LARUE, TEXAS

History in a Pecan Shell

Another of the string of towns set up along the rails of the Texas and New Orleans Railroad in 1901, LaRue began life as a settlement named Morrison Chapel in the mid 1840s. The namesake was Joseph La Rue, a man from Athens who helped negotiate the right-of-way for the railroad.

The community took advantage of the connections the railroad offered and relocated alongside the rails. The move proved fruitful and Larue grew, reaching a high-water mark of around 400 residents.

After WWII, access to the highway was improved just as cars were once again made available. Despite a severe decline in population, Larue managed to avoid the dreaded designation of “dispersed rural community.”

From the late 1980s through the year 2000, Larue’s population has been given as 160.


The Texas and New Orleans Depot in LaRue
"This was the center of the town and included two sets of railways in front of it. Much like the Poynor, Texas depot, this structure was probably torn down sometime in the 1950s." - Gage Guinn

Take a road trip