grove merged with
White Church community. From a population of 200 in 1884, it
quadrupled to 800 in six short years.
The town was hit hard by the Great Depression and suffered a drastic
reduction in population. From its high-water mark of 1,500 in 1933,
by the mid 30s it had fallen to just over 800 - about the same number
that appeared on the state map in 2004. |
Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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