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History in
an Egg Shell
William Frank Easter
is the town’s namesake. Mr. Easter settled here around 1900 and in
1901 donated land for the first school. The school also served as
the first church.
A new two-room school was built in 1919 bur after it was destroyed
by fire in 1940, Easter’s students went to schools in Dimmitt.
The old school site became a church and community center but eventually
became a residence.
During the 1950s a grain elevator, and cotton gin gave Easter a skyline.
Easter received its mail from Hereford
and a new community center was built just west of town on FM 1055.
The 1990 census showed a population of 91 which has since dropped
to a mere 30 residents for the 2000 count.
Easter,
Texas Today
Easter as documented
by two photographers' visits: |
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Easter Rural
Station / Rural Branch, Hereford
"Easter was
a very small community, and it did not obtain a post office until
quite late - 1960. For these reasons, as the postmark on the cover
illustrates, it was never an independent post office. It began as
a rural station of Hereford
- rather much like a neighborhood station in a big city, only located
in a rural area. It was then redesignated as a rural branch. These
kinds of rural post offices often operated out of stores, fishing
tackle shops, gas stations, resort facilities, and the like. They
were operated by "postal clerks" rather than "postmasters." Eventually,
rural branches were reentitled as "community post offices." Easter,
however, did not last long enough to receive that label. Most likely
due to a minimal volume of mail and/or the retirement or death of
the postal clerk, it went "out of business" in 1976. Its residents
now rely exclusively on Hereford
for matters postal." - John
J. Germann, April 13, 2020 |
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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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