Mount Selman, Texas, aka Selman, Texas, Cherokee County. (original) (raw)

The old and new Baptist Church in Mount Selman
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, July 2007

History in a Pecan Shell

The community was built near the rails of the Kansas and Gulf Short Line Railroad in 1884. Dr. James Selman, donated land for the new town and so it was named in his honor. Mount Selman drew population from the bypassed town of Larissa - 3 miles west. Investors in the new town were none other than the movers and shakers of Larissa.

When the post office was applied for - another town named Selman existed - so the prefix was added to avoid confusion and lost mail.

The population was 125 by 1892 and Mount Selman had all the businesses required for continued growth. Fruit and tomatoes were major crops. In 1914 the town reached its zenith with 500 people calling the place home.

In the early 1950s Mount Selman's population had dropped to just over 200. The post office closed in 1973 and the population remains estimated at around 200.

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