Oak Ridge, Texas, Grayson County. (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

It's not easy being west of the Red River, but Oak Ridge manages to be both west of the river and Bryan County, Oklahoma. The topographic name is thought to have been applied to the settlement sometime in the 1880s.

The oldest grave in the Oak Ridge cemetery is dated 1882 and belongs to Ann Messenger. The Messenger family donated land for the community's Methodist church. Perhaps following the messenger lead, citizen John Scott donated land for a Baptist church. Oak Ridge had its own school although students from Carpenter's Bluff also attended. The school, cemetery, and one church appeared on detailed maps in the 1940s but the school later disappeared. Oak Ridge still appears on the TxDoT county map - but only as a cemetery.

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