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History in
a Pecan Shell
First
settlers started appearing in the 1860s. Storekeeper John Looney was
honored with having the town named after him in the early 1870s. Like
most early towns, the post office was set up in the local store and
in 1874 the Looneyville post office opened in John Looney's store.
The office closed in 1878, reopened eleven years later and then closed
for good in 1905.
Lumber was the town's main industry and several sawmills operated
in and around Looneyville in the late 19th Century. The town reached
a population zenith in the 1890s with just 100 Looneyvillians. A Looneyville
school was in operation in 1900 and the population decline started
just after WWI. It managed
to survive the Great Depression with 40 people. After the closing
of the school in the 1960s, only a church and store were left.
The town has been declared a "dispersed rural community" in the 1990s
and the store has been destroyed by fire in recent years. |
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Former
gas station in Looneyville
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, January 2006 |
The former Looneyville
Store
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, January 2006 |
| 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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