Graball, Texas. (original) (raw)

Mt Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Graball
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, 2006

History in a Pecan Shell

The former town of Graball was named after a storekeeper when the post office opened in 1876. Within ten years the community had forty citizens, most of whom were Black. In 1886 the precinct ballot box was destroyed by the Ku Klux Klan, prompting a congressional investigation.

Graball's population had increased to 100 by the early 1890s, but as the railroads expanded Graball shrank. Towns with railroad connections drew off the town's population and by 1908 the post office closed. Graball was already history by the time the Great Depression arrived. A Texas historical marker was erected at the old cemetery honoring Amos Gates, one of Austin's original 300 colonists.

Another view of Mt Calvary Missionary Baptist Church
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, 2006

Mt Zion AME Church just south of Graball
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, 2006

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