Ravenna, Texas, Fannin County. (original) (raw)

History i n a Pecan Shell

Settlement began in the early 1850s when the embryo community was known as Willow Point. As new families moved into the area, the residents started calling the town Ravenna, after a large ravine that split the community.

By 1885 the community had 150 residents and a post office. The town incorporated in 1887 when local businesses included a cotton gin, grist and saw mill. The Ravenna College, was established about that time, but relocated to Ector in 1889.

In 1891 the Denison, Bonham and New Orleans Railroad arrived and the population increased to 400. The 1900 population had declined to 290 but it rebounded to 500 in the mid teens. The Missouri, Kansas and Texas had assumed ownership of the railroad but it ended operations by the late 1920s when the population was just over 400.

With the arrival of the Great Depression the population sank to 254 and by the mid 1960s it was a mere 145. Ravenna�s population was 199 in 1990 and has since increased to 215 for the 2000 census.

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