Peoria Texas history, cemetery, baptist church, schoolhouse, photos, nearby cities & towns. (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

As you may have imagined, the town was named after the town in Illinois. �Transient resident� B. F. Stewart, is credited with suggesting the name after his former hometown. Peoria was comprised of 21 cabins in the 1840s but the town had big plans. An entire square mile of streets was platted in 1853 and in 1887 the town was granted a post office. By 1878 Peoria had a population of 500 and hope were high. But when it was by-passed by the railroad in 1890, it immediately declined to around 350.

In the 1880s the town had daily stage service to Hillsboro and Whitney, but the population still dropped � reaching 129 by 1904.

The post office closed in 1907 and although there was some growth in the prosperous 20s, by the time the Great Depression arrived, Peoria was down to only four businesses. The Baptist and Presbyterian churches still remain active and the population of 81 has been in use since the early 1980s.

Historical Marker:

Peoria Cemetery

Established in 1830s as this community developed. First plot was donated by J. R. DeArman; 4 generations of the William Thomas Hill family made later grants. A child fatally bitten by a rattlesnake was first to be buried here. Many rural residents and transients lie in unmarked graves.
1969

Peoria Cemetery Historical Marker
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, February 2008

Hill County 1907 postal map showing Peoria (SW of Hillsboro)
From Texas state map #2090
Courtesy Texas General Land Office

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