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Men are from
Mars, Groceries are from Venus
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, January 2006 |
History in
a Pecan Shell
The town was called
Venus after the modestly named daughter of a local Doctor. The town
founder, a Mr. J. C. Smyth chose the name shortly after laying
out the town site on what had been a cornfield.
They got their post office in 1888 and according to the Handbook of
Texas, the population had shot up to 10 people just in time
for the 1890 census.
Two railroads met at Venus and that turned the town into a beehive
of activity. Thirteen businesses were reported in the mid 1890s. The
railroads, or at least one of them, continue to be a presence in Venus.
The town incorporated in 1903 and the population swelled to 800 during
the prosperous years following WWI.
During the Great Depression, Dallas
and Fort Worth
drew off many Venetians and by the early 40s, there was only one business
left in Venus and that was about to close. In a touching show of support,
the townspeople chipped in to save the business (a drugstore) from
closing and turning Venus into a ghost. A similar rescue was performed
in Warda, Texas
in 1998, when the townsfolk bought the last business in town (a restaurant
called Wardaburger).
Today, the Venus city limits cross the county line and a single row
of old brick buildings from Venus' heyday comprise downtown. Efforts
are being made to stabilize a two-story building which may have been
a bank.
The 1990 Census reported that just under 1,000 people called Venus
home.
[See The
Iron Road Sorority: Penelope, Maypearl, and Venus ] |
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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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