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History in
a Pecan Shell
R. E. Cartledge
and L. B. Harris are credited with being town founders, using their
land to form the new town and name it after the Confederate general.
Harris and Cartledge had planned to wrest the county seat status from
Hayrick, and they succeeded
in an election held in 1891.
The population of Hayrick
gave Robert Lee its first boost. Robert Lee’s post office opened that
year and a new
courthouse was constructed. The population stood at 750.
Robert Lee incorporated in 1929. Throughout the years the town has
thankfully escaped fire and tornadoes and the residents enjoyed the
tranquility. The population remained under 1,000 residents until the
early 1950s. A new high of 1,391 was reached in the late 1980s.
Robert Lee,
Texas Landmarks / Attractions:
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Historical Marker:
Robert Lee
Cemetery
Established in
1891, two years after the founding of the city of Robert Lee. Developers
L.B. Harris and Eugene Cartledge, as president and secretary of the
Austin and Northern Land and Cattle Company, on Sept. 29, 1891, sold
for $1.00 this 11.7 - acre burial ground. Already site of several
graves, it was deeded to Hayrick Lodge No. 696, A.F. & A.M., for "sole
use as cemetery grounds for the members, relatives, and friends".
Later it was named by the lodge. Buried here are 34 Civil War veterans,
as well as soldiers of later wars and members of many of the families
in Robert Lee.
(1973) |
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“When
Robert Lee Gets a New Railroad"
A letter from Ruth Elliott Sellers:
My mother and her family lived in Robert Lee when she was a teenager.
As teenagers do, she picked up songs of that era. “When Robert Lee
Gets a New Railroad" was written about the time that the towns of
Robert Lee and Bronte
vied over who would get the railroad. (The Kansas City, Mexico and
Orient - later bought by what is now the Sante Fe.) Robert Lee lost
and the railway was completed to Bronte
in 1907... more
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Robert Lee,
Texas Forum
Subject: Coke County
Library
Coke County Library in Robert Lee has added rock and mineral display
to it's collection of books. - Arthur Burnett, July 02, 2018 |
Coke
County 1920s Map showing ghost towns not
on the map today
Courtesy Texas General Land Office |
Sanco
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
From Robert Lee, take State Hwy 208 NW about 6 miles,
then N on Sanco Loop about 3 miles |
Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and vintage/historic photos, please contact
us. |
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