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History in a Pecan
Shell
The town had previously been known as either Smithland
or Bailey's Store, but the granting of a post office in 1874 necessitated
a change of name. Ten years later the town had most essential businesses and reached
a peak population of 500 residents.
The population declined by half in
the 1890s – a trend that has slowly worn the figure down to double digits. School
consolidation and the proximity to the county seat seem to have left Baileyville
in a permanent state of under-population. It is now considered a “dispersed community”
but remains on county maps. | |
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