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Randolph First
Baptist Church
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, February 2007 |
History in
a Pecan Shell
First settled in
the late 1830s, a town named Lindsey School House for Thomas
Lindsey who had donated land for a church, school, and cemetery in
the 1840s appeared ¾ of a mile from what would become Randolph.
The Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas railroad appeared in 1887 and a
new community grew alongside the rails. The new town was named for
Judge Tom Randolph of nearby Sherman.
A post office was granted that same year and within a year the new
town had a saloon, a store and a school. The town acquired a lumber
mill, a gin and a brickyard. In the course of the next 12 years with
a bank a few years later. The population grew to over 200 by the mid
1920s. At the close of World
War II the population remained at 225 although businesses had
declined.
Rail traffic declined in the late 1940s and so did the town’s businesses.
The population was down to 125 by the mid 1960s and down further to
a mere 70 by 1980 – the same figure being used for the 2010 Census.
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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
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