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History in
a Pecan Shell
The area's first
community was Caddo Grove, two miles west of present day Joshua.
It was a self-sufficient town until the railroad
(Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe) laid tracks between Cleburne
and Fort Worth. Joshua
(named after the biblical character) was platted in 1880, and organized
with the arrival of the railroad in 1881. The first store (containing
the post office) opened the following year. Caddo Grove's post office
closed soon after.
By 1890 Joshua was thriving with a respectable 300 citizens, two steam
mills which doubled as cottin gins, a hotel, and a newspaper. A one-room
school opened in 1890, and in 1899 a larger school was built which
became the high school in1917.
The town suffered fires in 1900 and 1912, but still managed to thrive.
In 1906 a public water system was installed and gardens, and orchards
sprang up around the community. The Fort Worth South Traction Line
(interurban service) connected Cleburne
with Fort Worth in
1912 and Joshua became a stop.
Joshua had 824 people in 1914, declining to 550 during the 1950s.
The ease in commuting to Fort
Worth has increased Joshua's population to nearly 4,000 by 1990. |
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| 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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