Old Boston, Texas

Last updated

Old Boston, Texas
Unincorporated community
USA Texas location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Old Boston
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Old Boston
Coordinates: 33°24′14″N94°24′59″W / 33.40389°N 94.41639°W / 33.40389; -94.41639
Country United States
State Texas
County Bowie
Elevation
351 ft (107 m)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s) 903 & 430
GNIS feature ID1364395 [1]

Old Boston is an unincorporated community located in Bowie County, Texas, United States. [1] According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 100 in 2000. It is located within the Texarkana metropolitan area.

Contents

History

Old Boston was settled in the early 1830s and named for store owner W. J. Boston. It was selected as the county seat of the newly formed county in 1841. A post office was established at Old Boston in 1846 with LD Vandike as postmaster. Old Boston became a thriving farm community and was home to several wealthy planters who lived on the Red River. Its population zenith was reported to be between 300 and 400 during the 1860s. In 1876, the Texas and Pacific Railway passed four miles north of Old Boston, prompting a population shift to the tracks, forming the community of New Boston. This caused the population of the original Boston community to shrink to just 75 residents in the early 1880s. By the middle of that decade, Texarkana became the county seat, causing the population to continue to go down to 50. It eventually began to be called Old Boston when the county seat was proposed by residents to be in the geographic center of the county and the post office moved 2.5 miles north of the original Boston. There were two businesses, three churches, and a cemetery in Old Boston in 1984. In 2000, the population was 100. [2]

The community was established while Texas was still a part of Mexico. Mail was delivered to the community from Arkansas on horseback. A battalion was formed in Old Boston to fight during the Texas Revolution. Several stores surrounded the courthouse. Texas governors Hardin R. Runnels and SWT Lanham lived here for a time. [3]

Geography

Old Boston is located 4 mi (6.4 km) south of New Boston in south-central Bowie County. [2] It is also located 2.5 mi (4.0 km) south of Boston on Texas State Highway 8. [3]

Education

Old Boston is served by the New Boston Independent School District. It had 3 private schools in operation for a time. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bowie County, Texas</span> County in Texas, United States

Bowie County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. Its legal county seat is Boston, though its courthouse is located in New Boston. As of the 2020 census, the population was 92,893. Bowie County is part of the Texarkana metropolitan statistical area. The county is named for James Bowie, the legendary knife fighter who died at the Battle of the Alamo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maud, Texas</span> City in Texas, United States

Maud is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States, within the Texarkana metropolitan area. According to the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Boston, Texas</span> City in Texas, United States

New Boston is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States. Boston was named for an early storekeeper in the settlement, W.J. Boston. The coming of the railroads led to the location of two more Bostons. A depot was built approximately four miles north of Boston and was named New Boston. The original Boston then became Old Boston. The courthouse was moved to Texarkana in the early 1880s, but a later election carried to move the courthouse back to the geographic center of the county. This location was between the Bostons. The Post Office Department named this location Boston, so Bowie County has claim to three Bostons: New Boston, Boston, and Old Boston. The population was 4,550 at the 2010 census, and 4,612 in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texarkana, Texas</span> City in Bowie County, Texas, United States

Texarkana is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States, in the Ark-La-Tex region. Located approximately 180 miles (290 km) from Dallas, Texarkana is a twin city with neighboring Texarkana, Arkansas. The Texas city's population was 36,193 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geronimo, Texas</span> Census-designated place in Texas, United States

Geronimo is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Guadalupe County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,032 at the 2010 census, up from 619 at the 2000 census. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Boston is an unincorporated community in, and the county seat of, Bowie County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 200 in 2000. It is part of the Texarkana metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montague, Texas</span> Census-designated place & Unincorporated Community in Texas, United States

Montague is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Montague County, Texas, United States. It is the county seat of Montague County and had an estimated population of 400 in 2000, according to the Handbook of Texas. Its population was 304 as of the 2010 census.

Wamba is an unincorporated community in Bowie County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 70 in 2000. It is located within the Texarkana metropolitan area.

Malta is an unincorporated community in Bowie County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 297 in 1990. It is part of the Texarkana metropolitan area.

Simms is an unincorporated community in Bowie County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 240 in 2000. It is part of the Texarkana metropolitan area.

Dalby Springs is a small unincorporated town in Bowie County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 141 in 2000. It is located within the Texarkana metropolitan area.

Oak Grove, also known as Rolyat, is an unincorporated community in Bowie County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 294 in 2000. It is located within the Texarkana metropolitan area.

Beaver Dam is an unincorporated community in Bowie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 55 in 2000. It is located within the Texarkana metropolitan area.

Red Bank, or Redbank, is an unincorporated town in Bowie County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 125 in 2000. It is part of the Texarkana metropolitan area.

Bassett is an unincorporated community in Bowie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 373 in 2000. It is located within the Texarkana metropolitan area.

Carbondale is an unincorporated community in Bowie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 30 in 2000. It is located within the Texarkana metropolitan area.

College Hill is an unincorporated community in Bowie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 116 in 1990. It is located within the Texarkana metropolitan area.

Corley is an unincorporated community in Bowie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 35 in 2000. It is located within the Texarkana metropolitan area.

Old Salem is an unincorporated community in Bowie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 50 in 2000. It is located within the Texarkana metropolitan area.

Old Union is an unincorporated community in Bowie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 238 in 2000. It is located within the Texarkana metropolitan area.

References

  1. 1 2 "Old Boston, Texas". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Old Boston, TX". The Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 "Old Boston, Texas". Texas Escapes Online Magazine. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.