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History in a Pecan
Shell
The town was first named Tebo by the Texas and Pacific Railroad
when it built through in 1881.
Early settlers included the John J. Hinds
family who had the local school named after them. A post office was granted in
1899 and took the name of the school.
In 1901 the name was changed to
Tye, after postmaster John P. Tye, who also served the community as a Methodist
minister. The population was still a meager 40 in the mid 1920s and it took 20
more years for it to reach 100.
During World
War II, Tye field (which was once Abilene’s airport) was constructed just
south of town. For the Korean War, the field was enlarged and the runway expanded
and resurfaced. It was reactivated as Abilene Air Force Base in 1956 before being
renamed Dyess Air Force Base. The 1960 population was 521 in 1960, 857 in 1970,
and 1,088 in 1990. | |
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