LONDON, TEXAS
aka London Town

Kimble County, Texas Hill Country

30°40'37"N 99°34'35"W (30.6768485, -99.5764516)

Highway 377
18 miles NE of Junction the county seat
Population: 180 est. (2000, 2010)

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London Dance Hall ›

History in a Pecan Shell

London, aka London Town materialized sometime in the late 1870s or early 1880s when former Union Army officer Len L. Lewis moved into the area to trade horses. Lewis married locally and with holdings of a half-section of land, he planned the future town. Ed, Tom, and Robert Stevenson opened a store there in 1881 and the town was platted to include a square and forty town lots.

A post office opened in the Stevenson store in 1892 under the name London and it was used to denote the town as well.

Within two years the population had increased to 30 people and by 1896 it was up to 100. In 1914 London's populatin was 175 and by 1930 it was up to 360. The Great Depression, reduced the population by half and many of the town's businesses closed but by 1943 the town had grown to over 400. After WWII a decline brought the population down to 250. There were only 110 Londoners by the early 1970s and it has increased somewhat in recent years to 180.

London Town Square -
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1971.

Photo A:(L to R) An old hotel, an old dance hall, and not in view was a small cafe in the 60s & 70s
Photo courtesy Erik Whetstone, August 2005

London Grocery and Grill
Courtesy Kathern Hogan, September 2012

McKinney Windmill and Pump building in London, Texas

The McKinney Pumps & Windmills building across the street from the dance hall above
Photo courtesy Erik Whetstone, August 2005

London, Texas - McKinney Pumps & Windmills building

The McKinney Pumps & Windmills Building in 1968
Photo courtesy William J. Poe

Photo B: An old store a block down the road.
This was Gussabees Cafe in the mid 60's
Photo courtesy Erik Whetstone, August 2005
More Texas Stores

Ivy Chapel, south of London
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, July 2004
More Texas Churches

London, Texas Forum

Subject: London, Texas Photos

Photos A was 3 buildings made into one. First one was an old hotel, I played in this hotel in the middle 60's. The middle building was an old dance hall. I believe the first name it had was Tom's place. It had large wooded windows that open to the outside. The end not in view here was a small cafe. In late 70's they were added all together as a dance hall/housing upstairs and the rock was added. It was all wood except the small cafe on the north end.

Photo B: In the mid 60's this was Gussabees Cafe, little lady of late 70's made the best hamburgers here. Notice it did not have a restroom had to go to London hall for restroom needs.

In mid 60's when I lived there and played ball on main street population was 90. There was a school there on the right going toward Junction, later was turned into a dance hall also and later burned down. Now is the London Park I believe. There is a lot of good old time stories of London if u find the right people to tell them.- Judy Kimmell, September 18, 2006

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Texas Hill Country

London, Texas Nearby Towns:
Junction
See Kimble County

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