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TUSCOLA,
TEXASTaylor
County, Panhandle / Central Texas N
Highway
83 and FM 613
19 miles S of Abilene
6 miles NW of Lawn
6 miles SE of Buffalo
Gap
Population: 714 (2000)Book
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| Photo
courtesy Barclay Gibson, February 2007 |
History in a Pecan
Shell
Originally the community was several miles west of its present
location. Local residents formed schools in the late 1870s but it wasn't until
1884 that they formed a district. The Jim Ned Independent School District was
named after a Delaware Indian chief who had served as a scout with the Texas Militia.
He was also the namesake of nearby Jim Ned Creek.
In the late 1890s one
John L. Graham donated land for a school, church and several businesses and he
himself opened a store (with partner David Cole). Illinois native Clarence Cash
named the town after his former residence back home. Cash's suggested name was
well received and in April, 1899 a post office opened under the name Tuscola.
The Abilene and Southern Railway arrived in 1907 and three years later the
Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe arrived. As a railroad crossroads, Tuscola's future
seemed bright. In 1912 a large two-story school was built as well as an auditorium.
The population was a reported 300 people in 1913 and Tuscola had two fraternal
lodges in town as well as four churches, a newspaper and bank. |
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Tuscola
Methodist Chuch
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, February 2007 |
The
First Presbyterian Church, now closed
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, February
2007 |
The
First Presbyterian Church cornerstone
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, February
2007 |
By the late 1920s the town's population reached 500 citizens, only to quickly
decline with the arrival of the Great Depression.
The population went
back to 300 but slowly increased back to nearly 500 by the mid 1950s. The Tuscola
ISD merged with Cedar Gap, Ovalo, and Bradshaw
schools to form the South Taylor County ISD. When nearby Lawn
joined this district the name was changed to the Jim Ned District. The 1912 school
was replaced in the 1970s. |
| Photo
courtesy Barclay Gibson, February 2007 | |
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