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History in
a Pecan Shell
Moran
was born with the arrival of the Texas Central Railroad in 1882. Once
known as Hulltown, for first storekeeper Swope Hill, the town was
renamed Hicks, Texas in 1891. Finally, in 1892 it settled on Moran
to honor railroad president John J. Moran.
The town had a population of just over 200 in 1900 and with the discovery
of natural gas in 1910, the town became a service center for the oil
industry.
Moran reached its high-water mark in 1940 with 710 citizens. By 1950
it had declined to 610 and by 1980 there were 344 people calling Moran
home.
According to the Handbook of Texas, the town had two grain
elevators as well as schools and three churches in the 1980s. The
population was 285 in 1990. |
| The
old Christian Church (with a museum) |
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Christian
Church cornerstone
Photos courtesy Barclay
Gibson, February 2007 |
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| First
Baptist Church Cornerstone |
| Moran's
WPA Project school built with native stone |
Main
Street in Moran
Photo courtesy Rodney Stegall 2006 |
Moran Texas
Forum
Subject: Moran,
Zedlers Mill, Sagerton etc...
Dear TE: I grew up in Moran from 1963 to 1973 & I still consider it
home , I could tell you tons of stories about this little town, but
time and space does not permit. My grandparents on my mother's side
grew up around there, and a lot of my family lived and died there.
My grandparents, great-grandparents, father,sister, aunts,uncles etc...are
all buried in the Dennis Cemetery about three miles out of Moran going
toward Cisco. Four generations of my family graduated from Moran High
School: my grandmother in 1929, my mother in 1951, my sister in 1971,
and my niece in 1993. We still have our family reunion there in the
Moran community center every year. I believe we have been having it
for about 25 years. There is a museum in the old Christian church
(above). I still love going to Moran since it reminds me of my childhood,
when times were simpler and a lot less stressful, where most people
knew each other & most got along. One of the downtown buildings collapsed
when I was a kid I'm guessing the early 70s, but it's on the opposite
side of where the photo was taken. As I said, I could tell you lots
of stories from my memories of Moran, but there wouldn't be enough
room... Thank You - Rodney Stegall, February 16, 2006 |
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