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History in
a Pecan Shell
Former Alabaman Britton Dawson, veteran of San
Jacinto and rancher is the town’s namesake. Dawson lived here
from 1847 until his death in 1903. The town started its growth with
arrival of the St. Louis Southwestern Railroad. The line was a narrow-gauge
affair, connecting Corsicana
with Waco.
A post office opened the following year and the town started collecting
the necessary businesses for growth and permanence. In 1887 the Dawson
Masonic Institute built a two-story lodge and school.
During its most prosperous years (the 1920s), Dawson had two banks,
four cotton gins and a cotton-seed oil plant. From a respectable population
of 500 in 1887, Dawson grew to 950 by 1914. It reached its zenith
in 1928 with 1,500 residents. In 1990 the population was 766, increasing
to 852 with the 2000 census.
See Battle Creek
Fight
Dawson Texas
Landmarks:
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Odd Fellows Building
in Dawson
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, July 2007 |
Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and vintage/historic photos, please contact
us. |
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