Rogers, Texas, a town in Bell County. (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

Named for railroad official John D. Rogers of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway, the town had a population of 150 and most essential businesses by the mid 1880s. The town was incorporated in 1899 and the newly elected mayor (James D. King) had a two-story building constructed - with the top floor being used as an opera house.

By 1914 the town had grown to an estimated 1,275 people. Cotton was indeed King and in 1918 Rogers won the much-contested honor of having shipped more cotton than any other town or city in Texas.

The town suffered a fire in the 1920s but the population held through that decade. After the Great Depression the town had been reduced slightly to just over 900 people. Growth had been slow and steady, growing to 1,420 residents by the mid 1970s. It has since declined slightly to the present figure of 1,113.

Rogers, Texas Chronicles

Bullet Riddled Buddies by Clay Coppedge
1930s-era gangsters Charles Frazier, Whitey Walker, Blackie Thompson and Roy Johnson.

The Rap on Joe Tex by Clay Coppedge
Dancer Alvin Ailey has always been considered the most famous person to come from Rogers, but fans of that sweet soul music of the '60s and '70s might beg to differ once they find out that singer Joe Tex drew his first breath and sang his first words in Rogers.

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