SHELBYVILLE, TEXAS

Shelby County, East Texas

31° 45' 42" N, 94° 4' 43" W (31.761667, -94.078611)
FM 417 and Hwy 87
7 Miles SE of Center the county seat
Population: 215 (2000)

Shelbyville, Texas Area Hotels › Center Hotels

The First United Methodist Church
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, April 2006

Shelbyville History in a Pecan Shell

Originally called Nashville (in the 1820s) when Tennesseans settled here, it became the county seat of Shelby County when the county was organized. The name was changed in 1837 when the Congress of the Republic of Texas decided to honor American Revolutionary hero (and former governor of Kentucky) Isaac Shelby.

Shelbyville became the flash-point in the Regulator-Moderator War. Most of the major battles of this famous feud were fought here or nearby. A Republic of Texas post office had been established by 1843. In 1866 in a contested fight for the county seat, county records were spirited away in the dead of night and Center became the new Shelby County seat of government.

The population of Shelbyville in 1884 was 150 which doubled by 1914. It reached a peak in 1929 with an estimated population of 600 but declined by half during the Great Depression. It slowly increased, reaching 550 residents in the late 1940s but fell again - reaching 215 by the late 1980s - the same number given for the 2000 census.

The First United Methodist Church in Shelbyville
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, April 2006
More Texas Churches

Shelbyville, Texas Chronicles

People
Three-Legged Willie Stood Tall by Clay Coppedge

Three-Legged Willie by Bob Bowman
His reputation as a judge was legendary in East Texas.

A Centenarian's Life by Bob Bowman ("All Things Historical" column)
"A long, long time ago, Clara Davis stopped trying to remember the names of her grandchildren. But there's a good reason. At the age of 106, she has 218 of them--34 grandchildren, 91 great-grandchildren, and 93 great-great grandkids..."

Ghosts
The Laughing Ghost of Todd Springs, an area on a small stream near Shelbyville in Shelby County.

Feud
The Regulator-Moderator War by Archie P. McDonald, PhD
A feud that grew into a war erupted in East Texas in 1839 and raged until 1844, with occasional flair ups at various times for years afterwards.
It started in Harrison and Shelby counties but eventually involved San Augustine, Nacogdoches, and other East Texas counties...

First Battle - Regulators Moderators War, Texas Centennial Marker

The First Battle - Regulator-Moderator War Centennial Marker
Photo courtesy Gerald Massey, March 2010

First Battle - Regulators Moderators War, Texas Centennial Marker near Center Texas

The First Battle Centennial Marker
2.5 miles E of Center on Hwy 87 near junction with FM 417
Photo courtesy Gerald Massey, March 2010

Photo courtesy Gerald Massey, March 2010

Photo courtesy Gerald Massey, March 2010
More Texas Centennial

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Shelbyville, Texas Nearby Towns:
Center
See Shelby County | East Texas

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