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History in
a Pecan Shell
Capt.
J. A. Harrison is regarded as being the first settler here and is
credited with donating land for a church and school. Dates are scarce
on the early history, but it was first known as Belle Point.
It wasn’t until 1882 that the railroad arrived. In this case it was
the St. Louis Southwestern Railway, also known by its famous nickname
“The Cotton Belt Line.” A post office was granted in 1881.
When lots were platted, the naming rights of the new community went
to a railroad official who at that time was enamored of a store cashier
named Ada Purdom. The incorrect spelling of her name was made permanent,
and history doesn’t record whether or not “the railroad man” made
any headway by his beau geste.
The first school shared space with the first church – both housed
in what was described as “an old seed house.” They town didn’t grow
as fast as others with a railroad connection, and by 1896 it had only
eighty residents.
It peaked in 1914 with around 400 residents but the “triple whammy”
of the Great Depression, WWII
and postwar prosperity reduced the population to just 200 by the late
1950s.
The figure of 133 has been used from the late 1970s through the 2000
census.- |
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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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